In the news

The USDA / FSIS released a proposed determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products when they exceed a very low level of Salmonella contamination. The CDC estimates that Salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million human infections and 26,500 hospitalizations yearly. Of those infections, over 23% are attributed to poultry consumption. Under this proposal, FSIS would consider any breaded stuffed raw chicken products that include a chicken component that tested positive for Salmonella at 1 CFU per gram before stuffing and breading to be adulterated. FSIS also proposes to carry out verification procedures, including sampling and testing the chicken component of breaded stuffed raw chicken products before stuffing and breading, to ensure producing establishments control Salmonella in these products. @ https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/04/25/usda-proposes-declaring-salmonella-adulterant-breaded-stuffed-raw

Every year, the U.S. sees almost three million antimicrobial-resistant infections, with the cost of treating the six most common ones at over $4.6 billion. The EU sees almost 700,000 cases each year, which cost it an estimated €1.5 billion. Antibiotic sensitivity testing (AST) uses culture methods that expose bacteria to antibiotics or genetic methods to determine if the bacteria possess genes that confer resistance. Typical ASTs last up to 24 hours or even longer for slow-growing bacteria. Researchers at Vrije Universiteit Brussel have developed a fast (2-4 hours), cheap, and widely accessible method based on optical microscopy that can perform an AST with single-cell sensitivity without attaching or labeling bacteria. The new technique involves monitoring nanoscale vibrations of single bacteria before and while being exposed to antibiotics. The monitoring is performed with a basic optical microscope, a video camera, or a mobile phone. The researchers used ONMD to detect the sensitivity of numerous bacteria to antibiotics successfully. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Mycobacterium smegmatis sensitivities to the antibiotics ampicillin, streptomycin, doxycycline, and vancomycin were determined in less than two hours.@ https://phys.org/news/2023-04-antibiotic-resistance-fast-cheap-easy.amp

The FDA reported that Kawasho Foods USA Inc. of New York, NY expended its February 26, 2023, voluntary recall of canned GEISHA Medium Shrimp 4oz. to now recall all lots of this product. Kawasho Foods is taking this step because there is a possibility that the product has been under-processed, which could lead to the potential for spoilage organisms or pathogens. The decision was made after receiving additional information from the FDA. The product was distributed to retailers nationwide (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI) from Dec 2022 to Apr 2023. The GEISHA Medium Shrimp is packaged in a 4oz. metal can, with UPC 071140003909 (Listed on the back of the label). @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/kawasho-foods-usa-inc-announces-expansion-voluntary-recall-geisha-medium-shrimp-4oz-due-possible#:~:text=Company%20Announcement-,Kawasho%20Foods%20USA%20Inc.,all%20lots%20of%20this%20product.

The CFIA reported that Lazeez Shawarma (Brampton, Ontario) recalled Lazeez Shawarma Hot Sauce from the Canadian marketplace due to suspected Bacillus Cereus contamination. The Lazeez Shawarma Hot Sauce was sold in variable-size containers produced and sold from March 8, 2023, up to and including March 18, 2023. The product was sold in Ontario. @ https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/hot-sauce-recalled-due-bacillus-cereus