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The FSA reported that The Compleat Food Group, the parent company of Wall’s, is recalling Wall’s The Classic Scotch Egg and Wall’s 2 Classic Scotch Eggs because Salmonella has been found in the products. The recall affects products with a use-by date of July 2, 2025. The affected items are 113g packs of Wall’s The Classic Scotch Egg and 226g packs of Wall’s Two Classic Scotch Eggs. @ https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-33-2025

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, investigated illnesses in a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections linked to cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers, Inc. (Boynton Beach, Florida) and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. (Delray, Florida). As of June 30, 2025, 69 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella were reported from 21 states (AL, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MA, MI, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, and VA). Of the 60 people for whom information was available, 22 were hospitalized. Of the 35 people interviewed, 29 (83%) reported eating or likely eating cucumbers. The CDC has declared the outbreak over. Epidemiologic and traceback information demonstrated that cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers, Inc., were the source of illnesses in this outbreak. Several companies issued recalls for cucumbers and products containing recalled cucumbers. The recalled product has passed its shelf life and should no longer be available for sale in stores. As part of this investigation, the FDA collected a product sample of cucumbers from Bedner Growers, Inc., at a distribution center in Pennsylvania. Salmonella was detected in the sample of cucumbers. WGS analysis determined that the product sample contained Salmonella Montevideo, which matched the strain of Salmonella linked to illnesses in this outbreak. Additional analysis of the cucumber sample from the Pennsylvania distribution center identified a Salmonella Braenderup strain that matched a strain of Salmonella linked to some illnesses in the 2024 outbreak of Salmonella infections associated with cucumbers. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cucumbers-may-2025?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

In Canada, the CFIA reported that Peeters Mushroom Farm is recalling sliced mushrooms distributed in Ontario and Quebec due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The affected products are: (i) Thin Sliced Mushroom, 2.27 kg. (ii) Thick Sliced Mushroom, 2.27 kg;  Sliced Mushrooms, 227 g; BEST BEFORE 25JL04, and Cremini Sliced; 227 g;: BEST BEFORE 25JL04. The CFIA’s test results triggered the recall. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the products. @ https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/peeters-mushroom-farm-brand-sliced-mushrooms-recalled-due-listeria-monocytogenes?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

In the Journal of Nanobiotechnology 23, article #304, 2025, an article entitled “Nanoplastics-mediated physiologic and genomic responses in pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7” by scientists from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, was published. The widespread occurrence of microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP) in the environment is commonly believed to have a negative impact on living organisms. Microorganisms, including pathogenic bacteria, frequently interact with MPs/NPs in various ecosystems, triggering physiological responses that warrant a deeper understanding. The study experimentally demonstrated the impact of surface-functionalized differentially charged polystyrene (PS) NPs on the physiology of human pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 and their influence on biofilm formation. The results suggest that charged NPs can influence the growth, viability, virulence, physiological stress response, and biofilm lifestyle of the pathogen. Positively-charged NPs were found to have a bacteriostatic effect on planktonic cell growth and affect cellular viability and biofilm initiation compared to negatively charged and uncharged NPs. The transcriptomic and gene expression data indicated significant changes in the global gene expression profile of cells exposed to NPs, including the differential expression of genes encoding several metabolic pathways associated with stress response and virulence. Significant upregulation of Shiga-like toxin (stx1a), quorum sensing, and biofilm initiation genes was observed in NP-exposed biofilm samples. Overall, exposure to NPs did not significantly affect the survival of pathogens but affected their growth and biofilm development pattern, and most importantly, their virulence traits. @ https://jnanobiotechnology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12951-025-03369-z