In the news

The UK authorities published in JFP (January 2023) a study on two foodborne outbreaks caused by contaminated imported melon. Between March and July 2021, there was an outbreak of 113 cases of Salmonella Braenderup in the UK (62% female, median age 61 years, 33% hospitalized). Galia melons from Honduras were identified as the vehicle of infection. Subsequently, the outbreak strain was isolated from two samples of Galia melon imported from Latin America. In July and August 2021, there was an outbreak of 17 cases of STEC O157:H7 in the UK (53% female, median age 21 years, 35% were hospitalized). A questionnaire implicated eating precut watermelon from a retailer as the source of infection. In outbreaks associated with fresh fruit, due to the difficulty in removing pathogens from the fruit’s flesh, efforts should focus on preventing microbial contamination from production to processing to distribution.  @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X22000394

Food Safety magazine reported that the FDA has worked with the EPA to modify the list of organisms required for developing and registering antimicrobial treatments for preharvest agricultural water, removing Listeria monocytogenes from the test panel. The change to the protocol is being made due to pilot studies suggesting that sanitizers that are likely effective for Escherichia coli and Salmonella may be different from those that are most effective for L. monocytogenes. Due to recent outbreaks of E. coli (STEC) and Salmonella linked to produce, the FDA and EPA agreed and decided to remove L. monocytogenes from the panel. FDA expects that the change will facilitate the registration of antimicrobial treatments against STEC, other E. coli, and Salmonella in preharvest agricultural water, the availability of which will be a significant resource for farms to protect their crops against such pathogens. @ https://www.food-safety.com/articles/8257-fda-removes-listeria-from-test-panel-for-preharvest-ag-water-treatments-protocol

A study conducted at North Carolina University and published in JFP aimed to determine the prevalence and degree of cross-contamination across various kitchen surfaces during a consumer meal preparation event. Consumers (n = 371) prepared a meal consisting of turkey patties containing the bacteriophage MS2 as a tracer organism and a ready-to-eat lettuce salad. For most surfaces, positivity did not exceed 20%, except spice containers, for which 48% of the samples showed evidence of MS2 cross-contamination. Spice containers also had the highest MS2 concentrations. The most highly contaminated surfaces were the spice containers, cutting board, and trash bin lid. The result suggests the significance of spice containers as a vehicle for cross-contamination. 

The results presented in this study provide deeper knowledge about how cross-contamination occurs in home kitchens. @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/85/11/1594/486035/Cross-Contamination-to-Surfaces-in-Consumer

The CORE list of outbreaks and adverse events as of January 4, 2023, is as follows On December 30, 2022, the FDA issued an advisory for an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (reference #1137) linked to alfalfa sprouts. SunSprout Enterprises issued a recall on December 29, 2022, and later expanded the recall on the same day. FDA has also initiated traceback, an on-site inspection, and sample collection and analysis. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery