A study characterizing Listeria diversity in wildlife feces and agricultural water collected from a New York state produce farm over a growing season was published in J Food Prot (2021) 84 (1): 113–121. The data presented indicate that Listeria is prevalent in the New York state preharvest produce environment. Of the 209 samples collected, 41% were positive for Listeria monocytogenes (LM), and 24% were positive for other Listeria species. A considerable diversity at a small spatial scale was observed for both LM, and other Listeria spp. in the farm environment investigated. The results suggest that traceback investigations may be challenging. To traceback finished product or processing facility contamination with specific subtypes to preharvest sources may require the collection of large sample sets and characterization of a considerable number of isolates. Listeria from the preharvest environment is likely to contaminate produce and/or be introduced to the processing environment. @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/84/1/113/444007/Small-Produce-Farm-Environments-Can-Harbor-Diverse
ruth
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that Monaghan Mushrooms Ltd. recalls Belle Grove brand Whole White Mushrooms from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. The company triggered the recall. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. The mushrooms were sold in Ontario in 227 gram packages with a best before the date of Jan. 15, 2021. There have been no reports of any illness linked to the mushrooms. @ https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-01-08/eng/1610169805106/1610169810071
Monaghan Mushrooms Ltd. is recalling Belle Grove brand Whole White Mushrooms from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.
ruth
The Global Food-source Identifier (GFI) was developed as an international, open, shared, and searchable data catalog of past foodborne disease outbreaks (FBO) (Food Control Volume 121, March 2021, 107623). The system has two objectives: (i) create a collaborative online community of FBO investigators, encouraging the international sharing of data; (ii) to support foodborne outbreak investigation worldwide by providing access to detailed records of past outbreaks, which can convey insight into potential ‘risk foods’ of a detected pathogen. GFI is hosted within a Virtual Research Environment (VRE). The scientists developing the system selected 46 attributes to characterize an outbreak record. The analysis included the relationship between the most frequent causative agents and outbreak food sources. It is envisioned that GFI will contribute to the success of FBO investigations worldwide. The database was populated with records of 102 outbreaks in Denmark from 2005 to 2016, covering the most frequent pathogens and a range of typing methods to demonstrate the system potential. @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713520305399
The source of a foodborne disease outbreak (FBO) is often difficult to identify, especially in the early phase where interventions would be most efficâ¦
ruth
Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, wrote about the Anniversary. Ten years ago today, on Jan. 4, 2011, FSMA was signed into law. Congress’ mandate was that the FDA prevents future outbreaks. The FDA finalized the seven foundational rules outlining the risk-based preventive measures required of those covered by FSMA. FSMA dramatically changed regulatory oversight of produce and food importers, providing standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding fruits and vegetables. The FDA worked closely with regulatory counterparts in Canada, Mexico, Europe, China, and other trading partners to strengthen safety oversight of food coming to the U.S. The regulation gave the FDA authority for mandatory recall when a manufacturer fails to pull unsafe food from the market voluntarily. Further harmonization will happen when the proposed Food Traceability Rule is adopted. FSMA will be enhanced with the New Era of Smarter Food Safety released in July 2020. New Era initiatives will also enhance root cause analysis in cases where preventive control measures fail. Currently, the FSMA requirements are embedded in the global food system and serve as the foundation for the modernization journey into a New Era. @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/fda-food-safety-modernization-act-10-reflecting-our-progress-and-path-forward?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
For 10 years, dedicated teams of FDA experts, as well as many stakeholders, have been working to implement FSMA.