In the news

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, investigated an outbreak of  Salmonella infections linked to recalled Sweet Cream-brand mini pastry products with best by dates from June 17 to November 15, 2025. As of March 14, 2025, a total of 18 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 7 states (CA, IL, MA, NC, NJ, NY, and PA). Of the 12 people for whom information is available, one person has been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Of the 7 people interviewed, 5 (71%) reported eating pastries. Samples of the mini pastry samples from a warehouse that received the recalled product three samples tested positive for Salmonella and are a Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) match to the outbreak strain. The FDA has added Mini Patisserie pastries from the Italian manufacturer Sweet Cream S.R.L.S. to the Red List of import alerts. FDA’s investigation is complete. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-mini-pastries-january-2025?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The CORE update list of outbreaks and adverse events includes five entries. The outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1286) was linked to an unidentified product, so the FDA initiated an inspection. The outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis (ref #1288) linked to mini pastries. The advisory was updated on A total of 18 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 7 states, and one person has been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The outbreak has ended, and the FDA’s investigation is closed. The outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1285) linked to an unidentified product, the outbreak has ended. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The CFIA reported that cookies sold at Giant Tiger in Canada and possibly other stores are being voluntarily recalled due to molds. Giant Tiger posted an “urgent” notice on its recall page this week about Milano Giant Lady Finger cookies. The notice said that Giant Tiger 150 gram packs of Milano Giant Lade Finger Biscuits have been voluntarily pulled from shelves. The recall was issued “out of (an) abundance of caution because of “potential damage to the product packaging during production, which may have caused the product to go moldy before the expiry date,” the notice said. The impacted cookies were available for sale between December 17, 2024, and February 7, 2025. The voluntary recall was issued due to potential damage to the packaging during production, which may cause the product to go moldy before the expiry date, the voluntary recall notice explained. @ https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/milano-brand-giant-lady-fingers-biscuits-recalled-due-mould

A publication in the J. Food Protection, available March 22, 2025, entitled “A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Chemical Sanitizer Efficacy Against Biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and STEC on Food Processing Surfaces.” Chemical sanitizers are applied to food processing surfaces to inactivate bacterial pathogens. Pathogen type, surface type, sanitizer type, concentration, and contact time are important factors potentially impacting sanitation efficacy. A systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate chemical sanitizer efficacy against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and STEC within lab-generated biofilms on food contact surfaces (FCS). The overall estimated log reduction was 2.90. The multi-level mixed effects model estimated log reductions of 2.67 to 3.82 for peracetic acid (PAA), quaternary ammonium compounds, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide+PAA, and calcium hypochlorite, with significant differences across sanitizers. No significant differences were found between L. monocytogenes and STEC; both pathogens were significantly different from Salmonella spp. No significant differences were found between surface types. Neither sanitizer concentration nor sanitizer contact time were found to be significant predictors of estimated mean log reduction. These findings highlight the importance of specific sanitizers and tailored approaches based on surface types and pathogen considerations. @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X2500047X?dgcid=raven_sd_aip_email