In the news

The CDC reported that since August 18, 2020, an additional 143 ill people were added to this investigation. As of August 31, 2020, the Thomson International outbreak infected a total of 1,012 people with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport in 47 states, and 136 hospitalizations have been reported. No deaths have been reported. The case count by state is: Alaska (21), Alabama (1), Arizona (35), Arkansas (2), California (122), Colorado (26), Connecticut (2), Delaware (2), Florida (8), Georgia (11), Hawaii (3), Idaho (37), Illinois (54), Indiana (3), Iowa (26), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Maine (6), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (47), Minnesota (18), Mississippi (4), Missouri (11), Montana (63), Nebraska (10), Nebraska (10), Nevada (11), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (8), New Mexico (1), New York (10), North Carolina (6), North Dakota (9), Ohio (11), Oregon (101), Pennsylvania (22), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (23), Tennessee (7), Texas (2), Utah (110), Virginia (10), Washington (117), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (10), and Wyoming (23). WGS shows that an outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections in Canada is related genetically to this outbreak in the United States. In Canada, 457 people are sick in 7 provinces. Thirty-four illness clusters, or a group of two more unrelated people who ate at the same restaurant or shopped at the same store before illness onset, have been identified. Investigations by the states and the FDA found that 23 of the 34 clusters were linked to restaurants or grocery stores. All 23 served or sold red, yellow, or white onions. The traceback information collected from several of these illness clusters identified Thomson International, Inc., of Bakersfield, California, as a likely source of red onions. @ https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/newport-07-20/index.html

Food Safety Tech reports that more than 350 workers (out of 2600 workers) at the Foster Farms poultry processing facility located in Livingston, California, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The outbreak has resulted in the death of eight employees. Because of increasing deaths and uncontrolled COVID-19 cases, the decision was made to order the Livingston Plant to close until acceptable safety measures are in place. The plant will close until September 7. During the closure, the facility will be deep cleaned, and employees will engage in a new round of testing. Merced County states that an employee cannot return to work until two negative COVID-19 test results within seven days. @ https://foodsafetytech.com/news_article/uncontrolled-covid-19-cases-foster-farms-temporarily-shuts-down-plant-following-eight-worker-deaths/

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that Les Jardins Picoudi recalls Picoudi brand microgreens from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination.  The products were shipped to Quebec and New Brunswick.  Inspectors from the CFIA and personnel from the Quebec agriculture department (MAPAQ) trigger this recall and are investigating the situation in search of the source of the contamination. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recall. The recalled products include Organic Broccoli Microgreens in 35-gram size with UPC number 8 13526 00001 6 and 75-gram packages with UPC number 8 13526 00011 5. Also recalled is Organic Arugula Microgreens in 35-gram packages with UPC number 8 13526 00006 1, and in 75-gram packages with UPC number 8 13526 00016 0. Finally, Organic Coriander Microgreens is recalled, sold in 35-gram packages with UPC number 8 13526 00005 4, and in 75-gram packages with UPC number 8 13526 00015 3.@ https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2020-08-28/eng/1598664773844/1598664780346

Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, wrote bout the agency initiative to leverage the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The ultimate goal is to see if AI can improve the FDA’s ability to quickly and efficiently identify products that may pose a threat to public health. The FDA launched a pilot program in the spring of 2019 to learn the added benefits of using AI, specifically machine learning (ML), in our import-screening processes. The FDA decided to test the new approach on imported seafood to assess the utility of using AI/ML to better target seafood at the border that may be unsafe.  The proof of concept resulted in exciting results, suggesting that this approach has real potential to be a tool that expedites the clearance of lower risk seafood shipments and identifies those that are higher risk. The proof of concept demonstrated that AI/ML could almost triple the likelihood of identifying a shipment containing products of public health concern. Technology Modernization Action Plan (TMAP) provides a foundation for the development of the FDA’s ongoing strategy. The pilot also allows learning how to utilize the knowledge needed from the vast volume of data. One of the primary goals of our pilot is to assess the ability of AI/ML to more quickly, efficiently, and comprehensively take advantage of all the data and information residing in our systems.  @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/import-screening-pilot-unleashes-power-data-and-leverages-artificial-intelligence