In the news

This interesting article by Craig Carlson published in The Packer asks very relevant questions relating to produce safety and the recent outbreak due to romaine lettuce such as: Why was the E. coli in the water not detected? Testing in the field and water supply is supposed to be part of today’s leafy greens protocol. What is the future plan for water testing? Currently, water testing as part of the FSMA has been delayed. How did the E. coli make it through the plant sanitation processes? Why are some companies still not testing zones 1 for pathogens? The new FSMA is all about seeking and destroying pathogens and includes a free pass for reporting if a pathogen is detected. The produce industry can learn a lot from the meat industry. The 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, where 732 people were infected with E. coli O157:H7, changed the industry. The end result was the deployment of a highly sophisticated food safety system, creating a much safer meat industry today. Overall, the produce food safety system continues to be inadequate, All players are paying the price through negative press, lost sales, product loss, litigation and more. The bottom line is that the produce industry needs to take a more active role in preventing and solving these outbreaks moving forward. @ https://www.thepacker.com/article/will-todays-food-safety-initiatives-solve-tomorrows-problems?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkdNNFltTXlOalJpTnpWaSIsInQiOiJzS1FiRjFzQno2cHlicFd3SFgrTG9rS20wQ3hYZG1kWUxaQnlqRnZ2YVA3K01EWXBzekhKTk1zTThiZkNFRDJkaWJNSDdjcmZxaUFlVWpGUGhqVENXbkZPeDdOMXpTSXY5YTJwZktmbnowTXg1WG8rNkJrRWxnN01oXC9XTXJZRXQifQ%3D%3D

The FDA participated in a meeting of the Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force formed in response to the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with romaine lettuce in Yuma AZ. As previously stated, samples of canal water have tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli. FDA continues to consider that contaminated water coming into contact with produce a viable explanation for the pattern of contamination. But other hypotheses were discussed as well. FDA noted that the canal is close to a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), a facility with a large number of cattle on the premises. The CAFO can hold in excess of 100,000 head of cattle at any one time and the FDA traceback information showed a clustering of romaine lettuce farms nearby. FDA experts continue to work on examining potential links between the CAFO, adjacent water, and geologic and other factors that may explain the contamination and its relationship to the outbreak. Additional sampling will be conducted to further explore and narrow down hypotheses. FDA urges other government and non-government entities, produce growers in the region, and those engaged in managing the canal systems to work with FDA to achieve our collective food safety goal. Broad engagement from the surrounding community is critical to developing and implementing remediation measures to reduce the potential for another outbreak. We believe local in-depth knowledge and actions are critical in helping resolve this issue in order to protect public health. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/recallsoutbreaksemergencies/outbreaks/ucm604254.htm?utm_campaign=Outbreak_Romaine_08062018&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

G & C Raw, of Versailles, OH recalled 30 1–lb containers of Pat’s Cat Turkey Cat Food and 40 2-lb containers of Ground Lamb Dog Food because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The products were distributed in OH, MI, IN, PAN, KY, NC, AND GA, through direct delivery. The recall was as the result of a routine sampling program by the Ohio Department of Agriculture which revealed that the finished products contained Listeria monocytogenes. The company stopped the production and distribution of the product. Pets with Listeria monocytogenes infections are rare, and pets may display symptoms such as mild to severe diarrhea, anorexia, fever, nervous, muscular and respiratory signs, abortion, depression, shock, and death. Infected animals can shed Listeria monocytogenes through their feces onto their coats and into the home environment and thus serve as sources of infection to humans and other animals in the household. No illnesses have been reported to date. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm615902.htm?utm_campaign=G%20%26%20C%20Raw%2C%20LLC%20Recalls%20Pat%27s%20Cat%20Turkey%2C%20and%20Ground%20Lamb%20Pet%20Food&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

Neogen (NASDAQ: NEOG) announced that it has acquired Clarus Labs, Inc the owner of the patented Colitag™ water test. The acquisition provides Neogen greater access to the $400 million global water microbiology testing market. Colitag™ test, detects coliform bacteria, including E. coli, in water. Colitag also detects coliforms that have been weakened, but not killed. From 2004 Neogen has offered Colitag to the food and beverage industries in the United States and Canada through a distribution agreement. Now Neogen will own the technology and will work with a sister company to distribute the technology to markets outside of its traditional markets of foods. @ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/neogen-acquires-water-microbiology-testing-technology-300690102.html