In the news

The FDA announced that Thogersen Family Farm of Stanwood, WA recalled raw frozen ground pet food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The following varieties, packaged in two-pound packs, are included in this recall: course ground rabbit, course ground mallard duck, ground llama, and ground pork frozen raw pet food. The recall was the result of samples collected by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and revealed the finished products contained Listeria monocytogenes. Recalled product labels did not contain any lot of identification, batch codes, or expiration dates. The front of the package contains one large white square label with the company name, product type, and weight. Thogersen Family Farm stated the affected products were either sold to individual customers or two retail establishments that have been notified. Some of the product has not been distributed and held at the manufacturing location. No illnesses have been reported to date. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm635396.htm

Conagra Brands, Inc. recalled a limited amount of Hunt’s Tomato Paste No Salt Added 6-ounce cans because it may contain molds. After the canning process, the final product could have been damaged; creating the potential for mold. Conagra Brands became aware of the issue after receiving calls from consumers. The products covered by this recall were distributed for retail sale in the U.S. Given the product may contain mold, consumers are advised not to use it and to either throw it away or return it to the store where originally purchased. No other Hunt’s products or Conagra Brands’ products are impacted by this recall. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm635309.htm

As of April 4th, a multistate outbreak of E. coli O103sickened 72 people in five states, yet the cause of their infection remains unknown, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Eight people have been hospitalized. No cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or deaths have been reported. People started becoming ill from March 2 to March 29. States reporting sick patients are Georgia (8 patients), Kentucky (36), Ohio (5), Tennessee (21) and Virginia (2). Government scientists have not identified a food item, grocery store or restaurant chain as the source of these infections. The CDC, state health departments, the USDA-FSIS, and the FDA are investigating the outbreak. WGS performed on E. coli from ill people in this outbreak showed that they are closely related genetically. This means that the ill people are more likely to share a common source of infection. @ https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o103-04-19/index.html

From January 1 to April 4, 2019, the FDA has tested 441 domestic, 306 import fresh herb samples (total of 747), Of these samples, 4 domestic, 5 import tested positive for Salmonella, and 6 tested positive for Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC), with further characterization determining that the STEC were incapable of causing severe illness. The FDA did not detect E. coli O157:H7 in any of the fresh herb samples that it tested. FDA also tested 435 domestic, 91 import processed avocado or guacamole samples (total of 526). Of the processed avocado or guacamole samples, 11 tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes (9 domestic, 2 import), and 2 domestic samples tested positive for Salmonella. The FDA also began testing its fresh herb samples for Cyclospora cayetanensis in July 2018, given that Cyclospora-related illnesses typically occur during the summer. The agency detected Cyclospora cayetanensis in 2 of the 141 samples of domestically grown fresh herbs tested, and in 4 of the 74 samples of imported fresh herbs tested. Testing for all pathogens is still underway and no conclusions can be drawn at this time. @ https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm597356.htm