In the news

McCain plant in Colton, California (part of McCain Foods, the Toronto-based global frozen foods company) that produced millions of pounds of frozen products potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and salmonella is closing. The recall of McCain vegetables affected many companies in the food industry. The Colton plant which had processed the vegetables, including chopped onions, peppers, and roasted corn, and sold them as ingredients to commercial kitchens and food manufacturers all over the country. The total amount of product affected exceeds 100 million pounds, making it the largest recall of 2018. The closure will result in layoffs for 100 employees. In an email to The New Food Economy, Andrea Davis, a McCain spokeswoman, confirmed that the recall influenced the decision to close the plant, but said there were other factors involved. The plant had a history of food safety violations. Clearing a frozen food facility for Listeria is notoriously hard. @ https://newfoodeconomy.org/mccain-foods-closes-california-plant-whole-foods-trader-joes-listeria-recall/

A group of scientists from Portugal developed a new rapid method based on the amplification of the Salmonella bacteriophage vB_SenS_PVP-SE2, coupled with real-time PCR, for the detection of viable Salmonella Enteritidis in chicken samples. The method detected 0.22 fg/μL of pure virus DNA and a concentration of viral particles of 103 pfu/mL. The authors claim that after a short recovery step, the addition of bacteriophages to spiked chicken, a sensitivity of 8 cfu/25 g could be detected within 10 h, including the time for DNA extraction and qPCR analysis. Values above 92% were obtained for sensitivity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value. The results obtained show that the new methodology might be a useful tool for the detection of Salmonella Enteritidis (one of the most common serovars associated with foodborne illnesses). @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713518306388?d

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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) notified consumers of a recall of raw turkey pet food from Woody’s Pet Food Deli (a small Minnesota based pet food chain) due to Salmonella contamination. This recall was issued after product samples collected by the MDA tested positive for Salmonella. Three date codes of “Woody’s Pet Food Deli Raw Free Range Turkey” were recalled. The product was sold in 5-pound plastic containers. The product was sold at Woody’s Pet Food Deli locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Woodbury. MDA initiated testing after the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) identified a human case of Salmonella linked to the pet food. As part of an ongoing, multistate investigation of Salmonella Reading infections coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it was found that Woody’s Pet Food Deli raw turkey was fed to a pet in a household with an infected individual. The pet also tested positive for Salmonella, but not the outbreak strain. In February 2018, MDA and MDH investigated two other cases of Salmonella Reading that matched the outbreak strain and were linked to raw ground turkey pet food from Raws for Paws. @ https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/woodys-pet-food-deli-raw-food-recall/