In the news

Irish food safety chiefs have issued two recalls due to a deadly outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes. Harvest Moon Natural Hummus was alerted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) to the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in two products, one batch of pesto and another batch of hummus. The Deli Green pesto was sold in Aldi shops across Ireland. Additionally, a recall was issued on one batch of Harvest Moon natural hummus. It was sold in shops across Ireland. Nine deaths in Europe have already been linked to the outbreak, including two in the UK, the European Food Safety Authority claims. @ https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/listeria-ireland-food-recall-aldi-13216282

The FDA announced that Gravel Ridge Farms recalled Cage Free Large Eggs due to a potential contamination with Salmonella. Reported illnesses at locations that used Gravel Ridge Farm Eggs caused the initiation of this recall. On 9/6/2018 the FDA notified Gravel Ridge Farms that the product they supplied may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products, packaged in a cardboard container and sold primarily in restaurants and retail stores in AL, GA, and TN, were distributed between 6/25/2018 and 9/6/2018. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm619886.htm

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported that 255 people got ill and 12 have been hospitalized due to Salmonella outbreak, at Pasha Mediterranean Grill. Laboratory results show evidence Of Salmonella in 14 people tested to date. The director of Metro Health, Dr. Colleen Bridger, said the agency knows that salmonella is the cause, “We don’t know where it came from, food handlers, or whether it came from the food that was being served or both.” The officials found that the restaurant’s refrigeration wasn’t cold enough and the staff wasn’t handling food properly among a number of other health violations. The restaurant’s managers admitted that at least two of their employees ended up getting sick with salmonellosis. They had also returned to work without the proper doctor’s release to do so. The health agency believes the case numbers will only grow. @ https://amp.ksat.com/news/60_-people-reported-sick-following-foodborne-illness-outbreak-at-pasha

Contaminated tomatoes served at a church dinner in Highland, Kansas caused almost 70 people to become sick with a gastrointestinal illness, and several people were hospitalized. Theresa Freed, deputy secretary of public affairs for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that all food except tomatoes was ruled out as the source. “Testing of food that was served at the dinner has been completed and all tested negative for salmonella except for a sample of tomatoes that tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella Newport,” Freed said. The source of the tomatoes is still unknown because various residents brought the tomatoes from different locations. Freed said a grand total of 115 persons completed the Department of Health survey, and 69 reported they had become sick after attending the taco dinner. Fourteen victims have clinically tested positive for Salmonella Newport. @ https://www.kpvi.com/officials-say-tomatoes-cause-of-salmonella-illness/article_52609a71-c843-50e0-b277-b2c943589e64.html