In the news

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with federal, state, and local officials on a Norovirus outbreak linked to oysters from British Columbia in Canada. The FDA had confirmed that contaminated raw oysters harvested in British Colombia, were distributed to CA, IL, MA, NY, and WA. It is possible that additional states received these oysters either directly from Canada or through further distribution within the U.S. Since mid-March the Public Health Agency of Canada has been investigating this outbreak. In Canada, there were 132 cases in British Columbia, 15 cases in Alberta, and 25 cases in Ontario. Four shellfish farms in British Colombia were closed. FDA and the states are conducting a trace-forward investigation to determine where the raw oysters were distributed and ensure they’re removed from the food supply. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/recallsoutbreaksemergencies/outbreaks/ucm606139.htm

The current outbreak of E. coli in lettuce demonstrates the difficulty of discovering just how and when the lettuce was contaminated. According to FDA in the case of the people sickened at an Alaska correctional facility, the contamination occurred not at the farm where the whole-head lettuce was grown and harvested but elsewhere in the packaging and distribution chain. The lettuce was harvested, put in boxes, shipped to another facility (or multiple ones), stored under refrigeration, washed, chopped, and then packaged in bags that may include plain romaine or various salad mixes (that could contain other lettuces or vegetables grown from other farms) that contained the romaine. The CDC estimates that nearly half of all food-borne illnesses are caused by produce. @ https://www.forbes.com/sites/phillempert/2018/04/29/latest-e-coli-outbreak-in-romaine-lettuce-underscores-the-need-for-change-and-technology/#ad390da50c88

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Pinnacle Foods Inc., a Fort Madison, Iowa company, is recalling approximately 32,479 pounds of heat-treated, shelf-stable beef products due to a possible processing deviation that may have led to staphylococcal enterotoxin and clostridial toxin contamination, today. The staphylococcal enterotoxinis produced by Staphylococcus aureus and is the cause of staphylococcal food poisoning. Clostridial toxin is produced by Clostridium Botulinum that produces toxins that, when ingested, cause paralysis. Botulism poisoning is extremely rare but so dangerous that each case is considered a public health emergency. The problem was discovered on April 27, 2018, by an Enforcement Investigator and Analysis Officer (EIAO) while conducting a food safety assessment at the establishment. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-034-2018-release

The E. coli outbreak that started a couple of weeks ago when the health department in New Jersey discovered a cluster of sick people carrying a single strain of O157:H7. This outbreak sickened 98 people in 22 states and was caused by romaine lettuce. But tracking down the contaminated lettuce has proved challenging. Investigators finally traced those heads to a Yuma business called Harrison Farms. In the US tracking produce to their source is challenging. Until better traceability is achieved more people fall ill and massive amounts of food get thrown away. As a result, vast amounts of romaine lettuce are being dumped. Retailers such as Costco and Kroger are removing lettuce and prepared salads from their produce sections, as do ready-to-eat producers. To improve food safety, a stronger chain of data is needed. @ https://www.wired.com/story/the-fix-for-e-coli-outbreaks-could-be-the-blockchain/