But it’s also considered the unofficial start-date for picnics, neighborhood potlucks and backyard barbecues.  

We’re taking the day off and because the Food Safety News team is spread out across the country, we’re having our third annual “virtual potluck” for our Memorial Day celebration.

Dan and Helena are bringing the main dishes — slow-cooked barbecue pork sandwiches and Mussels in Wine. James and Cookson are bringing salads — Barley-Is-Boss Salad and Tortellini Pasta Salad. Mary is bringing a side dish — Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce.  Suzanne is contributing her Rhubarb Crumble for dessert.

We’re sharing our recipes here, so you can join in our virtual potluck or use them at your next one.  

Have a  food safe Memorial Day celebration!

The Food Safety News team

A friend whose mother is Syrian recently made this to accompany grilled salmon. I love cauliflower and have been craving it prepared this way ever since. The sesame sauce, I’ve been told, is also known as taratoor.

Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce

1 head cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces

2 tsp. olive oil

sea salt

5 ½ oz. tahini

2 (or more) garlic cloves, finely minced

3 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

3 oz. water

salt and pepper to taste

Toss cauliflower with the olive oil and season with salt. Spread on large cookie sheet, and bake 12 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until cauliflower is softened and golden brown.

Sauté garlic in a little olive oil for 1 or 2 minutes. Mix with the tahini, water and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until the sauce is creamy (use more or less water and lemon juice to get the consistency you like). Season with salt and pepper. 

Put cauliflower in a serving bowl and drizzle with the tahini sauce.

This recall affects the below products:

– HT Traders Sorbet Lemon  UPC #72036 98196

– HT Traders Sorbet Raspberry UPC #72036 98195

– HT Traders Sorbet Mango UPC #72036 98194

– HT Traders Sorbet Coconut UPC #72036 98197

– HT Traders Sorbet Orange UPC #72036 98193

If you have a milk allergy or are concerned about the recalled product, please return the product to Harris Teeter for a full refund.

For additional information regarding the recall contact Harris Teeter at 1-800-432-6111, Option 2 between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

One health official told NACCHO that “fiscal year 2013 is shaping up to be the worst fiscal year for us … We may have to reduce or eliminate certain programs, should the financial situation worsen.”

Another official was even gloomier: “Next year will present a large challenge and even threatens our continuance. In 25 years I’ve not confronted this level of threat to our existence as a going entity. Our situation is dire.”

Hardest hit areas have been clinical health services, emergency preparedness and maternal and child health programs. Food safety efforts have also suffered. 

The most recent study brief notes that annual cuts in food safety programs may mean an area’s restaurant inspections may occur less frequently. Previous reports have said nearly half the states are at risk of losing career epidemiology field officers and that the nation may be ill-prepared to handle a major food safety emergency.

The research brief released this week also highlighted these findings:

– Fifty-seven percent of all local health departments reduced or eliminated services in at least one program area in 2011, a larger percentage than in any 12-month period since the recession began.

– Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population lives in an area experiencing at least one program area cut, while 39 percent reside in areas reporting three or more program area decreases.

– Curtailed funding pushed health departments to eliminate more than 5,000 staff positions during the second half of 2011, more than triple the number they gained.

For this latest report, the seventh in a series, NACCHO surveyed 957 local health departments selected as part of a statistically random sample designed to provide national and state-level estimates. A total of 663 local health departments across 47 states participated, a response rate of 69 percent.

As Aleccia revealed previously, three main brands of chicken jerky treats appear to be connected to the mysterious illnesses in dogs: Canyon Creek Ranch or Waggin’ Train jerky treats or tenders, produce by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., and Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, made by Del Monte Corp. 

Both manufacturers have said their products are safe and that any illnesses are unrelated to the jerky treats.

Since the FDA issued a warning in November about reports of dog illnesses associated with products imported from China, the agency still has not said why these products might be making animals sick.The FDA has been conducting chemical and microbial testing but apparently has not found a reason to recall the products.

The FDA has said that tests of blood from some of the stricken animals have indicated kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine) and that urine tests have indicated Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose).

Aleccia reported that Milo’s Kitchen paid at least one dog owner $100 in exchange for a release of all liability for a claim, even though a company spokeswoman said a consultant’s  review of veterinarian records concluded that the jerky treats could not be definitively linked to the animal’s illness.

To lodge a complaint with the FDA about pet food and pet products visit this link.

The earlier Diamond Pet Foods recalls involved various formulas manufactured after Dec. 9, 2011 at its production facility in Gaston, SC. This recall involves pet food produced in Meta, MO.

The company says no illnesses have been reported in connection with this latest recall, which presumably means no human or animal illnesses.

However, as of May 11, 15 people in nine states and one person in Canada have been reported sickened with an outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis from contact with contaminated dog food or infected animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  As of May 16, the Food and Drug Administration had confirmed two dog illnesses related to the outbreak.

Last week the Calgary Herald in Alberta reported that two cats in a Montreal shelter died, and another was ill, after being fed Diamond Pet Foods products. 

The outbreak investigation confirmed a link between some of the illnesses and samples of dry dog food, sold under various brand names, manufactured at Diamond Pet Foods’ Gaston, SC production plant.

The company’s latest recall is of 6 lb. and 18 lb. and sample bags of Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula with a DSL0801 production code and best-before dates of 26-Aug-2012, 27-Sept- 2012 and 18-Oct- 2012.

The recalled product was distributed in Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Further distribution through other pet food channels, including on-line retailers, may have occurred. 

For more information on this recall call toll-free at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. Diamond says that if your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian.

Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. People who believe they may have been exposed to Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

Consumers can lodge complaints about FDA-regulated pet foods with area Consumer Complaint Coordinators or at http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints

The Washington State Department of Health had reported the ban more than a week ago, but FDA had not publicly announced the reason for the action.

In a constituent update, FDA said all Korean certified shippers of molluscan shellfish were removed from the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL), following an evaluation that determined “the Korean Shellfish Sanitation Program (KSSP) no longer meets the sanitation controls spelled out under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.”

FDA said its evaluation found significant problems with Korean shellfish growing areas, including the discharge of human fecal waste from nearby fish farms and commercial fishing and aquaculture vessels. Norovirus was detected in shellfish growing areas during the evaluation.

Korean molluscan shellfish that entered the United States before May 1 and any product made with Korean molluscan shellfish are considered adulterated, the agency stated.

FDA said food distributors, retailers and food service operators should “remove from sale or service, all fresh, frozen, and processed Korean molluscan shellfish and any product subsequently made with them.” Consumers who have recently bought molluscan shellfish and are concerned that it may have come from Korea, should contact the seller and ask where the shellfish were harvested, the agency added, advising,  “Product from Korea should not be consumed.”

Canada, Chile, Mexico and New Zealand are the other countries that have shellfish sanitation agreements with FDA. Oysters, clams, mussels and scallops from the Republic of Korea are only a small fraction of the U.S shellfish market. 

Three cases of norovirus illness linked to frozen oysters from Korea were reported in Washington state last year, and a subsequent illness was reported in Pennsylvania.

That led to a series of recalls of frozen oysters from Korea, on Nov. 4 and 18, 2011, and on Jan. 23, 2012.

The outbreak is now spread over 26 states and the District of Columbia, with Colorado and Vermont each for reporting tuna-linked illnesses for the first time. Onset of the most recent confirmed case was May 3, the CDC said.

According to this latest update on the investigation, tests conducted by public health labs in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Caroline and Wisconsin isolated Salmonella from 53 (96 percent) of 55 samples taken from intact packages of frozen yellow fin tuna distributed by Moon Marine USA Corp. or from sushi prepared with the tuna product, which is known as “scrape.”

Scrape appears to be chopped or minced tuna. Traditionally, however, it is bits of tuna scraped from the backbone after a fish has been filleted.

Nearly 59,000 pounds of Nakaochi Scrape were recalled on April 13 by Moon Marine, which is located in Cupertino, CA. The product, imported from India, had been shipped in boxes labeled “To be cooked before consumption.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says those shipments may have been broken down into smaller lots for further sale, possibly without new labeling.

The boxes contained vacuum-wrapped packages of frozen tuna with no labeling. The tuna was not available for sale to individual consumers but went to outlets that used the tuna to make sushi or other dishes to be sold in restaurants and grocery stores.

Food safety attorney Bill Marler, publisher of Food Safety News, noted that, “It will be interesting to see if restaurants and grocery stores that used the tuna scrape received the boxes or if the boxes were only used to ship the product from India to the United States.

It will also be interesting to see if Moon Marine marketed tuna scape as a product that could be consumed raw.”

A six-day investigation by FDA inspectors of the plant in India that processed and supplied the tuna, Moon Fishery (India), found a number of food safety violations, including dirty water and ice, fish residue on the ceiling and cutting knives, and peeling paint above processing line.

The FDA also found Salmonella in a sample of tuna strips that had not yet been distributed, and on May 10 Moon Fishery (India) recalled earlier shipments of tuna strips that had gone to four wholesalers in Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

The outbreak of illnesses associated with sushi tuna involves two strains of Salmonella – Bareilly and Nchanga. The CDC said 304 individuals are confirmed infected with Salmonella Bareilly and 12 people are confirmed infected with Salmonella Nchanga.

New York, with 48 confirmed cases, has reported the greatest number of S. Bareilly infections, followed by Massachusetts with 33; Illinois and Maryland with 27; New Jersey with 26; Pennsylvania with 25; Virginia with 22; Wisconsin with 19; Georgia with 13;  North Carolina with 10; Connecticut with 9; Texas with 7; Rhode Island with 6; California, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee with 4; Alabama and South Carolina with 3; the District of Columbia and Mississippi with 2; and Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska and Vermont with 1.

New York also has reported six cases of S. Nchanga, followed by Georgia and New Jersey with 2 each, and Virginia and Wisconsin each with 1.

The onset of the earliest illness was January 28. Those sickened range in age from younger than 1 to 86 years; median age is 30. At least 37 people have been hospitalized.

The CDC has the following advice for consumers regarding the outbreak:

– Do not eat the recalled frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation. This product is tuna backmeat that is scraped from the bones of tuna and may be used to make sushi, particularly “spicy tuna” sushi.

– If you purchase “spicy tuna” or other sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or similar dishes that might contain Nakaochi Scrape tuna product from a restaurant or grocery store, check with the establishment to make sure that it does not contain raw recalled product from Moon Marine USA Corporation. When in doubt, don’t eat it.

– Persons who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna product should consult their healthcare providers.

CDC Outbreak Map

The Form 483 report, posted by the FDA late Tuesday afternoon, was the result of a week-long inspection that began April 12 after an outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infection was traced to contaminated pet food manufactured at the Diamond Pet Foods plant in Gaston, S.C.

The report states that Diamond was using cardboard and duct tape on some of its equipment and that there were damaged paddles on the conveyor. The inspectors also noted that some surfaces at the facility were encrusted with food residues.

FDA inspectors specifically listed these four observations:

OBSERVATION 1

All reasonable precautions are not taken to ensure that production procedures do not contribute contamination from any source.

Specifically, no microbiological analysis is conducted or there is no assurance that incoming animal fat will not introduce pathogens into their production and cause contamination of finished product. Also, the firm’s current sampling procedure for animal digest does (sic) preclude potential for adulteration after sampling and during storage in warehouse. On 4/13/12, an employee was observed touching in-line fat filter and oil with bare hands.

OBSERVATION 2

Failure to provide hand washing and hand sanitizing facilities at each location in the plant where needed.

Specifically, there are no facilities for hand washing or hand sanitizing in the production areas where there is direct contact with exposed finished feed/food.

OBSERVATION 3

Failure to maintain equipment, containers and utensils used to convey, hold, and store food in a manner that protects against contamination.

Specifically, paddles in conveyor (South or Middle conveyor leading to the screeners going to packaging) were observed to have gouges and cuts, which exhibited feed residues. The damage to the paddles may allow for harborage areas for microorganisms and are difficult to clean and sanitize.

OBSERVATION 4

Failure to maintain equipment so as to facilitate cleaning of the equipment.

Specifically, firm utilizes cardboard, duct tape, and other non cleanable surfaces on equipment. These materials were observed to have residues adhering. The foam gaskets around access doors to the bucket elevators were observed in deteriorating condition and exhibited an accumulation of feed residues and dust.

Diamond Pet Foods has said, on its website, that it is audited “regularly by a highly respected independent laboratory for food safety, quality and palatability” and that its products go through 141 ingredient tests and 10 final product quality and safety checks prior to shipment.

Phyllis Entis, who has assiduously monitored the outbreak and the various recalls related to it on her eFoodAlert blog, asked Tuesday, “Can anyone tell me how this company, with its self-proclaimed attention to product quality and safety, managed to miss the ongoing presence of Salmonella Infantis in its finished products for at least four months?”

Entis notes that the oldest batch of food in which a government lab found Salmonella was produced on Jan. 3 and 4, 2012, yet Dec. 9, 2011 was chosen as the earliest production date for recall. “This suggests that the contamination was present somewhere in the production environment for five months without being detected by the company’s quality assurance program,” Entis wrote.

As of May 11, at least 15 people in nine states and one person in Canada had been confirmed infected with Salmonella from contact with the contaminated dry dog food or from contact with a pet that had eaten the tainted product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The FDA has not yet revealed how many complaints it has received about pet injuries possibly related to the contaminated food.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled nine brands of dry pet foods manufactured at its Gaston plant between Dec. 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012. Several other companies whose food was also produced in the facility have joined the recall. See eFoodAlert for the most up-to-date information on the recall and product distribution.

The CDC offers the following advice:

– Salmonella germs are transmitted from animals to humans and humans to humans by the fecal oral route. Salmonella germs can be shed in the stool of pets for 4 to 6 weeks after infection.  (And infected pets may not have any outward symptoms of illness.)

If your pet is diagnosed with Salmonella infection, please talk to your veterinarian about taking precautions to minimize spread of this germ. A mild bleach solution can be used to clean areas that may be contaminated with Salmonella germs.

– Follow these simple guidelines to prevent getting a Salmonella infection from your pet:

After contact with animal feces (stool), wash your hands well with soap and running water. Wash your hands as directed in the handwashing instructions.

Be sure to wash your hands with soap and running water after handling or feeding your pet. Wash your hands as directed in the handwashing instructions.

Clean up after your pet. If you have a dog, use a plastic bag to pick up the stool, and clean up the stool while on walks or from the yard and dispose of the stool in a tightly sealed plastic bag. If you have a cat, scoop the litter box daily and dispose of the stool in a tightly sealed plastic bag.

Do not share food with your pets.

– If anyone in your household becomes ill with diarrhea and has bloody stools, fever, or diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, he or she should seek medical care. If you believe you or someone you know became ill from contact with a contaminated food, including dry pet food, please contact your county or city health department. Please refer to your state health department website to find more information about how to contact your local health department. Reporting illnesses to your local health department helps them identify potential foodborne disease outbreaks. By investigating foodborne disease outbreaks, public health officials learn about possible problems in food production, distribution and preparation that may cause illness.

– If your pet develops diarrhea or appears sick, contact your veterinarian. Do not feed your pet any more of the recalled products. Dispose of the products immediately.

– You can report illnesses associated with pet food in two ways: (1) call the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in your state, or (2) report electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal. Reports should include product details such as brand name, production code (Example: BDR0105E2XJW), expiration date (Example: Best by 3-APRIL-2013), manufacturer or distributor, and location of purchase. Reports also should include medical information.

– More information regarding How to Report a Pet Food Complaint can be found on the FDA website.

The FDA says the recalled pet food does not need to be tested. “The recalled product should be viewed as contaminated and disposed of properly.  FDA already knows that the product is potentially contaminated and a recall is in place,” said Laura Alvey, deputy director, communications staff, the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, in an email.

Raw milk, raw skim milk (non-fat), raw cream and raw butter produced by the Fresno County dairy have been recalled and are subject to a quarantine order imposed by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Whiteford.

Whiteford issued the quarantine order after Campylobacter was detected in Organic Pastures raw cream, according to a news release. 

“Consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any Organic Pastures products of these types remaining in their refrigerators, and retailers are to pull those products immediately from their shelves,” public health officials wrote in the statement.

According to CDPH, six of the 10 people sickened are under 18.  All 10 range in age from nine months to 38 years old; median age is 11.5 years. None of those sickened have been hospitalized. The outbreak cases reside in Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara counties.

Mark McAfee, Organic Pastures owner, says he believes the test results are incorrect and has requested a hearing with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Organic Pastures has been linked to several past outbreaks of pathogen infection and recalled its unpasteurized dairy products for fecal-pathogen contamination in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011. In 2006, the raw milk dairy was the subject of a quarantine order after six children became ill with E. coli infections – two experienced kidney failure from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

In November 2011, the state ordered a recall of Organic Pastures raw milk products and placed the farm on quarantine after five boys who drank unpasteurized milk from the dairy were infected with E. coli O157:H7. Environmental samples collected at Organic Pastures yielded E. coli 0157:H7  indistinguishable from the bacteria infecting the boys. Three of the children were hospitalized with HUS.

In its news release Thursday, CDPH said it identified 10 people with Campylobacter infection linked to Organic Pastures milk from January through April 30 this year.

This is the sixth outbreak in the U.S. associated with unpasteurized dairy products since the start of 2012.

So far this year, at least 18 people have been sickened by Campylobacter from raw goat milk sold in Kansas, 80 people became ill from Campylobacter-contaminated raw cow milk produced by a Pennsylvania farm, and 9 were infected by Campylobacter from raw milk products sold by a San Benito County, CA dairy. Fourteen E. coli O157:H7 infections have been linked to raw cow milk in central Missouri and a raw milk outbreak in Oregon has sickened 19 people with E. coli O157:H7 infections, one with Cryptosporidium and one with Campylobacter.

In a news release Wednesday, Moon Fishery (India) Pvt. Ltd. said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration isolated Salmonella in a sample of tuna strips that had not yet been distributed.

As a cautionary measure, according to the company, it agreed to recall frozen tuna strips that had already been shipped, although it said none of those shipments “is from the suspect lot sampled by the FDA.”

The recalled tuna strips were shipped to four wholesalers in Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, Moon India said. Originally packaged in white boxes with black writing naming the importer as Moon Marine USA Corporation, a separate and independent company, the recalled frozen raw yellow tuna fin was identified as Tuna Strips AA or AAA, Product of India. The boxes contained several vacuum-wrapped packages with no further labeling.

However, because the four wholesalers that received the cases may have broken the shipments into smaller lots for further distribution, the recalled tuna may no longer have any labeling information or  lot numbers, the company noted.

Moon India advises product sellers, including distributors and restaurants, to ask their suppliers whether any frozen tuna strips in their inventory came from the recalled lot.

“Consumers should take precautions when choosing to eat raw seafood and be sure that the raw tuna they decide to consume is not from the implicated lots. If in doubt, don’t eat it,” the company warned in its recall announcement.

Moon India said distribution of its tuna has been suspended while the FDA continues its investigation.

As of May 2, 258 people infected with Salmonella Bareilly or Salmonella Nichanga had been reported from 24 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says frozen yellowfin tuna, called Nakaochi Scrape, imported from India is the likely source of the outbreak. Many of those sickened reported eating sushi — in particular “spicy tuna sushi” — in the week before they became ill.

Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, CA recalled 58,828 lbs. of Nakaochi Scrape, which is leftover backmeat separated from the bones of tuna that have have been filleted. The scrape was produced by Moon Fishery (India).

Here are some questions and answers about the recall and outbreak.

How many people are sick?

As of May 3, at least 14 people in the U.S. were infected with the same strain of Salmonella Infantis that was found in samples of dry dog food produced by Diamond Pet Foods’ manufacturing plant in Gaston, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Five of the U.S. outbreak victims required hospitalization. Canada reports one outbreak-related case in Quebec.

However, most foodborne illnesses occur in individuals who are not part of recognized outbreaks because they have not sought medical care or submitted a specimen for laboratory testing, so likely there are more people sick in this outbreak. For every confirmed case of Salmonella poisoning in an outbreak, the CDC estimates 29 others go unreported.

How can humans get sick from dry dog food?

People who handle contaminated dog food or touch an infected dog, especially if they don’t wash their hands afterward, can ingest the bacteria and get sick.

How many pets are sick?

We don’t know. As of May 8, Laura Alvey, spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine, said there had been no confirmed cases of pet illness linked to the recalled dog food. In order to confirm an outbreak-related case of Salmonella in a dog, a vet would have to submit a pet’s stool specimen for laboratory testing, which typically isn’t done.

Asked how many complaints of pet illness the FDA has received, Alvey said the agency can’t yet reveal that.

“The complaints come in from all around the country so we have to ensure that the numbers are correctly tallied and compiled (weed out duplicates, incomplete records, etc.) and they’re being consistently reported,” Alvey wrote in an email.

Which pet food brands have been recalled?

The recalled dog food was sold under at least 13 different brand names, plus several varieties within those brands, all manufactured in Diamond Pet Foods Gaston, SC facility between Dec. 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012.

The recalled pet food has a production code with a “2” or “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position. The production code may be on the back, side or bottom of the bag and is labeled with the words “PRODUCTION CODE.” The recalled products have best-before dates of Dec. 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013.

Phyllis Entis, on her eFoodAlert website, has been carefully tracking the recalls and updating the list. She has compiled the most comprehensive information on the recall (and we have tried to keep up with her updates in the story we reposted our website). Follow eFoodAlert’s information about the distribution of the pet food and other recall news here.

As of May 8, the recalled brands were:

– Apex Chicken and Rice Dog (40 lb. and 20 lb.) production code ACD0101B32; best by date 24-Jan-2013

– Canidae Dog Dry Dog Food, All Life Stages (All packages sizes; Best before date between December 9, 2011 through January 31, 2012; Production code must have the number “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Canidae Dog Dry Dog Food, Chicken Meal & Rice (All packages sizes; Best before date between December 9, 2011 through January 31, 2012; Production code must have the number “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Canidae Dog Dry Dog Food, Lamb Meal & Rice (All packages sizes; Best before date between December 9, 2011 through January 31, 2012; Production code must have the number “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Canidae Dog Dry Dog Food, Canidae Platinum (All packages sizes; Best before date between December 9, 2011 through January 31, 2012; Production code must have the number “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Country Value (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Diamond (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Diamond Naturals (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula (December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs (December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013; Production codes have a number “3‚Ä≥ in the 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Dog (5 lb bag; Best by December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; March 13, 2013) (this is a corrected best-by date; the original news release contained a typographical error).

– Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Dog (15 lb bag; Best by December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; December 14, 2012; March 5, 2013; March 6, 2013)

– Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Dog (28 lb bag; Best by December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; December 14, 2012; March 5, 2013; March 6, 2013; March 7, 2013; March 8, 2013; March 12, 2013)

– Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog (5 lb, 15 lb, and 28 lb bags; Best by December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012)

– Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Bison Dog (5 lb bag; Best by December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012)

– Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Bison Dog (15 lb and 28 lb bags; Best by December 9, 2012; December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012)

– Natural Balance Vegetarian Dog (5 lb bag; Best by December 9, 2012)

– Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Large Breed Bites (28 lb bag; Best by December 12, 2012; December 20, 2012; December 21, 2012)

– Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Small Breed Bites (5 lb and 12.5 lb bags; Best by December 21, 2012)

– Premium Edge (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Professional (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– 4Health (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

– Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog Food (4-lb pkg; Batch code starting with SGL1201; Best before December 30, 2012; UPC 093766750050)

– Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog Food (15-lb bag; Batch code starting with SGL1201; Best before December 30, 2012; UPC 093766750067)

– Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog Food (28.5-lb bag; Batch code starting with SGL1201; Best before December 30, 2012; UPC 093766750081)

– Solid Gold WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food (4-lb pkg; Batch code starting with SGB1201; Best before December 30, 2012; UPC 093766750005)

– Solid Gold WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food (15-lb bag; Batch code starting with SGB1201; Best before December 30, 2012; UPC 093766750012)

– Solid Gold WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food (33-lb bag; Batch code starting with SGB1201; Best before December 30, 2012; UPC 093766750029)

– Taste of the Wild (All package sizes and formulas; Best before dates between December 9, 2012 and April 7, 2013; Production codes have a number “2‚Ä≥ or “3‚Ä≥ in the 9th or 10th digit and the letter “X” in the 11th digit)

РWellness Complete Health® Super5Mix® Large Breed Puppy (15 lb. and 30 lb. bags and 5 oz. sample bags; best by dates of JAN 9 2013 through JAN 11 2013)

The FDA says it will continue to update recall information here.

I threw away the bag my dog food came in. How do I know if I have been feeding my pets the recalled dry dog food?

Diamond Pet Foods says that If you purchased the bag after Dec. 9, 2011, in any of the “blue” states shown on its map, or if you purchased the bag from an online retailer, you should discard the food.

The company says that to request a refund or a coupon for a new bag, you should fill out and send in its “Refund Request” form. If you don’t have the production codes or best-before dates, Diamond says to include the retailer name and location and the amount you paid for the bag. Or, the company says you can return the food in the bag to your retailer for a credit for your purchase.

How did the dog food become contaminated with Salmonella?

According to the FDA’s Alvey, as of May 8, “Diamond has not found the root cause of this issue.”

How CAN dog food become contaminated?

Marion Nestle, writing in her blog Food Politics, explains,”Canned pet foods are sterile. Dry kibble is not. It may be sterile at the point of extrusion, but it is a perfect growth medium for bacteria. It is nutritionally complete. Although some nutrients are lost during processing, the product formulas compensate for such losses. That is why dogs can survive on ‘complete and balanced’ dry foods. If the factory is contaminated with Salmonella, the bacteria can fall into the production lines and get packaged into the kibble bags.”

What are the signs that a dog is sick from Salmonella poisoning?

According to the CDC, dogs infected with Salmonella can have diarrhea, vomiting and may seem lethargic with decreased appetites. But dogs are also relatively resistant to the bacterium. They can be infected, yet not appear to be sick. Because an infected pet can transmit the pathogen to humans, it is important to wash one’s hands after touching an animal.

What should I do if my dog is sick?

Take your dog to the veterinarian.

The FDA urges veterinarians and consumers to report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their state, or electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal.

The CDC advises that pet food that has been recalled should be assumed to be contaminated and does not need to be tested. However, if a product has not been recalled but an animal that ate it is ill, it is very important to report the case to FDA.

If the owner wishes to have the pet food tested by a private laboratory, the CDC says to please keep in mind that it may be costly to have numerous tests conducted on the sample. Contact your state/local public health or agriculture laboratory, or state/ university veterinary diagnostic labs for information on how to collect and ship a potentially contaminated pet food or treat sample.

How was this outbreak discovered?

Michigan officials detected Salmonella Infantis in an unopened retail bag of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal and Rice Dry Dog Food on April 2.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled that product on April 6.

After Ohio public health investigators found the outbreak strain of Salmonella in two bags of Diamond Brand Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food, that product was recalled on April 26.

On April 30, the company expanded its recall to include Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food.

Dog foods manufactured at the Gaston plant but sold under different brand names were not recalled until after the CDC reported the outbreak of human illnesses.

Now Keene, of the Oregon Public Health Division, and fellow sleuth Kimberly Repp, of Oregon Health and Sciences University, have cracked a case and told a real-life detective tale worthy of Roueché. 

Writing in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, available here online, Keene and Repp explain how in October, 2010, a group of Oregon soccer players, 13 and 14 years old, and some adult chaperones, came down with norovirus during a tournament in Washington state.

One of the girls apparently was infected prior to the trip, and began vomiting and suffering bouts of diarrhea late Saturday in the chaperone’s hotel bathroom. The girl, who had no contact with her teammates after she became ill, was driven home in the morning.

But a reusable grocery bag filled with snacks — packaged cookies, chips and grapes — had been in the bathroom. The rest of the group ate that food during a Sunday lunch, and other members of the team were ill by Tuesday after they had returned to Oregon.

In investigating the outbreak, Keene and Repp found no connections to any other norovirus illnesses at the team’s hotel, the tournament, or the restaurants where they had eaten. It wasn’t until they learned about the bag in the bathroom that a “coherent story” emerged, Keene and Repp wrote.

Two weeks later, matching viruses were found on the sides of the bag.

Although the first sick girl said she did not touch the grocery bag, Keene and Repp theorize that the viruses had aerosolized in the bathroom and settled on the sack and the food items inside. 

“What this report does is it helps raise awareness of the complex and indirect way that norovirus can spread,” said Aron Hall, DVM, MSPH, with the Division of Viral Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in an accompanying editorial. And in what could be a blurb for a Roueché-style book, Hall adds that the study authors provide “a fascinating example of how a unique exposure and transmission scenario can result in a norovirus outbreak.”

The investigation shows how this tenacious virus “finds a way to move from host to host, even when those hosts have no direct contact with one another,” Hall added.

Keene and Repp observe that “incidentally, this also illustrates one of the less obvious hazards of reusable grocery bags.”

While they recommend not storing food in bathrooms, the study authors say “it is more important to emphasize that areas where aerosol exposures may have occurred should be thoroughly disinfected; this includes not only exposed surfaces, but also objects in the environment” that could become contaminated and spread infection.

In addition to thorough hand-washing, disinfecting affected areas with bleach-based solutions and dedicating bathrooms for use only by those who are sick are some practices that could limited outbreaks caused by such indirect contact, they suggest.

Noroviruses — “perhaps the perfect human pathogens,”  according to Hall — are the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S. They are responsible for more than 21 million illnesses, 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths annually in this country alone. People can get norovirus illness throughout the year, but cases generally peak between December and February.

The CDC reported Thursday that multiple brands of Diamond Pet Foods dry dog food – including several that have been recalled in recent days – are the likely source of the human illnesses, either through contact with the contaminated food or through handling an animal that has eaten the tainted kibble. The dog food was produced at a single manufacturing plant in South Carolina.

How many dogs may also have been sickened was not mentioned in the CDC report. In some recall notices, Diamond Pet Foods has claimed that no dog illnesses have been reported. Those recall alerts from the company did not reveal that human cases of infection were being investigated.

According to the CDC, routine tests by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development first detected Salmonella in an unopened bag of Diamond Pet Foods Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food on April 2. 

PulseNet, the national surveillance system for foodborne illnesses, then spotted several cases of human Salmonella Infantis infections with a genetic fingerprint identical to that found in the dog food, the CDC said.

The outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis was isolated from an opened bag of Diamond Brand Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food, found in the household of an ill person in Ohio. The outbreak strain was also isolated in samples taken from an unopened bag of the dog food obtained from an Ohio retail store.

A sample of Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food collected by the Food and Drug Administration during an inspection at the South Carolina production plant yielded Salmonella, the CDC said.

Seven of 10 outbreak victims interviewed said they had contact with a dog during the week before they became ill. Of five people who could remember the type of dog food they had handled, four said it was a Diamond Pet Foods brand.

Missouri and North Carolina each confirmed 3 cases related to the dog food outbreak. Ohio reported two cases while Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey , Pennsylvania and Virginia each reported single cases.

The first onset of human illness reported was Oct. 8, 2011 and the most recent illness onset was April 22 — more than two weeks after the first pet food recall. The case patients range in age from 1 to 82 years old with a median age of 48. Seventy-seven percent of the ill people are female.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled certain batches of its Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food on April 6 as a “precautionary measure” and stated then that “no illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond manufactured products are affected.” That was four days after the Michigan test results.

Then a second recall was announced April 26 for certain production codes of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light formula dry dog food. This time, the recall alert stated more narrowly that “no dog illnesses” had been reported.

On April 30, the company expanded the recall to include Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food and again said there were no reports of dog illnesses related to the product. No mention was made of human infections in the recall announcement.

“There have been numerous human outbreaks linked to pet food,” said food safety attorney Bill Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark (publisher of Food Safety News). “It again shows how important food safety is, both to your pet and your family.”

According to the CDC, dogs and cats infected with Salmonella usually have diarrhea and may seem lethargic, but they also can carry the infection and not appear to be sick. Humans can become ill by touching infected animals, contaminated food, or objects and surfaces such as food bowls, especially if they do not thoroughly wash their hands after the contacts.

The CDC offered this advice for pet owners:

– Consumers should check their homes for recalled dog food products and discard them promptly. Consumers with questions about recalled dog food may contact Diamond Pet Foods at telephone number 800-442-0402 or visit www.diamondpetrecall.com.

– Follow the tips listed on Salmonella from Dry Pet Food and Treats to help prevent an infection with Salmonella from handling dry pet food and treats.

– People who think they might have become ill after contact with dry pet food or with an animal that has eaten dry pet food should consult their health care providers. Infants, older adults, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness.

– People who think their animal might have become ill after eating dry pet food should consult their veterinary-care providers.

Additional information for pet owners can be found here.

CDC Outbreak Map

The CDC’s previous update (April 26) on the Salmonella Bareilly and Salmonella Nchanga infections tied to the product called tuna scrape listed 200 cases from 21 states and the District of Columbia. California, Nebraska and Tennessee have now reported outbreak-related cases.

The 58 new cases include 13 reported by Pennsylvania, 8 by Illinois and New Jersey, 7 by Virginia, 6 by New York, 4 by Maryland, 3 by Massachusetts, 2 by California and Tennessee, and 1 each by Connecticut, Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin. 

The number of ill people with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly reported in each state is: 39 from New York; 27 from Massachusetts; 25 from New Jersey; 24 from Maryland; 23 from Illinois; 20 from Pennsylvania; 16 from Virginia and Wisconsin; 10 from Georgia; 9 from Connecticut; 6 from Rhode Island; 4 from Missouri, North Carolina and Texas; 3 from Louisiana and South Carolina; 2 from Alabama, California, the District of Columbia, Mississippi and Tennessee; and 1 from Arkansas, Florida, Nebraska and Vermont.

Eleven people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga have been reported from 5 states: 5 from New York, 2 from Georgia and New Jersey, and 1 from Virginia and Wisconsin.

Onset of the first illness was January 28 and the most recent illness onset date was April 20.

Those sickened range in age from 4 to 86 years, with a median age of 30. Fifty-seven percent of patients are female. At least 32 have been hospitalized.

Salmonella Bareilly with a pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern identical to the outbreak strain was found in two samples of Nakaochi Scrape yellowfin tuna. One of those samples also yielded a PFGE pattern indistinguishable from the cluster of Salmonella Nchanga infections.

Nearly 59,000 lbs. of the frozen yellowfish tuna scrape has been recalled by the distributor, Moon Marine Corp. of Cupertino, CA. Nakaochi Scrape is backbone meat that remains after the fish has been filleted. It is scraped off with a spoon-like device and used fresh or frozen to make sushi, sashimi, ceviche and similar dishes. Many of the people sickened in this outbreak reported eating “spicy tuna” sushi before they became ill.

CDC Outbreak Map

In a news release, the department said the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin, Madison found that Salmonella bacteria isolated from two food samples were an identical DNA match to the bacteria isolated from the outbreak victims.

The lab test results corroborate the earlier epidemiologic conclusion, arrived at through case interviews and product trace back, which identified frozen yellowfin tuna as the likely source of the outbreak.

Based on that earlier evidence from the outbreak investigation, Moon Marine USA Corp of Cupertino, CA recalled suspect frozen tuna product on April 13. The tuna, imported from India, was labeled as Nakaochi Scrape.

“Scrape” is the term for tuna shaved off the backbone after a fish has been filleted. Considered too good to be wasted, scrape may be chopped into even smaller bits but is not further processed. Raw fish scrape is commonplace in Japanese cuisine, sometimes served over rice, in sushi or on its own.

Like any food served raw, however, it can pose a potential risk from foodborne pathogens.

Moon Marine’s tuna scrape was not available for sale to individual consumers, but went to restaurants and grocery stores where it may have been used to make sushi, sashimi, ceviche and similar raw-fish dishes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It often is used to make “spicy tuna” sushi.

In investigating the sushi outbreak, the CDC and Food and Drug Administration said some of the ill people had eaten in “four clustered-associated” restaurants that had served tuna from a single source.

The FDA has now issued import alerts, authorizing the detention without physical examination of fresh and frozen tuna from the tuna scrape producer, Moon Fishery India Pvt Ltd. in Kerala state, India.

The import alert concludes that contamination with Salmonella Bareilly “is likely due to inadequate sanitary controls after harvest on the fishing vessels, during processing or packaging. Sources of contamination may include water contamination, and/or poor hygienic practices of workers that process the product, pests in packing facilities, and lack of adequate cleaning and sanitizing of equipment that comes in contact with the product.”

In its last update on the outbreak, the CDC said 160 confirmed cases had been reported by 20 states and the District of Columbia. At least 26 people had severe symptoms and were hospitalized.

The FDA has said it is continuing to trace forward the recalled tuna through its subsequent distribution from Moon Marine in California, but has not revealed any of the restaurants or grocery stores that sold sushi or other foods containing the tainted tuna.

However, this outbreak is probably much larger, and many more illnesses likely occurred than those confirmed through lab analysis of stool specimens. For every case of salmonellosis reported, the CDC estimates 38.6 go unreported. That would translate to about 6,176 people ill from eating tainted tuna.

The implicated frozen raw yellowfin tuna product – known as “tuna scrape” because it is back meat scraped from tuna bones – was imported from India and has been recalled by the California-based distributor, Moon Marine USA.  The Nakaochi Scrape resembles ground tuna and is used to make sashimi, ceviche and sushi, particularly “spicy tuna” sushi.

According to the CDC’s latest update, the 19 new outbreak cases include 14 reported by Massachusetts, two reported by New York and one each reported by Illinois, North Carolina and Virginia.

New York, with 30 ill people, has the largest number of confirmed cases, followed by Massachusetts with 23; Illinois, Maryland and Wisconsin with 14; Virginia with 9; New Jersey with 8; Connecticut, Georgia and Pennsylvania with 6; Rhode Island with 5; Missouri and Texas with 4; Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina with 3; Alabama, the District of Columbia and Mississippi with two; and Arkansas and Florida with single cases.  

The ill people range in age from 4 to 78 years; median age is 30. Sixty-six percent are female. At least 26 have been hospitalized.

CDC Outbreak Map

Image of Nakaochi Scrape from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its April 20 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “Notes from the Field,” says 22 states are reporting the illnesses, and that the median age of those stricken is 11 years old. More than one third of those ill are younger than 5. At least 6 case patients have been hospitalized.

Many of the children and others infected reported handling live or frozen rats or mice, which the CDC refers to as “feeder rodents.”

Tests of frozen mice from two North Carolina pet stores yielded the outbreak strain, which was also implicated in feeder-rodent outbreaks in 2009 and 2010, according to the CDC.

Both those earlier outbreaks were traced to a single U.S. supplier, who recalled contaminated frozen rodents.

Now, given the wide distribution of illnesses caused by Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- linked to handling pet-food rodents, the CDC suggests “the outbreak strain might now be endemic” in these critters.

The CDC says owners of pet reptiles, amphibians, or other animals that are fed rodents should be aware of the risk for salmonellosis from their pets as well as from the live and frozen rodents used to feed them.

“Safe handling instructions for all of these animals should be provided at the point of sale,” the public health agency advises.

Nakaochi Scrape is the backmeat of tuna that, when scraped off the bones, looks like ground tuna, and is used to make sushi and similar dishes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says Moon Marine’s frozen raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna, imported from a single processing plant in India, is the likely cause of the outbreak.

In an update Tuesday, the CDC said the illnesses extend across 20 states and the District of Columbia.

New York has reported 28 cases; Maryland and Wisconsin 14; Illinois 13; Massachusetts 9; New Jersey and Virginia 8; Connecticut,  Georgia and Pennsylvania 6; Rhode Island 5; Missouri and Texas 4; Louisiana and South Carolina 3; Alabama, District of Columbia, Mississippi and North Carolina 2; and Arkansas and Florida 1.

The 25 new cases include 4 reported by New York; 3 each by Illinois, Maryland and Virginia; 2 each by Missouri and Wisconsin and 1 each by Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey; Pennsylvania and Texas. 

The ill people range in age from 4 to 78 years. Median age is 30. Fifty-nine percent are female. So far, at least 21 individuals have been hospitalized.

Onset dates of their illnesses range from January 28 to April 1, 2012.

On April 13, the Cupertino, CA-based Moon Marine USA Corp. agreed to recall 58,828 pounds of its frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, according to the Food and Drug Administration.  In an update Tuesday, the FDA said Moon Marine is voluntarily recalling all frozen raw yellowfin tuna product from India, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA.

The product is not offered for sale to individual consumers, but went to outlets that used the tuna to make sushi and other dishes to be sold in restaurants and grocery stores. 

Cartons shipped to distributors were labeled with the company’s name and Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA, but the FDA said the boxes may have been broken down into smaller lots for further sale, which may make it difficult for grocery stores and restaurants to identify the implicated scraped tuna. The boxes contain several vacuum-wrapped packages with no further labeling.

Go here to see images of the recalled boxes and labels.

The CDC is advising consumers not to eat the recalled Nakaochi Scrape, and to check with restaurants or grocery stores to make sure that sushi, sashimi, ceviche or other dishes served raw do not contain the product distributed by Moon Marine. If retailers and other food establishments do not know the source of their frozen raw scraped yellowfin tuna, they should check with their supplier, the CDC said.

CDC Outbreak Map

The company’s own lab testing confirmed a positive result for E. coli O157:H7, according to the news release, but FSIS said the firm had already distributed the beef before the test results were received.

FSIS said it has received no reports of illnesses associated with the beef.  

The potentially contaminated beef was produced between April 4 and 10, 2012 and shipped to wholesale and retail establishments in Maine. 

The recall is for:

– 5- and 10- lb. boxes of 2-, 2.6-, 3-, and 4- oz. “Town & Country Foods XL Hamburg Patties”

– 5- and 10- lb. boxes of 2-, 2.6-, 3-, and 4- oz. “Town & Country Foods Hamburg Patties”

– 10- lb. box containing variously weighted bags of “Town & Country Beef for Stewing”

– 6-, 8-, and 10- oz. “Town & Country Beef Sirloin Filets”

– 5- and 10- lb. boxes containing variously weighted bags of “Town and Country Hamburg”

– 5- and 10- lb. boxes containing variously weighted bags of “Town and Country XL Hamburg”

Each case has the establishment number EST. 9710 inside the USDA mark of inspection. The packaging codes affected are 10952, 10962, 10972, 11002 and 11012.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

Because the harmful bacteria can be introduced into the center of beef when it is tenderized, FSIS recommends that needle- or blade-tenderized beef be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, just like hamburger. The only way to confirm that beef is cooked thoroughly enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer, preferably a tip-sensitive digital thermometer.

Food safety advocates have asked FSIS to require that mechanically tenderized beef be labeled with appropriate safe-cooking information.

The FDA said in a statement Wednesday that Yamaya USA of Torrance, CA and its president, Daigo Irifune, agreed to terms of a consent decree on April 5. Under the agreement, the company must destroy all foods being processed or ready for shipment and clean and sanitize the facility. It cannot resume marketing its seafood until laboratory results confirm no further L. mono contamination.

The FDA said the firm must also hire a sanitation and food safety expert to develop and implement a Listeria monitoring program and a hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) plan. It must hire an outside auditor to conduct inspections of the facility at least once every three months for three years and once every year for two years after that, for a total of five years of auditing inspections.

In October, 2011, Yamaha USA recalled capelin roe, or masago, after tests by the FDA revealed the roe was contaminated with Listeria.

The company received a warning letter from the FDA in July, 2011 that detailed what the agency described as food safety law violations, including an inadequate HACCP plan. 

Listeria causes nearly 2,500 cases of listeriosis per year in the United States, and is especially threatening during pregnancy and for individuals with compromised immune systems.

As part of a consent decree, Del Bueno owner Jesus Rodriguez agreed to a permanent injunction entered by the Eastern District Court of Washington on April 3.

Under the agreement, according to the FDA, Del Bueno cannot process or distribute food until it demonstrates that it has a control program underway to eliminate Listeria monocytogenes from its production facility and products.

The Grandview company, which makes pasteurized milk cheeses, must, among other actions:

– hire an independent laboratory to collect and analyze samples for the presence of Listeria,

– retain an independent sanitation expert

– develop a Listeria-control program for all employees in both English and Spanish

– destroy all food items currently in the facility

Once the company is permitted to resume operations, the FDA said it may still require recalls or order it to cease production if future violations occur.

“When a company continues to produce food that presents a risk for consumers, the FDA will take action,” said Dara A. Corrigan, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, in a news release. “We will not hesitate to protect the public’s health.”

Del Bueno has a history of problems with Listeria contamination.

In April, 2010, Del Bueno recalled packages of its queso fresco cheese after Washington state officials found contaminated cheese during routine sampling, and then linked it to the illness.

Another recall in November, 2010 involved queso fresco, queso panela and ricotta cheeses after test results revealed that the cheeses were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and inspectors found the same strain of the bacteria in the processing facility.

An April 2011 warning letter to Del Bueno from the FDA suggested that Listeria may have established “niche areas” in the cheese-making plant. “The presence of a persistent strain of L. monocytogenes in your facility between March 2010 and November 2010, is significant in that it demonstrates that sanitation efforts were inadequate to remove this organism,” the inspectors wrote.

Listeria can be a persistent problem in food-processing plants once it becomes established, and it can flourish under refrigeration.

In September, 2011 Del Bueno again had to issue a recall after the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) detected Listeria contamination.

According to the FDA announcement Monday, since 2009 federal and state inspectors have documented “numerous deficiencies” in Del Bueno’s processing facility and repeatedly advised Rodriguez of the unsanitary conditions there.

Listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, can be serious and sometimes can cause fatal infections in young children, frail or older people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may experience only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, Listeria infection in pregnant women can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.

Although no illnesses have been reported in 2012 from Del Bueno products, the FDA is advising individuals who have eaten the company’s products and experienced any of the symptoms of listeriosis to contact their health care professional. 

The blend, which was distributed through Save-On-Foods and Overwaitea, contains frozen pomegranate seeds, blueberries, strawberries and cherries.

According to the news release, five of the eight people ill with the virus are known to have consumed the Pomeberry product. Although there is no direct link yet, the BC health authorities suggest that as a precaution, individuals who have the Pomeberry Blend product in their refrigerator or freezer should not to consume it, and should discard it.

No other frozen berry products from Western Family are a concern at this time, the BCCDC said.

At this time, the BCCDC thinks the overall risk to the public is very low, and it is not recommending that people who have consumed the product should receive vaccine. “This will be reassessed as further information becomes available,” the agency said.

Symptoms of hepatitis A can include loss of appetite; fever; dark urine; a tired feeling (like you have the flu); vomiting; clay-colored bowel movements; a sore feeling in the upper-right stomach area; yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice). Symptoms can last from one to two weeks to several months. Some people have symptoms so mild they may not be aware they have been infected.

Most people recover completely and then are immune to re-infection.

The BCCDC recommends that anyone who has consumed Pomeberry Blend frozen berries and has symptoms compatible with hepatitis A infection should consider one of the following options:

– call the 24-hour HealthLink BC Line at 8-1-1

– contact your physician

– view the BC HealthFiles on Hepatitis at www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles

– view the hepatitis A page at bccdc.ca.

The CDC’s earlier report, as well as an internal email circulated at the Food and Drug Administration, implicated sushi, sashimi or a raw dish such as ceviche as possible sources of the outbreak. The FDA email said spicy tuna roll sushi is highly suspect. 

The seven additional cases were reported by Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

Altogether, New York has reported 23 outbreak cases; Maryland 10; Illinois and Wisconsin 9 each; New Jersey 7; Connecticut and Virginia 5 each; Georgia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island 4 each; Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas 3 each; Alabama, Washington D.C., Louisiana and North Carolina 2 each; Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri 1 each.

Case patients reported illness onset dates from January 28 to March 25. They range in age from 4 to 78 years old; median age is 31. Ten people have had symptoms so severe they required hospitalization.

The CDC is working with the FDA on the investigation and promises to “provide updates as soon as they are available.” If a specific food source is identified as the cause of the outbreak, the CDC said it will alert the public and “take further steps to prevent additional illnesses.”

CDC Outbreak Map

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting more cases of vomiting and diarrhea from a multistate outbreak of Salmonella poisoning caused by handling small pet turtles.

In three overlapping outbreaks, at least 72 people in 17 states have been confirmed sick with Salmonella Sandiego, Pomona or Poona infections, including 12 individuals so severely ill they required hospitalization.

Nearly 60 percent of those infected are children younger than 10.

The outbreak case count now includes an additional state and six more illnesses since the CDC’s March 30 update.

States reporting turtle-related Salmonella infections are: Arizona (2), California (12), Georgia (1), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (6), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), North Carolina (1), New Jersey (6), New Mexico (3), New York (21), Pennsylvania (7), Texas (4), Virginia (1) and Vermont (1)

Cute but contraband –  trade in these turtles has been illegal since 1975 – the small turtles are usually purchased from street vendors. Like all reptiles, turtles can appear to be clean and healthy and still carry Salmonella germs, which they shed in their droppings.

In this latest pet turtle outbreak, the CDC says the infections are from rare types of Salmonella. “The Salmonella Sandiego and Pomona outbreaks have similar geographic distributions, with cases occurring in the Northeast and Southwest,” the agency’s report states. “The Salmonella Poona outbreak has a slightly different geographic distribution, with cases occurring in the Midwest and Southwest.”

Salmonella Sandiego has so far stricken 50 people in 10 states. Of the 5 new cases, California reported 4 and Minnesota 1 with onset dates in August 2011, which indicates the the outbreak likely began earlier than what was previously reported. The outbreak strain was detected in a turtle tank from the home of a Virginia victim.

Salmonella Poona has sickened 13 people in 7 states, with Texas reporting one new case.

The Salmonella Pomona outbreak case count remains the same – 9 people reported sick by 8 states as of March 26.

The CDC’s advice? Don’t purchase or give as gifts turtles with shells smaller than 4 inches. Don’t keep turtles in homes, child care centers or schools where there are children younger than 5. Elderly people or people with weakened immune systems should also avoid handling small turtles. 

However, many of those infected recalled eating sushi, sashimi or a raw dish such as ceviche, in the days before they became ill, according to the public health agency.

In an investigation report released Wednesday afternoon, the CDC revealed the states reporting illnesses: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (4), District of Columbia (2), Georgia (4), Illinois (8), Louisiana (2), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (4), Mississippi (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (6), New York (23), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (4), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5) and Wisconsin (8).

The CDC’s message follows an internal U.S. Food and Drug Administration email on the outbreak investigation that was inadvertently circulated beyond the agency. That emailed summary did not list all the affected states.

And although the FDA email said investigators were looking at sushi as a possible source of the illnesses, and singled out spicy tuna roll sushi as “highly suspect,” the CDC said no food item has been conclusively identified.

“On initial interviews, many of the ill persons reported consuming sushi, sashimi or similar foods in a variety of locations in the week before becoming ill,” the CDC stated Wednesday. State health officials are continuing to interview outbreak patients about what they ate, the CDC said.

According to the outbreak report, of 51 outbreak-related patients who provided food histories to public health investigators, 37 (69 percent) recalled eating sushi or sashimi during the week before their symptoms began. That compares with a control survey of healthy individuals in which only 5 percent said they’d eaten sushi, sashimi or ceviche in the 7 days before they were interviewed. 

At this time, however, the CDC said it is not advising people to avoid any specific foods or specific restaurants, and will alert the public if additional information becomes available.

According to the CDC, the outbreak-related illnesses were reported from January 28 to March 23, 2012. Those ill range in age from 4 to 78 years old; median age is 31.

Illnesses that occurred after March 4 may not yet be included in the outbreak count because of the lag time — an average of 2 to 3 weeks — between when a person becomes ill and and when the illness is reported to health authorities.

In the effort to figure out where this outbreak started, data collected by the states and the agency’s district offices have focused on 6 restaurant clusters where diners later reported illness. Those clusters are in Texas, Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and two are in Wisconsin, according to the FDA email, which did not identify specific restaurants. 

The traceback efforts to find the source of the contamination, according to the FDA email, include looking at menu items ill diners consumed, ingredients, brands, preparation and suppliers in the cases associated with the restaurant clusters. If the outbreak source is sushi, investigators will be trying to determine what part of the sushi was contaminated.

People who think they have become ill from a contaminated food product should consult their health care provider, the CDC noted. The way to confirm a Salmonella infection is through stool specimen analysis.

Most people infected with Salmonella bacteria develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps at least 12 hours and up to three days after consuming contaminated food, so often the last food they ate is not the food that made them sick.

S. Bareilly is a relatively rare type of Salmonella in the U.S., with some estimates indicating it is responsible for only 1 percent of Salmonella infections.

S. Bareilly has been associated with raw sprout contamination in previous outbreaks. In the UK in 2010, there were 241 cases of Salmonella Bareilly infection in an outbreak linked to bean sprouts germinated from contaminated seeds.

CDC Outbreak Map

This article was updated to include new information from the CDC.

So it was heartening to see Monday’s CDC press release announcing that the U.S. population, for the most part, is getting enough essential vitamins and nutrients – specifically vitamins A and D and folate — even though some groups need to address dietary deficiencies.

“Research shows that good nutrition can help lower people’s risk for many chronic diseases. For most nutrients, the low deficiency rates, less than 1 to 10 percent, are encouraging, but higher deficiency rates in certain age and race/ethnic groups are a concern and need additional attention,” said Christine Pfeiffer, Ph.D., lead researcher, in the Division of Laboratory Sciences in CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

Less than optimal vitamin and nutrient levels have been associated with myriad health risks, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, impaired cognitive function, cancer, eye diseases and weakened bones. 

The CDC’s favorable, although limited, review is the most comprehensive biochemical assessment ever of the nation’s nutritional status, drawn from analysis by the Division of Laboratory Sciences of blood and urine samples collected during the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The last such report was published in 2008. This Second Nutrition Report establishes blood and urine reference levels for 58 biochemical indicators; more than twice as many as before. And the new report includes first-time data for a new indicator of iron deficiency and for 24 healthy and unhealthy fatty acids.

Measurements of nutrient levels in blood and urine are critical, according to the CDC, because they show whether the total nutrients from foods and vitamin supplements are too low, too high or sufficient.

In very brief summary, the positive findings in the Second Nutrition Report include that:

– only 10 percent or less of the general U.S. population had nutrition deficiencies for vitamins B6, D, A, C, B12, E and folate.

– the country’s folate deficiency has dropped to less than 1 percent and blood folate levels in all race/ethnic groups are 50 percent higher since fortification of cereal-grain products with folic acid began in 1998. Before fortification, approximately 12 percent of women of childbearing age were deficient in folate, which is essential prior to and during pregnancy to help prevent some major birth defects of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida.

–  in general, younger adults had lower levels of fatty acids. Plasma levels of fatty acids were generally similar in men and women and for most fatty acids, and no consistent race/ethnic pattern was found. (Lowering saturated fatty acids is recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease).

Of course, the reports findings do not necessarily indicate that people consume healthy and balanced diets.

And the report also details nutrition issues that need to be addressed.

For example, 31 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have vitamin D deficiency, despite clinical data showing greater bone density and fewer fractures in this group. “Further research is needed to explain why non-Hispanic blacks have better bone health but yet have a higher rate of vitamin D deficiency,” the CDC noted.

According to the report, the vitamin D deficiency rate was 12 percent for Mexican-Americans and 3 percent for non-Hispanic whites.

“Vitamin D is essential for good bone health but it may also improve muscle strength and protect against cancer and type 2 diabetes,” stated the executive summary.

Women of childbearing age and children were found to be at risk for iron deficiency, while men were at risk for iron excess.

The CDC study also found that young women 20-39 years of age, compared with all other women, had the lowest levels of iodine, an essential component of thyroid hormones that regulate human growth and development. Iodine is especially important to ensure the best possible brain development of a fetus during pregnancy. Iodine deficiency disorders include mental retardation, hypothyroidism, goiter, cretinism, and varying degrees of other growth and developmental abnormalities.

The CDC data on acrylamide, in a first-time assessment of exposure to the chemical naturally found in starchy foods cooked at high temperatures, suggested there are differences in acrylamide metabolism among age groups. 

The majority of the cases have been reported from the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf coast, but include cases as far west as Missouri and Texas. The state names have not yet been released by FDA or CDC.

According to an internal FDA email, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has characterized this outbreak as “ongoing and rapidly expanding,” particularly due to the prolonged reporting lag time (which can be up to 32 days after a patient’s infection is confirmed by lab analysis). Seven people reportedly have been hospitalized.

The FDA has been working with the CDC in investigating the outbreak and is continuing to eliminate other possible vehicles as the source of the illnesses. CDC officials postulate that sushi is the likely source of this outbreak, with spicy tuna roll sushi “highly suspect.”

The FDA source said data collected by the states and the agency’s district offices focuses on 6 implicated restaurant clusters where diners reported illness. Those clusters are in Texas, Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and two are in Wisconsin.

Phyllis Entis, author of eFoodAlert, reports that Texas, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Missouri, New York and Louisiana have reported cases that are linked to the outbreak, but the 11 other states haven’t been identified. Louisiana health officials told Entis their first case patients became ill in mid-February; New York says its first outbreak patient became ill on March 1.

According to Entis, health departments in Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Oklahoma and Utah say they are not investigating any cases related to this outbreak.

The traceback efforts are said to include analyzing information on menu items consumed, ingredients, brands, preparation and suppliers, particularly cases associated with the restaurant clusters, in an effort to identify the specific suspect outbreak vehicle.

If spicy tuna roll sushi is the source of the outbreak, investigators will try to determine what ingredient in the sushi might have been contaminated.

The time between eating a food contaminated with Salmonella and the beginning of symptoms is typically one to three days, sometimes longer.

The Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, E. coli O157 and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) detected in the milk “pose a clear risk for consumers and could have serious public health consequences,” the researchers wrote. Results of their study appeared in the March 23 issue of the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease.

Vending machines are used to dispense raw milk in some European countries, and raw milk advocates in the U.S. sometimes point to this easy availability as evidence that the unpasteurized milk must be safe. The sale of raw milk — latte crudo — from self-service automatic vending machines has been allowed in Italy since 2004.

The investigation looked at 33 farms in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy that together sell about 3,500 liters of unpasteurized milk daily via 60 vending machines. From January to July 2010, researchers collected 66 samples from farm bulk tanks and 66 from vending machines in the first part of the study, and then another 99 samples from vending machines in the second part of the study.

The samples were analyzed using various test methods, from the standard culture method of detection (ISO) to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and also the modified Bacteriological Analytical Manual cultural method (mBAM).

All pathogens investigated were detected in the raw milk sold from vending machines; 5 percent of the samples had at least one pathogen. However, none of the pathogens was detected using the official ISO tests — the method the area’s regulators rely on to check the safety of the milk and order recalls, if necessary, leading the researchers to suggest that such tests are not sensitive enough. The pathogens were detected using the PCR and mBAM tests.

“Given that extremely small numbers of organisms are present and that they may not be evenly distributed in the milk,” the researchers said ISO is “consequently not appropriate” as the official method for testing raw milk.

They point out that even extremely small amounts of bacteria may be infectious and pathogens may proliferate after testing to levels that pose unacceptable risks. The study notes four disease outbreaks — two due to Campylobacter and two to E. coli O157:H7 —   linked to consumption of unpasteurized milk in the Emilia-Romagna region, despite prior testing conducted at the farms.

In the study, another concern was that three samples of raw milk tested positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, also known as Map.  Map causes Johne’s disease in cattle and other ruminants, and has been suspected as a possible cause of Crohn’s disease in humans. The researchers said the positivity of 3 percent of samples suggests that “raw milk consumption is a significant source of Map exposure for consumers.”

In comparison with milk samples collected from bulk tanks, the milk samples collected from vending machines showed a significant increase of total bacterial count “meaning that raw milk was mishandled during distribution and sale,” perhaps due to lack of consistent temperature control, “which may result in an increase of pathogenic microbial load, raising further questions on raw milk safety,” the authors wrote.

The researchers concluded that  “raw milk sold in vending machines in the considered

province does not have an optimal microbiological quality and does not meet criteria fixed by law in terms of safety for hygienic quality and for exposition to all the pathogenic

bacteria investigated in the study.”

In order to ensure consumers’ safety, the researchers advised “a new approach” to avoid mishandling raw milk being transported from farm to vending machines, and also that the milk should undergo adequate testing at the farms to determine if it is contaminated.