Food Safety Alerts, 12-19 March, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
GERMANY, different sorts of beer and tablewater from Germany have been recalled from consumers due to content of soda lye. Authorities were alerted following a company's own check. RASFF notification No 2011.0371 has been published on 18/03/2011.
ITALY, noodles from China have been recalled from consumers due to illegal import (containing swine DNA). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0347 has been published on 16/03/2011.
FINLAND, vermicelli - mung bean product from the Philippines has been recalled from consumers due to high content of aluminium (105 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0355 has been published on 18/03/2011.
FRANCE, peanut crisps from China have been withdrawn from the market due to improper health certificate(s). Authorities were alerted following a border rejection. RASFF notification No 2011.APG has been published on 16/03/2011.
BELGIUM, GERMANY, NORWAY, oysters from the Netherlands have been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of norovirus (Genogroup I and II). Authorities were alerted following a food poisoning. RASFF notification No 2011.0325 has been published on 14/03/2011.
BULGARIA, chilled Japanese mackerel (Scomber japonicus) and chilled scad (Trachurus trachurus) from Greece and Spain have been withdrawn from the market due to parasitic infestation with Anisakis (50; 50). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0362 has been published on 18/03/2011.
SLOVENIA, dried apricots from Italy have been withdrawn from the market due to content of sulphite. Authorities were alerted following a company's own check. RASFF notification No 2011.0328 has been published on 14/03/2011.
UNITED KINGDOM, fresh apples from Canada and the United States have been withdrawn from the market due to content of unauthorised substance morpholine (0.05; 0.08; 0.16; 0.25; 1.4 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following a company's own check. RASFF notification No 2011.0331 has been published on 14/03/2011.
GERMANY, BULGARIA, PORTUGAL, canned green organic lentils from Turkey have been withdrawn from the market due to content of glyphosate (0.79 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following a company's own check. RASFF notification No 2011.0334 has been published on 15/03/2011.
DENMARK, SWEDEN, bottled organic strained tomatoes from Italy have been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of glass fragments. Authorities were alerted following a consumer complaint. RASFF notification No 2011.0338 has been published on 15/03/2011.
FRANCE, SPAIN, cucumbers from Spain have been withdrawn from the market due to content of unauthorised substance dichlorvos (0.11 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0345 has been published on 16/03/2011.
DENMARK, tenderloin (pork) from Spain has been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of Salmonella (presence /25g). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0365 has been published on 18/03/2011.
GERMANY, grape juice from Austria has been withdrawn from the market due to abnormal smell (chlorine). Authorities were alerted following a consumer complaint. RASFF notification No 2011.0369 has been published on 18/03/2011.
DENMARK, frozen whole hens without giblets from France Austria have been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of Salmonella (presence /25g). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0358 has been published on 18/03/2011.
Food Contact Materials
HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, CZECH REPUBLIC, melamine cups from China have been recalled from consumers due to migration of formaldehyde (5.0 mg/dm²). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. RASFF notification No 2011.0326 has been published on 14/03/2011.
DENMARK, wok pans from China have been withdrawn from the market due to inner coating peeling off. Authorities were alerted following a consumer complaint. RASFF notification No 2011.0354 has been published on 17/03/2011.
Food Safety Team
Source: Portal RASFF
Food Safety Alerts, 1-6 March,2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
AUSTRIA, pretzel stick from Germany has been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of foreign body. Authorities were alerted following a consumer complaint. The RASFF notification No 2011.0269 has been published on 28/02/2011.
GERMANY, rice noodles from China has been withdrawn from the market as unauthorised genetically modified (Bt63). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0280 has been published on 02/03/2011.
UNITED KINGDOM, dried noodles from China has been withdrawn from the market due to high content of aluminium (14 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following a border rejection. The RASFF notification No 2011.AMP has been published on 04/03/2011.
ITALY, chocolate bar with peanuts puffed rice and caramel from the Netherlands has been recalled from consumers due to foodborne outbreak suspected to be caused by. Authorities were alerted following a food poisoning. The RASFF notification No 2011.0279 has been published on 02/03/2011.
ITALY, chilled anglerfish (Lophius spp) from France has been withdrawn from the market due to parasitic infestation with Anisakis. Authorities were alerted following a company's own check. The RASFF notification No 2011.0282 has been published on 02/03/2011.
LATVIA, LITHUANIA, frozen hake (Merluccius merluccius) from Spain has been withdrawn from the market due to parasitic infestation with Anisakis (10-12 dead larvae in each fish). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0283 has been published on 02/03/2011.
FINLAND, fresh lychees from Madagascar have been withdrawn from the market due to too high content of sulphite (15 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification 2011.0273 has been published on 01/03/2011.
GERMANY, raisins from Turkey have been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of ochratoxin A (20.5 µg/kg - ppb). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification 2011.0284 has been published on 02/03/2011.
BELGIUM, FRANCE, condensed milk from Germany has been withdrawn from the market due to contamination of plastic fragments. Authorities were alerted following a company's own check. The RASFF notification 2011.0290 has been published on 04/03/2011.
Dietetic Foods, Food Supplements, Fortified Foods
ITALY, Libid Bull (food supplement) from Slovakia has been withdrawn from the market due to content of unauthorised substance tadalafil (49.2 mg). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0271 has been published on 28/02/2011.
HUNGARY, food supplement from China has been withdrawn from the market due to content of unauthorised substance sildenafil (per capsule: 104.7 mg). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0275 has been published on 01/03/2011.
FINLAND, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, green clay powder and green clay capsules from Germany, with raw material from France have been recalled from consumer due to contamination of dioxins (7.1 ng/kg - ppt) and lead (14.8 mg/kg - ppm). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0286 has been published on 03/03/2011.
BELGIUM, food supplement from France have been recalled from consumer due to content of unauthorised novel food ingredient Hoodia gordonii. Authorities were alerted following a consumer complaint. The RASFF notification No 2011.0289 has been published on 04/03/2011.
Food Contact Materials
UNITED KINGDOM, lid of jars containing chredded mango chutney from India has been withdrawn from the market due to high content of DBP - dibutyl phthalate (1.66 %) and of DEHP - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (9.26 %). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0264 has been published on 28/02/2011.
UNITED KINGDOM, lid of jars containing lime pickle hot from India has been withdrawn from the market due to high content of DBP - dibutyl phthalate (1.33 %) and of DEHP - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (3.9 %). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0265 has been published on 28/02/2011.
UNITED KINGDOM, lid of jars containing mixed pickle from India has been withdrawn from the market due to high content of DEHP - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (12.3 %). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0266 has been published on 28/02/2011.
CYPRUS, dinner plates from China have been withdrawn from the market due to migration of lead (4.78 mg/dm²). Authorities were alerted following an official control on the market. The RASFF notification No 2011.0267 has been published on 28/02/2011.
Food Safety Team
Source: Portal RASFF
Foodborne Illness
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and colloquially referred to as food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the consumption of food.
There are two types of food poisoning: food infection and food intoxication. Food infection refers to the presence of bacteria or other microbes which infect the body after consumption. Food intoxication refers to the ingestion of toxins contained within the food, including bacterially produced exotoxins, which can happen even when the microbe that produced the toxin is no longer present or able to cause infection. In spite of the common term food poisoning, most cases are caused by a variety of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, prions or parasites that contaminate food,[1] rather than chemical or natural toxins.
Food Borne illness in USA
Friday, May 1, 2009
Every year there are about 76 million foodborne illnesses in the United States (26,000 cases for 100,000 inhabitants), 2 million in the United Kingdom (3,400 cases for 100,000 inhabitants) and 750,000 in France (1,210 cases for 100,000 inhabitants).
In the United States, using FoodNet data from 1996-1998, the CDCP estimated there were 76 million foodborne illnesses (26,000 cases for 100,000 inhabitants)
325,000 were hospitalized (111 per 100,000 inhabitants);
5,000 people died (1.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.).
Major pathogens from food borne illness in the United States cost upwards of US $35 billion in medical costs and lost productivity (1997)
Natural Toxins
Alkaloids
Ciguatera poisoning
Grayanotoxin (honey intoxication)
Mushroom toxins
Phytohaemagglutinin (red kidney bean poisoning; destroyed by boiling)
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Shellfish toxin, including paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning and ciguatera fish poisoning
Scombrotoxin
Tetrodotoxin (fugu fish poisoning)
Some plants contain substances which are toxic in large doses, but have therapeutic properties in appropriate dosages.
Foxglove contains cardiac glycosides.
Poisonous hemlock (conium) has medicinal uses.
Mycotoxins and Food Safety
Viruses
Viral infections make up perhaps one third of cases of food poisoning in developed countries. In the US, more than 50% of cases are viral and noroviruses are the most common foodborne illness, causing 57% of outbreaks in 2004. Foodborne viral infection are usually of intermediate (1–3 days) incubation period, causing illnesses which are self-limited in otherwise healthy individuals, and are similar to the bacterial forms described above.
Rotavirus
Enterovirus
Hepatitis A is distinguished from other viral causes by its prolonged (2–6 week) incubation period and its ability to spread beyond the stomach and intestines, into the liver. It often induces jaundice, or yellowing of the skin, and rarely leads to chronic liver dysfunction. The virus has been found to cause the infection due to the consumption of fresh-cut produce which has fecal contamination.
Hepatitis E
Norovirus
Rotavirus
Preventing Bacterial Food Poisoning
traceability: in a final product, it must be possible to know the origin of the ingredients (originating farm, identification of the harvesting or of the animal) and where and when it was processed; the origin of the illness can thus be tracked and solved (and possibly penalized), and the final products can be removed from the sale if a problem is detected;
enforcement of hygiene procedures like HACCP and the "cold chain";
power of control and of law enforcement of veterinarians.
In August 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Phage therapy which involves spraying meat with viruses that infect bacteria, and thus preventing infection. This has raised concerns, because without mandatory labelling consumers wouldn't be aware that meat and poultry products have been treated with the spray. [2]
At home, prevention mainly consists of good food safety practices. Many forms of bacterial poisoning can be prevented even if food is contaminated by cooking it sufficiently, and either eating it quickly or refrigerating it effectively[citation needed]. Many toxins, however, are not destroyed by heat treatment.
Foodborne illness
There are two types of food poisoning: food infection and food intoxication. Food infection refers to the presence of bacteria or other microbes which infect the body after consumption. Food intoxication refers to the ingestion of toxins contained within the food, including bacterially produced exotoxins, which can happen even when the microbe that produced the toxin is no longer present or able to cause infection. In spite of the common term food poisoning, most cases are caused by a variety of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, prions or parasites that contaminate food,rather than chemical or natural toxins.
Foodborne illness can also be caused by pesticides or medicines in food and naturally toxic substances like poisonous mushrooms or reef fish.
