The number of food businesses found to be violating the law during audits last year was around the same as the year before, according to Austria’s annual food safety report. The report covers official inspections during 2018 by the Austrian provinces, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (BMASGK). A total of 43,581 inspections were carried out at 33,187. Violations were found at…

The seven people in France part of a Listeria outbreak linked to organic dairy products fell ill over a period of 18 months, according to public health authorities. Those infected with the same strain of Listeria were identified by the National Reference Center for Listeria, with an eighth case still under investigation. Santé Publique France reported two people have died but the agency does not have any evidence to attribute the deaths to Listeria infection.…

More than 220 people are sick and three have died as part of a listeriosis outbreak in Spain, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). From July 7 to September 13, 222 confirmed cases have been reported in five regions of Spain: 214 patients in Andalusia, four in Aragon, two in Extremadura and one each in Castilla y Leon and Madrid. Most Andalusian cases have been registered in Seville with 175 but 17 people are…

A French child who developed severe complications after being infected by E. coli in 2011 has died. Nolan Moittie was two years old when he was one of a number of people infected by an E. coli outbreak from frozen minced beef steaks of the Steaks Country brand bought at supermarket chain Lidl in May and June 2011. After being infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157, he developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a…

The E. coli outbreak caused by ground Bison is over. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the outbreak over on Sept.13, 2019. It ended after reports of 33 confirmed E. coli infections in eight states. Those illnesses, including 18 hospitalizations, The ground Bison came from Northfork Bison Distributions Inc., located in Saint-Leonard, Quebec in Canada. Northford recalled ground beef produced between ruaryFebruary 22, 2019, and April 30, 2019. The recall announcement…

Today, General Mills announced a nation wide recall for 5 lb. bags of its Gold Medal “Unbleached All Purpose Flour” marked with a “better-if-used-by” date of Sept. 6, 2020 for the potential presence of E. coli O26, which FDA officials said was discovered during sampling of the 5 lb. bag product. According to the recall, “This recall only affects this one date code of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour five-pound bags. All other types of Gold…

Opinion   I.M. Healthy – goodness the irony. For a bit(e) of history: In the Spring of 2017, the CDC reported that thirty-two people infected with the outbreak strains of E. coli O157: H7 were reported from 12 states – Arizona 4, California 5, Florida 2, Illinois 1, Massachusetts 1, Maryland 1, Missouri 1, New Jersey 1, Oregon 11, Virginia 2, Washington 2 and Wisconsin 1.  There were also others sickened but because stool cultures…