The table below shows outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with investigations ongoing, others may be near completion. This weeks table includes an additional patient to the tally in a new outbreak of E. coli O145:H28. Sixteen people are now confirmed sick and traceback on an unnamed product(s) has been initiated. The Food and Drug Administration will issue…

Iceland has been told to improve its controls on animal by-products by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) added the country had made progress in other areas covered by past audits. An updated country profile summarizes Iceland’s system of official controls in the food and veterinary sector. As part of a general review audit in November 2020, ESA assessed how Iceland has followed up and implemented changes based on 97 recommendations made between February…

A few days ago, “Down Under” a.k.a. Australia, my friend, food safety guru, and for some strange reason, eater of raw shellfish, Dr. Julian Cox, was speaking about the risk of pregnant women consuming unpasteurized juice or cider and tahini or hummus. The risk to the mother and the baby is Listeria, which can spread from the human digestive tract to the placenta causing miscarriage or birth defects. It did get me thinking about what…

At least seven children are sick with E. Coli infections in a new outbreak involving an unknown source. All of the sick children are younger than 14, with three of them younger than five years old, according to an outbreak announcement by King County, WA, health officials. “Our investigation is ongoing, and we have not identified any foods, restaurants, or other sources in common among all cases. It is not yet known whether these cases…

State testing found Listeria monocytogenes in bagged turnip greens, prompting New York officials to issue a public warning today. The fresh turnip greens are sold under the Robinson Fresh brand and are packaged by a company of the same name. As of the posting of the public warning no illnesses had been confirmed in relation to the leafy greens. Distribution details are incomplete, but New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets reports the implicated turnip…

New York Department of Agriculture and Markets officials have spent the past week containing possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination from the Breese Hollow Dairy at Hoosick Falls, NY. Consumers of raw milk from the Rensselaer County dairy are urged not to drink the unpasteurized milk because of the contamination. The warning came from New York Ag Commissioner Richard Ball, whose action may have prevented any human illnesses from the contamination. New York inspection personnel discovered the…