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News Headlines: 29 May - 04 June 2010

EFSA looks at MRSA in pigs; Parents reminded of the dangers of feeding honey to babies; New UK food alert system introduced; Toronto police warn consumers over food tampering; French Salmonella outbreak linked to dried sausage; Outbreak focuses attention on non-O157 E. coli

EFSA looks at MRSA in pigs

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an evaluation of the factors that may contribute to the spread of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pig holdings in the EU.

The evaluation follows on from an EU-wide survey of the prevalence of the pathogen in pigs published last year. It found that larger pig holdings, both breeding and production, were more likely to be contaminated with MRSA than smaller units. Animal movement was also found to be important, with the international trade in breeding pigs and movement of pigs between breeding and production holdings being identified as important factors in the spread of contamination.

Although most MRSA infections are acquired by direct person-to-person contact and there is no evidence for foodborne transmission as yet, people handling animals may be at risk. EFSA has recommended that more information on this issue be gathered at national level, both on contributory factors and control measures.

The report can be found through the link below.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1597.htm

Parents reminded of the dangers of feeding honey to babies

Both the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) and the UK Food Standards Agency have recently issued warnings advising parents not to feed honey to children under one-year-old because of the risk of infant botulism.

In the UK, three cases of this very rare disease have been reported this year, all of which may have been linked to honey. The most recent case involved a 15-week-old baby with a known history of honey consumption. A case reported in Scotland last September was also linked to honey, and spores of the same type of Clostridium botulinum were isolated from the honey consumed and from the infants' faeces.

Infant botulism is caused when Clostridium botulinum spores are ingested and germinate in the gut, producing toxin and causing symptoms sometimes referred to as 'floppy baby syndrome', a serious but not usually fatal condition. This does not happen in older children and adults because the spores are unable to germinate in the presence of competing microflora.

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2010/jun/feedinghoneytobabies

New UK food alert system introduced

The UK Food Standards Agency has announced changes to its system for informing consumers about the withdrawal (removal from retail sale) and recall (customers requested to return product) of food products.

The existing Food Alert for Information notice will be replaced by a 'Product Withdrawal Information Notice' or a Product Recall Information Notice'. The existing Food Alert for Action will continue as a means of informing local authorities about specific actions to be taken to protect consumers. Allergy Alerts will also continue unchanged.

The new system has been introduced in response to a consultation, which revealed concerns about the effectiveness of the old system.

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/jun/withdrawalsrecalls

Toronto police warn consumers over food tampering

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced that the Toronto Police Service is investigating at least five cases of food tampering involving needles placed in Polish sausage products.

A public safety alert was issued by the police after three consumers reported finding needles embedded in Piller's Polish Sausage purchased at two different stores in the city during May. Two further cases have since been reported involving needles in Piller's Kielbasa purchased at a further two stores.

Consumers are being advised to check the packaging of all food products thoroughly to look for signs of tampering and to inform the police if they suspect tampering.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20100602e.shtml

French Salmonella outbreak linked to dried sausage

The French health watchdog (L'institut de Veille Sanitaire) has reported a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella 4,12 :I :- infection affecting at least 88 people in 49 départments.

An epidemiological investigation revealed that many of the people affected by the outbreak had consumed the same brand of dried sausage before developing symptoms. The investigation traced the implicated sausage to a single batch distributed nationally in March. The product, Lou Mountagnard brand dried sausage produced by Salaisons du Lignon, was recalled on 27 May.

http://www.invs.sante.fr/display/?doc=surveillance/salmonelloses_non_typhiques/point_280510.htm

http://www.france24.com/fr/20100528-salmonelles-rappel-saucisses-seches-marque-lou-mountagnard

Outbreak focuses attention on non-O157 E. coli

The recent outbreak of E. coli O145 infection linked to shredded romaine lettuce, which affected at least 26 people in five US states, has prompted a discussion questioning the regulatory focus solely on E. coli O157:H7.

According to a recent New York Times article, the outbreak has caused a reassessment of the situation, with legislators planning to introduce a bill that would make it illegal for many pathogenic strains of E. coli to be present in ground beef. This measure would also require the meat industry to conduct tests for at least six different pathogenic strains. The article states that the USDA has been discussing such a measure for some time, but has faced opposition from industry. American meat producers consider that outbreaks of pathogenic E. coli strains other than O15:H7 have not been associated with beef and that measures to control E. coli O157:H7 will also be effective against other strains.

Although the meat industry tests regularly for E. coli O157:H7, it does not test for other strains. This is partly because rapid tests are not yet available for the six other verocytotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) strains of concern. Furthermore, little is known about their prevalence in beef, although recent independent testing suggested that 0.7% of retail ground beef samples were contaminated.

Read the NY Times article at the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/business/27bugs.html

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