Listeria Blog - Surveillance & analysis on Listeria news & outbreaks

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a warning to the public not to consume  refrigerated cold smoked sockeye salmon trim products sold at three different stores in Vancouver, B.C.  The warning was issued becyse the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The following products, sold refrigerated at various weights from February 16 to February 24 inclusively, are affected by this alert:

The affected products may have also been sold unlabelled over the counter at the stores listed above. Consumers who are unsure whether they have the affected products are advised to check with their retailer.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the refrigerated cold smoked sockeye salmon trim products described below because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The following products, sold refrigerated at various weights from February 16 to February 24 inclusively, are affected by this alert:

The affected products may have also been sold unlabelled over the counter at the stores listed above. Consumers who are unsure whether they have the affected products are advised to check with their retailer.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.

The retailers are voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recalls.

The fatality count in the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in U.S. history has been raised by the CDC.  The Denver Post reports:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday it has updated the death toll from Colorado's cantaloupe listeria to 32, but the two added most recently occurred "well before" Dec. 8.

Since that date, there have been at least four deaths of patients linked to the same listeria strain, but whose actual cause of death may take months to determine. One of those cases was Mike Hauser, a retired Monument podiatrist with multiple complications who died Tuesday.

The CDC issued a "Final Update" on December 8, 2011.   Food safety attorney Bill Marler identified three others who were among those who had passed since the last update, two of whom are represented by Marler Clark.  The two Marler Clark clients are Paul Schwarz, 92, of Kansas City, Mo.; Sharon Jones, 62, of Castle Rock, Colo. 

The Listeria contamination traced to a Colorado cantaloupe farm was the worst foodborne illness outbreak in nearly a century, and yet the Food and Drug Administration is still struggling to get a handle on how to prevent another outbreak while Congress keeps cutting the agency’s funding.

The Listeria outbreak shows that government oversight of food safety has a long way to go.

The Colorado Listeria outbreak that killed 30 people and sickened dozens sounded a red alert on the nation’s food safety system.

“It’s changed everyone’s lives in my family ,” said Jennifer Exley, whose father was made critically ill from eating tainted cantaloupe.

84-year-old Herb Stevens of Littleton is now permanently disabled and requires numerous medications.

“We are very bitter about somebody just simply eating a cantaloupe,” said Exley, “And then getting so sick that they’re hospitalized or in a nursing home for almost two months.”

The FDA was supposed to have more authority to enforce tougher food safety standards beginning in January, but the agency still struggles against congressional budget cuts.

“They were supposed to get $1.5 billion … instead they got $39 million,” said Danny Katz, executive director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group.

Consumer groups and the FDA itself say they simply don’t have enough manpower to inspect some 300,000 processing plants and farms to improve safety.

“It’s unconscionable that we are not prioritizing the preventative pieces,” said Katz.

The FDA is requesting an additional $220 million in next year’s budget–to be paid for by food processors and handlers–and to write new guidelines for each food category.

“It took deaths to bring about that change,” said Dr. Sheryl Zajdowicz, a Metropolitan State College microbiology professor and food pathogen expert, “And unfortunately that’s the sad truth and so while this is certainly a devastation it will result in changes.”

But the changes can’t be enforced unless they can get more FDA inspectors into places like Jensen Farms.

“Which is to prioritize prevention and not reacting to these foodborne illnesses; unfortunately they just don’t have the funding,” said Katz.

“You expect the food sources to be safe and they aren’t safe,” said Jennifer Exley.

Exley’s mother and father are suing Jensen Farms and the private company that gave Jensen Farms a passing inspection report.

Many say those private inspectors and their cozy relationships with food processors are a major part of the food safety problem.

A recent report to Congress blasted those relationships and concluded more must be done to address the issue.

Earlier this week, the Grand Strand Sandwich Co. recalled approximately 2,800 chicken salad sandwiches due to "concerns about possible listeria contamination" according to the Washington Post.

The company is based in Longs, South Carolina.  The sandwiches were distributed in the company's home state as well as North Carolina and Virginia. The involved products were: Grand Strand Sandwich, Lunch Box Sandwiches and Country Harvest Sandwiches, and came in 4.5 ounce and 5 ounce packaging.

The Washington Post states:

According to the company, the sandwiches may contain eggs that were part of a previous recall from Michael Foods in Minnesota. The company that made the chicken salad for Grand Strand bought some of the hard cooked eggs from Michael Foods and isn’t sure whether they were used in the Grand Strand Sandwiches.  “Just to be safe,” Grand Strand said it was recalling some of its sandwiches.

There are no reports of illnesses in connection with the recall at this time.

The FDA has now announced a recall of hard-cooked eggs and products containing those eggs by Wegmans Food Markets.  The recall is connected with a positive listeria test at Michael Foods reported on by listeria blog several days ago.

According to the FDA:

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is recalling hard-cooked eggs, as well as prepared foods that contain hard-cooked eggs, sold between January 23 and February 1, 2012 because the eggs have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

This recall affects purchases made in Wegmans’ stores located in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Canandaigua, Newark, Geneva, Corning, Elmira, Geneseo, and Hornell, NY.

FDA explains the basis for the recall:

According to Michael Foods, the recall was initiated after lab testing revealed that some of the eggs within the recalled lot dates may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. A recall of three lot dates was announced on Thursday, January 26, but Wegmans had not received any of the three initial lot codes. As a precautionary measure, the recall was expanded on February 1 to include additional lot dates, one of which was received by Wegmans. Michael Foods reached the decision to expand this recall after a thorough investigation which indicated a specific repair project that took place in the packaging room as the likely source of the contamination.

The following affected products sold in Wegmans prepared foods and deli departments are included in the recall:

• Hard-Cooked Eggs (sold by the pound in prepared foods or as a choice on the Fresh Foods Bar)
• Eggs (special-order deli tray or 6-pack, 12 pack)
• Cobb Salad (10 oz, 43 oz, and 6.5 lb)
• Garden Salad (10 oz, 20 oz, 2 lb, and 5 lb)
• Baby Spinach Salad (9 oz, 1.8 lb, and 3.9 lb)
• Chef Salad (9 oz. and 18 oz.)
• Egg Salad (sold by the pound in prepared foods)
• Egg Salad Sub (Sub Shop)
• Kosher Macaroni Salad (sold by the pound in kosher deli)
• Kosher Pickled Eggs (sold by the pound in kosher deli)

There have not yet been any illnesses reported in connection with the products.