Food Poisoning Blog

A Minnesota company is recalling dried fish it processes because they were not properly eviscerated and pose a risk of Botulism poisoning to consumers.

According to a release from Seng Ong Wholesale Inc., the dried mackerel and dried round scad was found to contain gills during an inspection conducted by Minnesota’s Dept. of Agriculture.

The recall includes these two specific products, with descriptions as provided by the company in its release:

These products are likely to contain Clostridium botulinum spores. These dangerous spores are typically located in the viscera of fish. Companies marketing dried or cured fish products are typically required by law to completely eviscerate fish before packaging and marketing them.

Botulism poisoning poses serious life-threatening health risks that can progress quickly. Early signs of infection include blurred or double-vision, weakness, poor reflexes, and trouble swallowing. These symptoms can progress to cause respiratory paralysis and an untimely death.

A cheese maker in Washington state has agreed to stop selling its products until it can prove it can safely process foods because it has failed to alleviate problems that caused it to produce foods contaminated with Listeria bacteria.

According to a release announcing a consent decree with Del Bueno, of Grandview, Wash., the Food and Drug Administration says the action taken this week against the company is the result of its continually failing to ensure a sanitary environment at its processing facility. …

Diamond Pet Foods has issued a recall on bags of dry dog food it has distributed to 12 states because they may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

According to a press release from the company, no illnesses to people or pets have been associated with the product included in the recall. The recall includes the Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice bags of dry dog food.

The company has provided the following details on the products included in the recall:

• 6-pound: Production Code DLR0101D3XALW, Best Before 04 Jan 2013.
• 20-pound: Production Code DLR0101C31XAG, Best Before 03 Jan 2013.
• 40-pound: Production Code DLR0101C31XMF, Best Before 03 Jan 2013; Production Code DLR0101C31XAG, Best Before 03 Jan 2013; and Production Code DLR0101D32XMS, Best Before 04 Jan 2013.

The dog food affected by the recall was distributed in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Contaminated dog food or any pet food poses illness risks to both animals and people. Most prone to infection are children who are more likely to touch pet foods placed on floors in bowls. Early signs of Salmonella poisoning include upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Pets are also prone to infection but no reports of sick dogs have been associated with animals who ate the food in the recall. Pets usually exhibit the same symptoms of Salmonella poisoning.

The Food and Drug Administration has sent inspectors to several unnamed plants in China that export chicken jerky pet treats to the U.S. that have been implicated in the sudden illnesses of hundreds of dogs, including possible pet deaths.

According to an MSNBC.com report, a spokesperson from the office of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich said the results of this investigation could be available soon but until then, the FDA is remaining silent on the matter entirely. It has not indicated how many inspectors the agency has assigned to the task and what plants are being investigated. …

Reusable grocery bags may be good for the environment in many ways but they’re posing a serious risk of food poisoning for shoppers who use them.

While millions of Americans have switched to using reusable grocery bags instead of cluttering their homes with non-biodegradable plastic bags, most are not washing those bags.

According to a study from the Home Food Safety program reported at ScienceDaily.com, only 15 percent of Americans surveyed indicate they routinely wash the inside and outside of their reusable grocery bags. For the 85 percent who don’t, they’re likely cross-contaminating foods toted in those bags with the bacteria from a previous grocery order.

Home Food Safety is collaborative program of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) and ConAgra Foods.

Reusable grocery bags are likely to acquire any of the bacteria found on raw foods transported in them. So, if a shopper puts a package of chicken in their reusable grocery bag, they’ll liable to contaminate any foods put in that same bag, both for that tote and any future trips to the grocery store.

The only sure way to eliminate the possibility of cross-contamination is to routinely wash the inside and outside of a reusable grocery bag. Also, the further eliminate the possibility of cross-contaminating foods in a grocery bag, raw foods should be wrapped and bagged separately from ready-to-eat foods, foods in containers or bags, and fresh produce.

A spokesperson for the Academy told ScienceDaily.com, “When grocery shopping, wrap meat, poultry and fish in plastic bags before placing in the tote, and use two different easy to identify totes; one for raw meats and one for ready-to-eat foods.”

Hartz Mountain Corp. has issued a recall on some of its Tropical Flake Fish Food because it may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

Testing conducted on the fish food included in the recall tested positive for a strain of Salmonella bacteria. Hartz has not received any reports of sick animals or people who believe they may be have been infected by the fish flake food included in this statement.

The recall specifically includes four Lots of Wardley® Advanced Nutritionâ„¢ Perfect Proteinâ„¢ Tropical Flake Fish Food 1 oz. size. The Lot codes PP34911, PP34912, PP35011, and PP35012 are included in the recall. They were shipped nationally from Dec. 20, 2011, until March 15, 2012. There are 7,056 containers included in the recall. …