Tag Archives: Food and Drug Administration

Preliminary FDA Inspection Report Cites Flaws at Diamond Pet Foods Plant

May 16, 2012 By in News Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

By Mary Rothschild | May 16, 2012

Diamond Pet Foods, the company behind a massive recall of dry dog food due to Salmonella contamination that has sickened at least 16 people, was not taking “all reasonable precautions” to ensure the safety of its product, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection report.

The Form 483 report, posted by the FDA late Tuesday afternoon, was the result of a week-long inspection that began April 12 after an outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infection was traced to contaminated pet food manufactured at the Diamond Pet Foods plant in Gaston, S.C.

The report states that Diamond was using cardboard and duct tape on some of its equipment and that there were damaged paddles on the conveyor. The inspectors also noted that some surfaces at the facility were encrusted with food residues.

FDA inspectors specifically listed these four observations:

OBSERVATION 1

All reasonable precautions are not taken to ensure that production procedures do not contribute contamination from any source.

Specifically, no microbiological analysis is conducted or there is no assurance that incoming animal fat will not introduce pathogens into their production and cause contamination of finished product. Also, the firm’s current sampling procedure for animal digest does (sic) preclude potential for adulteration after sampling and during storage in warehouse. On 4/13/12, an employee was observed touching in-line fat filter and oil with bare hands.

OBSERVATION 2

Failure to provide hand washing and hand sanitizing facilities at each location in the plant where needed.

Specifically, there are no facilities for hand washing or hand sanitizing in the production areas where there is direct contact with exposed finished feed/food.

OBSERVATION 3

Failure to maintain equipment, containers and utensils used to convey, hold, and store food in a manner that protects against contamination.

Specifically, paddles in conveyor (South or Middle conveyor leading to the screeners going to packaging) were observed to have gouges and cuts, which exhibited feed residues. The damage to the paddles may allow for harborage areas for microorganisms and are difficult to clean and sanitize.

OBSERVATION 4

Failure to maintain equipment so as to facilitate cleaning of the equipment.

Specifically, firm utilizes cardboard, duct tape, and other non cleanable surfaces on equipment. These materials were observed to have residues adhering. The foam gaskets around access doors to the bucket elevators were observed in deteriorating condition and exhibited an accumulation of feed residues and dust.

Diamond Pet Foods has said, on its website, that it is audited “regularly by a highly respected independent laboratory for food safety, quality and palatability” and that its products go through 141 ingredient tests and 10 final product quality and safety checks prior to shipment.

Phyllis Entis, who has assiduously monitored the outbreak and the various recalls related to it on her eFoodAlert blog, asked Tuesday, “Can anyone tell me how this company, with its self-proclaimed attention to product quality and safety, managed to miss the ongoing presence of Salmonella Infantis in its finished products for at least four months?”

Entis notes that the oldest batch of food in which a government lab found Salmonella was produced on Jan. 3 and 4, 2012, yet Dec. 9, 2011 was chosen as the earliest production date for recall. “This suggests that the contamination was present somewhere in the production environment for five months without being detected by the company’s quality assurance program,” Entis wrote.

As of May 11, at least 15 people in nine states and one person in Canada had been confirmed infected with Salmonella from contact with the contaminated dry dog food or from contact with a pet that had eaten the tainted product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The FDA has not yet revealed how many complaints it has received about pet injuries possibly related to the contaminated food.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled nine brands of dry pet foods manufactured at its Gaston plant between Dec. 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012. Several other companies whose food was also produced in the facility have joined the recall. See eFoodAlert for the most up-to-date information on the recall and product distribution.

The CDC offers the following advice:

- Salmonella germs are transmitted from animals to humans and humans to humans by the fecal oral route. Salmonella germs can be shed in the stool of pets for 4 to 6 weeks after infection. (And infected pets may not have any outward symptoms of illness.)

If your pet is diagnosed with Salmonella infection, please talk to your veterinarian about taking precautions to minimize spread of this germ. A mild bleach solution can be used to clean areas that may be contaminated with Salmonella germs.

- Follow these simple guidelines to prevent getting a Salmonella infection from your pet:

After contact with animal feces (stool), wash your hands well with soap and running water. Wash your hands as directed in the handwashing instructions.

Be sure to wash your hands with soap and running water after handling or feeding your pet. Wash your hands as directed in the handwashing instructions.

Clean up after your pet. If you have a dog, use a plastic bag to pick up the stool, and clean up the stool while on walks or from the yard and dispose of the stool in a tightly sealed plastic bag. If you have a cat, scoop the litter box daily and dispose of the stool in a tightly sealed plastic bag.

Do not share food with your pets.

- If anyone in your household becomes ill with diarrhea and has bloody stools, fever, or diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, he or she should seek medical care. If you believe you or someone you know became ill from contact with a contaminated food, including dry pet food, please contact your county or city health department. Please refer to your state health department website to find more information about how to contact your local health department. Reporting illnesses to your local health department helps them identify potential foodborne disease outbreaks. By investigating foodborne disease outbreaks, public health officials learn about possible problems in food production, distribution and preparation that may cause illness.

- If your pet develops diarrhea or appears sick, contact your veterinarian. Do not feed your pet any more of the recalled products. Dispose of the products immediately.

- You can report illnesses associated with pet food in two ways: (1) call the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in your state, or (2) report electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal. Reports should include product details such as brand name, production code (Example: BDR0105E2XJW), expiration date (Example: Best by 3-APRIL-2013), manufacturer or distributor, and location of purchase. Reports also should include medical information.

- More information regarding How to Report a Pet Food Complaint can be found on the FDA website.

The FDA says the recalled pet food does not need to be tested. “The recalled product should be viewed as contaminated and disposed of properly. FDA already knows that the product is potentially contaminated and a recall is in place,” said Laura Alvey, deputy director, communications staff, the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, in an email.

Source: Food Safety News

100 People Now Ill in Sushi-Suspected Salmonella Outbreak

April 7, 2012 By in FDA, FDA Recall, FDA Warnings, Food Safety, News Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

by Mary Rothschild | Apr 06, 2012

One hundred cases of Salmonella Bareilly poisoning have been reported from 19 states and the District of Columbia while investigators still have “not conclusively identified a food source,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

The CDC’s earlier report, as well as an internal email circulated at the Food and Drug Administration, implicated sushi, sashimi or a raw dish such as ceviche as possible sources of the outbreak. The FDA email said spicy tuna roll sushi is highly suspect.

The seven additional cases were reported by Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

Altogether, New York has reported 23 outbreak cases; Maryland 10; Illinois and Wisconsin 9 each; New Jersey 7; Connecticut and Virginia 5 each; Georgia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island 4 each; Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas 3 each; Alabama, Washington D.C., Louisiana and North Carolina 2 each; Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri 1 each.

Case patients reported illness onset dates from January 28 to March 25. They range in age from 4 to 78 years old; median age is 31. Ten people have had symptoms so severe they required hospitalization.

The CDC is working with the FDA on the investigation and promises to “provide updates as soon as they are available.” If a specific food source is identified as the cause of the outbreak, the CDC said it will alert the public and “take further steps to prevent additional illnesses.”

CDC Outbreak Map

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CDC: No Source Confirmed in Salmonella Outbreak That Has Sickened 93 in 20 States – 9 in Illinois

April 5, 2012 By in FDA Recall, FDA Warnings, Food Safety, News, Public Safety Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Sushi or sashimi suspected

by Mary Rothschild | Apr 04, 2012
Ninety-three illnesses linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 19 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday, but CDC officials said a specific food has not been identified as the source of the infections.

spicy-tuna-sushi-iphone.jpg

However, many of those infected recalled eating sushi, sashimi or a raw dish such as ceviche, in the days before they became ill, according to the public health agency.
In an investigation report released Wednesday afternoon, the CDC revealed the states reporting illnesses: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (4), District of Columbia (2), Georgia (4), Illinois (9), Louisiana (2), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (4), Mississippi (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (6), New York (23), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (4), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5) and Wisconsin (8).
The CDC’s message follows an internal U.S. Food and Drug Administration email on the outbreak investigation that was inadvertently circulated beyond the agency. That emailed summary did not list all the affected states.
And although the FDA email said investigators were looking at sushi as a possible source of the illnesses, and singled out spicy tuna roll sushi as “highly suspect,” the CDC said no food item has been conclusively identified.
“On initial interviews, many of the ill persons reported consuming sushi, sashimi or similar foods in a variety of locations in the week before becoming ill,” the CDC stated Wednesday. State health officials are continuing to interview outbreak patients about what they ate, the CDC said.
According to the outbreak report, of 51 outbreak-related patients who provided food histories to public health investigators, 37 (69 percent) recalled eating sushi or sashimi during the week before their symptoms began. That compares with a control survey of healthy individuals in which only 5 percent said they’d eaten sushi, sashimi or ceviche in the 7 days before they were interviewed.
At this time, however, the CDC said it is not advising people to avoid any specific foods or specific restaurants, and will alert the public if additional information becomes available.
According to the CDC, the outbreak-related illnesses were reported from January 28 to March 23, 2012. Those ill range in age from 4 to 78 years old; median age is 31.
Illnesses that occurred after March 4 may not yet be included in the outbreak count because of the lag time — an average of 2 to 3 weeks — between when a person becomes ill and and when the illness is reported to health authorities.
In the effort to figure out where this outbreak started, data collected by the states and the agency’s district offices have focused on 6 restaurant clusters where diners later reported illness. Those clusters are in Texas, Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and two are in Wisconsin, according to the FDA email, which did not identify specific restaurants.
The traceback efforts to find the source of the contamination, according to the FDA email, include looking at menu items ill diners consumed, ingredients, brands, preparation and suppliers in the cases associated with the restaurant clusters. If the outbreak source is sushi, investigators will be trying to determine what part of the sushi was contaminated.
People who think they have become ill from a contaminated food product should consult their health care provider, the CDC noted. The way to confirm a Salmonella infection is through stool specimen analysis.
Most people infected with Salmonella bacteria develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps at least 12 hours and up to three days after consuming contaminated food, so often the last food they ate is not the food that made them sick.
S. Bareilly is a relatively rare type of Salmonella in the U.S., with some estimates indicating it is responsible for only 1 percent of Salmonella infections.
S. Bareilly has been associated with raw sprout contamination in previous outbreaks. In the UK in 2010, there were 241 cases of Salmonella Bareilly infection in an outbreak linked to bean sprouts germinated from contaminated seeds.

040412-map-600.jpg

CDC Outbreak Map
This article was updated to include new information from the CDC.


© Food Safety News

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FDA Denies Petition to Ban BPA in Food and Beverage Containers

March 31, 2012 By in News Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

Agency will continue to study and review chemical’s effects

by Helena Bottemiller | Mar 31, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday denied a petition seeking to ban bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, from food and beverage packaging, but the agency said it continues to support research examining the safety of the chemical.

BPA has been used for decades in a broad range of food and beverage containers, including sippy cups, cans and baby bottles. Though standardized toxicology tests have indicated that the chemical is safe, a growing body of research looking at subtle effects at low levels of exposure to the endocrine disruptor has led the Natonal Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA to conclude that they have “some concern” about the potential effects “on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and young children.”

FDA said that while it was denying a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to ban BPA, on the basis that it did not provide sufficient scientific evidence, the agency is continuing to study the issue with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

“I cannot stress enough that this is not a final safety determination on BPA,” said FDA spokesman Douglas Karas. “This is a decision on the NRDC petition. The FDA denied the NRDC petition because it did not have the scientific data needed for the FDA to change current regulations, which allows the use of BPA in food packaging.”

NRDC scientist Sara Janssen expressed disappointment in the agency’s decision: “BPA is a toxic chemical that has no place in our food supply. We believe FDA made the wrong call,” she said. “The agency has failed to protect our health and safety ­- in the face of scientific studies that continue to raise disturbing questions about the long-term effects of BPA exposures, especially in fetuses, babies and young children.”

FDA and NIEHS are in the middle of a $30 million research initiative attempting to shed light on BPA safety. The agency said it was working on finishing another updated safety review based on the new studies. So far, FDA’s research has found that human infants’ exposure to BPA is between 84 and 92 percent less than previously estimated and that the level of BPA from food that could be passed on by pregnant rodents to their unborn offspring is “so low it could not be measured.”

“Researchers fed pregnant rodents 100 to 1,000 times more BPA than people are exposed to through food, and could not detect the active form of BPA in the fetus eight hours after the mother’s exposure,” said FDA in a brief overview of the latest research. “People of all ages process and rid their bodies of BPA faster than the rodents used as test animals do.”

The FDA had until Saturday to respond to a petition filed by NRDC, according to a court order issued in December 2011. The group petitioned FDA three years ago, requesting that BPA be prohibited in food packaging. The NRDC cited human health concerns, and eventually filed suit to force the agency to respond.

Jeff Stier, director of the Risk Analysis Division at the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, said he believes FDA did the right thing by denying the petition.

“The risk-averse FDA would not have left a product on the market if it were dangerous, as NRDC has been claiming,” said Stier in a statement. “At this point, this issue should be laid to rest. The federal government has spent tens of millions of dollars investing in research on BPA, already one of the most well-studied chemicals on earth, and the FDA has squandered its limited resources on multiple safety assessments, including the one litigated by NRDC.”

The packaging industry response was divided along unsurprising lines.

The North American Metal Packaging Alliance (NAMPA), which represents canned food makers, welcomed the news, while the glass industry expressed disappointment.

NAMPA said that FDA’s decision reiterated that BPA, “at current levels of exposure, is safe for use in food contact applications for people of all ages, including infants and children.”

Lynn Bragg, president of the Glass Packing Institute, pointed out that glass is the only widely used packaging designated “generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, and can help consumers reduce their toxic health concerns.”

In its letter to NRDC, FDA said it appreciated the group’s concern about BPA and added that it takes that concern seriously.

“FDA has determined, as a matter of science and regulatory policy, that the best course of action at this time is to continue our review and study of emerging data on BPA,” read the letter. “FDA is performing, monitoring, and reviewing new studies and data as they become available, and depending on the results, any of these studies or data could influence FDA’s assessment and future regulatory decisions about BPA.”

Many companies, including the Campbell Soup Company, have already discontinued or begun phasing out the use of BPA in their packaging and products.

© Food Safety News

Update! Jimmy John’s Permanently Dropping Sprouts From Menus (Outbreak Linked to Raw Sprouts Sickens 12)

February 16, 2012 By in Consumer Safety, FDA, Food Safety, News Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Jimmy John’s Permanently Dropping Sprouts From Menus

Blames The Negative Press

by Dan Flynn | Feb 20, 2012
Or, is the 5th “Sproutbreak” in four years the reason?Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich franchise owners and customers are being told the chain is permanently dropping sprouts from the menu.

Jimmy John’s restaurants are currently associated with a five-state outbreak of the rare O26 strain of E. coli.   It is the fifth outbreak involving sprouts traced back to Jimmy John’s franchises since 2008.
While there has been no public comment by Jimmy John’s since the outbreak was announced Feb. 15,  a Kirkville, MO franchise owner says “Jimmy himself” has ordered all sprouts permanently removed from the menu.
“Jimmy decided he was tired of the negative press from it and he thinks sprouts aren’t necessary for Jimmy John’s to rock,” franchise owner Will Aubuchon told the Daily Express in Kirksville, MO.
And Linda DeGraaf, a Jimmy John’s customer from Omaha who was sickened in the 2009 outbreak, was told by a corporate email that sprouts have been dropped.  ”We no longer serve sprouts because supplies are too inconsistent,” wrote a Jimmy John’s spokeswoman.  http://www.marlerblog.com/legal-cases/the-free-market-actually-works-if-consumers-are-informed—jimmy-johns-to-stop-serving-sprouts/
After a 2010 outbreak,  founder Jimmy John Liautaud switched the sandwich chain to clover sprouts after Salmonella illnesses were associated with alfalfa sprouts.    He thought clover sprout seeds were smoother and would be easier to clean.
Jimmy John’s is not alone among sandwich chains who have decided sprouts are too risky.   The 230-unit Jason’s Deli dropped sprouts for at least the balance of 2012 as a food safety concern.   And the current O26 outbreak prompted the seven state Erbert and Gerbert’s Sandwich Shops to drop sprouts.
Jimmy John’s recent history includes five major outbreaks involving spouts.  Only the latest involves E coli O26.   Briefly here’s the history of each of those incidents, including the latest ongoing event:
2011 – E. coli O26
On Feb. 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an ongoing investigation into illnesses linked to consumption of raw clover sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurants.
Twelve are sickened in five states.  Among the 11 ill persons with information available, 10 (91%) reported eating at a Jimmy John’s sandwich restaurant in the 7 days preceding illness. Ill persons reported eating at 9 different locations of Jimmy John’s restaurants in 4 states in the week before becoming ill.
One Jimmy John’s restaurant location was identified where more than one ill person reported eating in the week before becoming ill. Among the 10 ill persons who reported eating at a Jimmy John’s restaurant location, 8 (80%) reported eating a sandwich containing sprouts, and 9 (90%) reported eating a sandwich containing lettuce.
Currently, no other common grocery stores or restaurants are associated with illnesses. Preliminary traceback information has identified a common lot of clover seeds used to grow clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurant locations where ill persons ate.
FDA and states conducted a traceback that identified two separate sprouting facilities; both used the same lot of seed to grow clover sprouts served at these Jimmy John’s restaurant locations. On February 10, 2012, the seed supplier initiated notification of sprouting facilities that received this lot of clover seed to stop using it. Investigations are ongoing to identify other locations that may have sold clover sprouts grown from this seed lot.  http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O26-02-12/index.html

2010 (Dec) – Salmonella Newport
Sprouters Northwest of Kent, WA, issued a product recall after the company’s clover sprouts had been implicated in an outbreak in Oregon and Washington. At least some of the cases had consumed clover sprouts while at a Jimmy John’s restaurants.  Seven were sickened.

2010 (Dec) – Salmonella I4,[5],12:i:-
A second outbreak involving Jimmy John’s was reported Dec. 17, 2010 by the Illinois Department of Health.   Many of the Illinois cases reported eating alfalfa sprouts at various Jimmy John’s franchises in an outbreak that sickened 140.
Four days later, on Dec. 21, Jimmy John Liautaud asked all of his franchises to remove sprouts from the menu as a “precautionary” measure.
On Dec. 23, the Centers for Disease Control revealed that outbreak cases had been detected in other states and that the outbreak was linked with eating alfalfa sprouts while at a “nationwide sandwich chain.”
 On Dec. 26, preliminary results of the investigation indicated a link to eating Tiny Greens’ Alfalfa Sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurant outlets. The FDA subsequently advised consumers and restaurants to avoid Tiny Greens Brand Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts produced by Tiny Greens Organic Farm of Urbana, Illinois. Spicy sprouts contained alfalfa, radish and clover sprouts.
On January 14, 2011, it was revealed that the FDA had isolated Salmonella serotype I4, [5], 12:i: – from a water runoff sample collected from Tiny Greens Organic Farm; the Salmonella isolated was indistinguishable from the outbreak strain. The several FDA inspections of the sprout growing facility revealed factors that likely led to contamination of the sprouts.  http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/i4512i-/122810/index.html
2009 – Salmonella Saintpaul
Jimmy John’s, which the CDC at the time identified at “Restaurant Chain A” was caught up in one of the largest recent sprout-related outbreaks.
A total of 256 were sickened in an outbreak first reported in February by the, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.  Officials there identified six isolates of Salmonella Saintpaul. Although this is a common strain of Salmonella, in the previous year only three cases had been detected in Nebraska and only four subtypes of this outbreak strain had been identified in the entire USA.
Alfalfa sprout consumption was found in a case study to be significantly related to illness. The initial tracebacks of the sprouts indicated that although various companies had distributed the sprouts, the sprouts from the first cases originated from the same sprouting facility in Omaha.
Forty-two of the illnesses beginning on March 15 were attributed to sprout growing facilities in other states; these facilities had obtained seed from the same seed producer, Caudill Seed Company of Kentucky. The implicated seeds had been sold in many states.
On April 26, the FDA and CDC recommended that consumers not eat raw alfalfa sprouts, including sprout blends containing alfalfa sprouts. In May, FDA alerted sprout growers and retailers that a seed supplier, Caudill Seed Company of Kentucky, was withdrawing all alfalfa seeds with a specific three-digit prefix.
2008 – E coli O157:NM
An outbreak of E. coli O157:NM in Colorado’s Boulder and Adams counties, including the University of Colorado, was linked to the consumption of alfalfa sprouts from Jimmy John’s franchises in the area.
The sickened, including several UC students, experienced symptoms of bloody diarrhea and cramping with O157 determined to be the cause.  A total of 28 illnesses were associated with the outbreak.
In addition, the environmental investigation identified  Jimmy John’s food handlers in Boulder, CO who worked while infected with E. coli. The health department investigation found a number of critical food handling violations, including inadequate hand washing. The fourteen isolates from confirmed cases were a genetic match to one another.  http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/17669936/detail.html

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Jimmy John’s ‘most likely’ source

by Mary Rothschild | Feb 15, 2012

Twelve people in fives states have been infected with E. coli O26 in an outbreak linked to raw clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s sandwich restaurants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Iowa has reported five cases, Missouri three, Kansas two, while Arkansas and Wisconsin have each reported one person infected with the outbreak strain, the CDC said in an investigation report Wednesday.

Those sickened range in age from 9 to 49 years old. Median age is 25. All the victims are female. Two of the 12 have been hospitalized.

The CDC says the onset of their illnesses ranged from Dec. 25, 2011 to Jan. 15, 2012.

“Preliminary results of the epidemiologic and trace back investigations indicate eating raw clover sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurants is the likely cause of this outbreak,” the CDC concluded in its report.

Raw sprouts served on sandwiches at Jimmy John’s restaurants have been associated with multiple foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years.

In 2008, at least 19 E. coli O157:H7 cases were linked to alfalfa sprouts sold at Colorado Jimmy John’s restaurants. In 2009, 228 people became ill in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas after eating Salmonella-contaminated sprouts at several restaurants, including Jimmy John’s outlets.

In late 2010, a 16-state Salmonella outbreak that struck 94 people was linked, in part, to alfalfa and spicy sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants, while a separate outbreak of Salmonella a month later, which sickened seven people in Oregon and Washington, was also tied to Jimmy John’s sandwiches.

Following those outbreaks, the company announced it was switching from alfalfa sprouts to clover sprouts nationwide.

In this latest outbreak, there’s strong epidemiologic evidence tying the illnesses to the Jimmy John’s chain.

Among 11 of the ill people who gave information to investigators, 10 — or 91 percent — reported eating at a Jimmy John’s restaurant in the week before they became sick. Among those 10, eight said they ate a sandwich containing sprouts and 9 reported eating a sandwich containing lettuce.

The ill people ate at nine different Jimmy John’s locations in four states, the CDC reported.

A trace back investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues, but the CDC said preliminary evidence points to a common lot of clover seeds used to germinate the sprouts served at the Jimmy John’s outlets where the sick people ate.

“FDA and states conducted a trace back that identified two separate sprouting facilities; both used the same lot of seed to grow clover sprouts served at these Jimmy John’s restaurant locations,” the report stated. “On February 10, 2012, the seed supplier initiated notification of sprouting facilities that received this lot of clover seed to stop using it. Investigations are ongoing to identify other locations that may have sold clover sprouts grown from this seed lot.”

At this time, the CDC said no other restaurants or grocery stores are associated with the outbreak.

PulseNet, the national surveillance system of foodborne illnesses, is being used to identify additional cases that might be part of the outbreak.

But the E. coli serotype in this latest outbreak is rare, and the genetic fingerprint pattern has never been seen before in PulseNet, the CDC said. The 026 serotype is among the so-called “Big Six” E. coli strains soon to be regulated in ground beef.

The CDC notes that because non-O157 E. coli strains are more difficult to identify than E. coli O157:H7, many clinical laboratories do not test stool specimens for them and therefore O26 infections may go undiagnosed and unreported.

When Jimmy John’s began serving raw clover sprouts a year ago, it did so saying it hoped to decrease the chances of contamination. Clover seeds are smoother than alfalfa seeds, and presumably easier to sanitize.

Sprouts, which have been the cause of many foodborne epidemics, are considered a high-risk food because they have the potential to carry large amounts of pathogens. If the seeds used to germinate sprouts become contaminated with feces from domestic or wild animals – perhaps through contaminated water or improperly composted manure fertilizer – the sprouts will also be contaminated. The warm, moist conditions used to grow sprouts permit harmful bacteria to rapidly multiply.

Citing food safety concerns, Wal-Mart stopped carrying sprouts in its stores in October 2010. Last month, the national restaurant chain Jason’s Deli announced it would not serve sprouts for the remainder of 2012 and possibly 2013.

Since 2000, sprouts have been linked to 30 foodborne illness outbreaks in North America, Europe and Australia, including last spring’s outbreak of E. coli O104:H4 centered in Germany, which sickened 4,321 people and killed more than 50. That outbreak has been linked to sprouts grown from contaminated fenugreek seeds.

The continued use of raw sprouts in the face of multiple outbreaks has many baffled, including food safety attorney Bill Marler, publisher of Food Safety News. “As a business man I am left wondering why a company would continue to take this kind of financial and public relations risk,” Marler said in a news release. “As a food safety advocate I am concerned that customer safety is not being taken seriously.”

“When people think of sprouts, they think of a health food. They aren’t thinking about serious illness, hospitalization, or worse,” he said. “However, the track record for sprouts suggests that consumers ought to know the dangers. And, of course the onus for providing this information falls on those who are selling sprouts.”

Marler has suggested that sprout growers include a warning label on their product that alerts consumers to the risks associated with consuming raw sprouts.

CDC Outbreak Map:

Lead in Lipsticks: Which Brands Are The Worst Offenders?

February 14, 2012 By in FDA, FDA Warnings, News, Personal Safety Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Red lipsticks. (Mike Kemp for The Washington Post)

A new study from the Food and Drug Administration may have you thinking twice about your morning make-up routine. As The Post’s Dina ElBoghdady reports, four hundred types of lipstick were found to contain lead.

Here is a list of the 10 brands and shades that contain the most lead, according the FDA’s study. A full analysis of all 400 varieties is available here.

1. Maybelline’s Color Sensation in Pink Petal. (Lead content: 7.19 ppm)

2. L’Oreal Colour Riche in Volcanic. (Lead content: 7.00 ppm)

3. NARS Semi-Matte in Red Lizard. (Lead content: 4.93 ppm)

4. Cover Girl Queen Collection Vibrant Hues Color in Ruby Remix (Lead content: 4.92 ppm)

5. NARS Semi-Matte in Funny Face. (Lead content: 4.89)

6. L’Oreal Colour Rich in Tickled Pink. (Lead content: 4.45)

7. L’Oreal Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor in Heroic. (Lead content: 4.41)

8. Cover Girl Continuous Color in Warm Brick. (Lead content: 4.28)

9. Maybelline Color Sensational in Mauve Me. (Lead content: 4.23)

10. Stargazer lipstick in shade “c.” (Lead content: 4.12)

Is your brand on the list? Will you reconsider what lipstick you wear or how frequently you wear it as a result of the study?

Source: Washington Post- By Sarah Halzack