Another recall has been posted. This time, Glory Foods Fresh Bagged Kale has been voluntarily recalled. The recall is associated with possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The kale, which is potentially contaminated with Listeria, is sold in 16 ounce packages under the UPC code 73639320606. These bags of kale were sold in the following stores: Stop and Shop, Giant, and Giant Eagle. Kale is a leafy green vegetable which is similar to lettuce. It’s long leaves are curled at the edges and it is usually a dark green color.
Listeria is one of many foodborne illnesses which can be contracted through consumption of tainted food items. Listeria is a bacteria. This bacterium can cause nausea, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, vertigo and seizures or convulsions. Listeria is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can cause miscarriages or stillbirths.
Foods previously associated with listeria monocytogenes outbreaks and illnesses include soft cheeses, deli meats and hot dogs, as well as pate and refrigerated smoked fish.

Politicians can be very reactive. For instance, following the Gulf Oil Spill an Deepwater Horizon Disaster, a moratorium on drilling was implemented. Now, in the midst of a gargantuan Salmonella outbreak and unprecedented egg recall from both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, legislators in New York have heard the call.
Forbes magazine published a very interesting article and additional online news sources were all abuzz over New York legislators call for mandatory Salmonella vaccines within the state. It appears that Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh want to use the vaccines to prevent similar Salmonella outbreaks form occurring within their state boundaries.
The legislator’s reasoning: “vaccinations costing one penny per dozen eggs could nearly eliminate the more than 100,000 salmonella cases each year in the U.S. if all states had such a law.” Who wouldn’t pay an extra penny per dozen eggs to ensure that they were Salmonella free? Is it that simple? Would this vaccine really eliminate our Salmonella worries?
Regardless of whether or not this is the solution to today’s Salmonella concerns and tomorrow’s Salmonella worries, we commend the legislators for taking a proactive approach to solving foodborne illness problems. If one penny per dozen eggs can eliminate the health risks associated with Salmonella including possible hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and Reiter’s syndrome, then this plausible solution needs to be examined further.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is voluntarily recalling a small number of bags of its Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care dry cat food which may have been sold recently in one or two stores in Loveland, Colorado.

These bags have the potential to contain salmonella, although no illnesses have been reported. No other Iams pet food products are affected.

The Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care cat food in question is sold in blue 6.8-pound bags. These bags feature a code date of 02304173 (B1-B6) and the UPC number 1901403921.

If you have this product, please discard it and call P&G toll-free for a product replacement at 800-862-3332 Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

P&G has worked with its retailers to remove the affected product from stores in the area. P&G believes that only three bags may have been purchased recently by consumers in the area. Yet, as a precautionary measure, the company is initiating this retrieval.

People handling dry pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

No one is surpised that when you mix sewage contaminated water and food, someone is bound to get sick. It appears that 24 customers at a pizza restaurant got more than they bargained for after dining out. Because E. coli bacteria managed to travel into a water well used by Fralo’s Art of Pizza in Leon Springs, Texas, some of the patron’s turned up with E. coli food poisoning. KENS5 is reporting that investigators are still trying to determine how sewage entered the water contaminating it with E. coli. Although the restaurant has been cleared to reopen, the investigation is still ongoing.

E. coli bacteria is not only a foodborne illness. E. coli has also been deemed a recreational waterborne illness and E. coli can be associated with contaminated drinking water. E. coli cases and bacteria counts normally rise during the summer. Recently, E. coli contamination has been associated with public beaches, waterparks, and rivers or streams.

E. coli is a microscopic bacteria, and there are thousands of different stains. Some E. coli strains cause only mild symptoms such as stomach upset. Other E. coli strains can be linked to deadly medical complications including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal complication.

When an outbreak, such as this one, occurs and is linked to a large group of people who ate at the same restaurant, the investigation becomes a little bit easier. When only one illness is present, it can be a more difficult, but not impossible task, to trace the bacteria from victim to source. Thanks to CDC reporting requirements, infectious disease outbreaks such as E. coli and Salmonella are becoming somewhat easier to track and identify.

Last week, Cargill Meat Solutions in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration recalled 8,500 pounds of ground beef citing E. coli O26 concerns. So far, E. coli illnesses have been reported in Maine and New York. The FDA has issued a recall distribution list where possibly E. coli contaminated beef maybe located. Eight states were involved in this recall including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.

The retail distribution list involves specifically listed BJ’s Wholesale Clubs in these states. Additional information concerning this E. coli recall and the addresses of the BJ’s stores involved in this recall is provided by the FDA on their website.

E. coli bacteria has previously been linked to ground beef. E. coli infection symptoms include fever, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea. Specific strains of E. coli bacteria can produce more severe infections. Escherichia coli O26 is an especially dangerous form of E. coli bacteria. E. coli O26, like E. coli O157:H7 is a Shiga toxin producing strain of E. coli bacteria.

Shiga toxin producing E. coli can cause severe infections involving bloody diarrhea. In rare, but sometimes fatal situations, Shiga toxin producing E. coli have been linked to an illness known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Hemolytic uremic syndrome most commonly affects very young children and can result in kidney failure, necessitating dialysis.

During the week, we reported that eggs linked to the Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms voluntary egg recall (due to the possible presence of Salmonella enteritidis) had been found in West Virginia. Now recalled eggs linked to the Salmonella situation have been found in Kentucky.

News reports by The Lincoln-Herald Leader indicated that a Wal-Mart in Ashland-Boyd County Kentucky had discovered possibly Salmonella contaminated recalled eggs. As was reported in the West Virginia Salmonella egg recall situation, the Food and Drug Administration had reported that recalled eggs were not shipped to these states.

However, the FDA was evidentally incorrect. This makes me wonder whether or not the FDA really knows exactly where all of these recalled eggs were shipped to. Because Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms both shipped out eggs which were repackaged by other egg firms, have all recalled eggs been accounted for?

Although investigations into foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella outbreaks can take time, consumers need to know what is possibly contaminated and what is not. Salmonella bacteria can cause unpleasant side effects including fever, nausea, and diarrhea. However, in some cases, Salmonella can be linked to more serious side effects including Reiter’s syndrome (also known as reactive arthritis). In rare cases, Salmonella, like Shiga toxin producing E. coli, has also been linked to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a debilitating kidney medical complication.

Last year the Food and Drug Administration implemented new rules and regulations that would require routine testing for salmonella at all large egg farms that were not direct consumer suppliers. Additional preventative measures include a refrigeration requirement for storage and transportation. A deadline was set for July 9, 2010 whereby all large egg producers had to comply with the new routine testing and preventative measures. 

            The latest salmonella outbreak is not absolute proof that the new rules and regulations of the FDA failed. Many argue that before the July 9^th deadline, the salmonella bacterium had already contaminated many eggs, and those eggs were already processed and shipped out before the FDA could implement its new policy. It was not that the new policy failed, but perhaps that it was just a little late.

            Since the recent nation-wide outbreak of salmonella, the FDA has been investigating the situation. The FDA has begun to beef up its enforcement policies and is sending out more inspectors to conduct regular testing with the hopes of preventing another outbreak. The FDA believes its new rules and regulations are effective, and it will continue to strictly enforce these rules and regulations.

At the end of last week, several possible Salmonella illnesses were being investigated in LaCross Wisconsin. The LaCrosse Tribune reported that Vernon County Health Department and Vernon Memorial Healthcare were investigating several cases which maybe Salmonella related.

Given the current voluminous Salmonella outbreak which has been reported nationwide and the half a billion eggs recalled in relation to several egg farms, hospitals and health departments across the country are on the lookout for Salmonella symptoms when someone walks into a doctor’s office or hospital.

Where before, Salmonella food poisoning might not have been considered initially by doctors or other health care providers, now, it has moved to the forefront of possible diagnoses when an individual presents with diarrhea, nausea, and fever. Doctors are especially conscious of this possible diagnosis when it comes to the elderly, very young children, or individuals who maybe on chemo, have HIV, or other conditions in which the immune system may have been compromised.

Salmonella outbreaks are not new. They have previously been linked to milk, poultry, peanut butter, and a host of other food items. Now, eggs appear to be the main culprit.

In order to keep you better informed about the current Salmonella enteritidis outbreak, the FDA has posted the following information concerning this Salmonella scare:

Since May 2010, CDC has identified a nationwide, four-fold increase in the number of SE isolates through PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories. CDC received reports of approximately 200 SE cases every week during late June and early July. Normally, CDC has received an average of some 50 reports of SE illness each week for the past five years. Many states have also reported increases of this pattern since May 2010.  

Epidemiologic investigations conducted by public health officials in California, Colorado, and Minnesota have revealed several restaurants or events where more than one person ill with this type of SE has eaten. Preliminary information from these investigations suggests that shell eggs are the likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or events.

FDA, CDC, and state partners conducted a traceback investigation and found many of these restaurants or events received shell eggs from a single firm, Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa. FDA is currently conducting an extensive investigation at the firm in Iowa. The investigation involves sampling, records review and looking for potential sources of contamination, such as feed. As the investigation continues, updates will be made available.

On August 13, 2010, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, conducted a nationwide voluntary recall of shell eggs that it had shipped since May 19, 2010 to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. These companies distribute nationwide.

The recalled shell eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.

State and local partners are also investigating human Salmonella infections in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

The Food and Drug Administration has taken stock in its inspection policies in the midst of the current Salmonella enteritidis nationwide outbreak. The FDA has decided to begin inspecting all large egg producers throughout the country.

FoxNews is reporting that 600 egg producers will be FDA inspected by December 2011. The farms inspected have been chosen because they house more than 50,000 hens. Other changes that the FDA plans on making include alterations in inspector training.

According the the AP article published on FoxNews:

When on the farms, inspectors will be looking for safety violations that could increase the chance of salmonella entering the egg supply. They will be looking for proper refrigeration of the eggs, adherence to employee sanitation standards and any unsafe bacteria around the farms, among other things.

The rules, which also require producers to do more testing for salmonella and take other precautions, had languished for more than a decade after President Bill Clinton first proposed that egg standards be toughened. The FDA said in July that the new safeguards could reduce the number of salmonella cases by nearly 60 percent.

Only time will tell if these changes will prevent outbreaks in the near future. At least the FDA realizes that there is a problem.

Several Salmonella cases have been reported in Texas. In total, 165 Salmonella illnesses have been reported to public health agencies between May and August 2010. Christine Mann with the Department of State Health Services told KERA News, “This represents a more than four fold increase in this type of salmonella in Texas if you compare it to a five year average. It may be reasonable to assume that some of these illnesses may be related to the egg recall.”

A total of forty-one counties have reported Salmonella cases. Of these, certain counties have reported Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks. These cases are of the same genetic strain as that found in the half a billion eggs recalled from various egg producers including Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

Specific counties mentioned in the KERA article which have the Salmonella enteritidis strain involved include: “Tarrant County reports 13 salmonella cases of the strain involved in the egg recall: Collin County has 10, Dallas County 6.”