Meat link in Slovenian Salmonella outbreak

Health officials in the Republic of Ireland are investigating a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 20 people. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases associated with the epidemic is 26 and people fell ill between Nov. 30 and Dec. 25, 2022. Patients range in age from 10 to 91 years...

Public health officials in Argentina have issued warnings about botulism and E. coli recently. The National Food Safety and Quality Service (Senasa) said safe and responsible consumption of canned food and other packaged products of animal and vegetable origin is key to avoiding foodborne botulism, especially during summer when high temperatures help the growth of bacteria.

As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to FDA warning letters. Warning letters often are not issued until a company has been given months to years to correct problems.

Daniele International LLC, of Mapleville, RI, is recalling 52,914 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) sausage products because of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announcement. FSIS discovered the problem during routine inspection activities where Listeria monocytogenes was found on surfaces...

This letter is in reference to a recent Letter from the Editor in Food Safety News (“An independent food safety board is far better than anything FDA Commissioner does on his own”), dated January 29, 2023. As some may remember, I had the great privilege of serving as Undersecretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2004. During that time, we faced several foodborne illness events and meat recalls due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (ground beef patties) and Listeria monocytogenes (ready-to-eat cold cuts), among others. To address these and other issues, we focused on ensuring that our inspectors were well trained in the science of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points system (HACCP), forming teams of auditors to ensure that plans were not only in effect at meat processing plants, but that they had been developed in a science-based manner. In fact, we made sure that all regulations we would issue would be based strictly on science and evidence, not speculation. As a result of our activities, the rate of contamination of ready-to-eat meat and poultry with L. monocytogenes dropped from 0.64% in 2005 to 0.33% in 2017 (Mamber, S.W., et al, 2020 J. Food Prot. 83(9):1598-1606), and illnesses due to E. coli O157:H7 decreased by 42%, reaching the CDC’s Healthy People 2010 Goals for foodborne illnesses due to this organism ahead of schedule (cdc.gov/mmwr, April 15, 2010).

Food systems must be transformed urgently to improve food safety and health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO said multiple problems are negatively affecting health including zoonotic pathogens that spread between animals and humans. The current system is “failing” with foodborne diseases widespread, and unhealthy diets and malnutrition...