UK Says Some Herbs Carry Salmonella--Warning Issued To Consumers
The United Kingdom is warning its consumers about salmonella in ready-to-eat herbs. According to the Mail Online:
In a study of packets of fresh herbs Government scientists found the food poisoning bug in dangerous levels in a small proportion of packets.
Fresh basil grown in Israel is thought to have been the cause of 32 cases of an unusual strain of salmonella in England and Wales last year, the researchers said.
The Health Protection Agency and Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services sampled 3,760 packets of herbs between May and October last year and found a small proportion to be contaminated with unsafe levels of salmonella senftenberg.
As a result of the study, consumers in England are being advised to carefully wash all ready to eat herbs. For more, go here.
Pennsylvania Department of Health and reported to PulseNet.†Initial investigations conducted during June--September 2007 by state and local health departments in collaboration with CDC did not identify a source of infection. This report summarizes the results of subsequent investigations of the outbreak, which determined that 401 cases of salmonellosis occurred in 41 states during 2007, with 32% of ill persons hospitalized. A multistate case-control study conducted during October 3--13 indicated that illness was associated with consumption of Banquet® brand frozen, not-ready-to-eat pot pies (odds ratio = 23.6; p<0.001). Further investigation determined that 77% of patients who ate these pies cooked them in microwave ovens and that consumer confusion regarding microwaving instructions might have resulted in a failure to cook the product properly. A voluntary recall was issued by the manufacturer (ConAgra Foods Inc., Omaha, Nebraska) on October 11, 2007, for all nine brands of pot pies produced at the implicated plant (plant A). The outbreak strain was isolated from 13 samples of unopened Banquet pot pies collected from the homes of patients. This outbreak highlights the need to cook not-ready-to-eat frozen foods thoroughly; these products should be clearly labeled as requiring complete cooking, and cooking instructions should be validated to account for variability in microwave wattage and common misconceptions among consumers regarding the nature of not-ready-to-eat foods.
according to the Produce Safety Project, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University. Salmonella sickened more than 1,400 people from April through August, with health officials initially citing tomatoes as a cause but later saying tainted jalapeno peppers were the key cause. Two federal agencies and three state agencies announced the outbreak of illnesses over four days "with significant variations in facts and messages," the report found.
Passage of California's Proposition 2 " will prohibit the confinement of certain farm animals in structures or cages that do not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs. The measure will phase out California’s use of battery cages for layers, veal crates, and sow gestation crates," according to Pork Magazine.
No candy in Halloween packaging is involved. And, while nobody is known to have gotten sick from the recalled candy, health officials say the salmonella contamination remains a serious threat.