In this article we welcome guest author and industry expert, Alec Kyriakides, to explore some of the food safety developments, recalls and incidents that have happened recently.

 

Food Safety Developments

Safety of foods for vulnerable groups

The publication of findings from an outbreak of listeriosis in Germany in 2023 affecting three individuals with weakened immune systems has prompted a call for a review of advice to vulnerable groups and also an update on dietary and handling guidelines for care settings and private homes where food is prepared, handled and stored for persons with weakened immune systems. Sliced parboiled sausages were implicated in the outbreak with the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes being isolated from patients and samples of unopened products. Levels in products were <100 per g, below the limit specified in the EU regulation on the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (No. 2073/2005), but analysis of actual products consumed was not possible and it is not known what the levels were when consumed. Advice to vulnerable groups on foods to avoid varies throughout the world. In the UK, although cooked sliced meats are listed as those most commonly associated with cases of listeriosis they are not specifically listed as foods for vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women to avoid. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is far clearer in its advice to vulnerable individuals to avoid the consumption of deli meats including cooked sliced meats whereas the authors of the publication note that sliced parboiled sausages or cooked ham, are not listed as food items that should be avoided by those at an increased risk of invasive listeriosis in several EU countries.

 

Hepatitis A and food

Hepatitis A is a virus that causes an inflammation of the liver in humans following the consumption of food or water contaminated with the faeces from an infected person. The incubation periods after infection can be 14 to 28 days and symptoms can include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). In the context of food, it is spread by infected food handlers through poor hygienic practices and, where an infected food handler is identified, this often results in alerts (USA, USA, Canada) to the local community who may be offered post exposure immunisation. Foodborne outbreaks have also implicated a number of foods vulnerable to faecal contamination via water sources such as soft fruit and shellfish, especially oysters. Large outbreaks can also occur through person-to-person spread. 

 

Ethyl carbamate

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has published the findings of its survey of ethyl carbamate in fermented soy products and cooking wine. Ethyl carbamate is found in a variety of alcoholic beverages and fermented foods, produced as a natural by-product of fermentation and, as such, is termed a process contaminant. It is classed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a compound ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’ and levels should therefore be kept to an absolute minimum. The CFIA study found ethyl carbamate in 34% of products with levels ranging from 4 parts per billion (ppb) to 824 ppb with the highest levels found in bean curd. They concluded that the levels found did not pose a concern to human health.

 

Foodborne illness in the USA

A report issued by the Government Accountability Office from data in a forthcoming 2025 study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that six foodborne pathogens Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., Clostridium perfringens, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and norovirus collectively cause approximately 10 million cases of foodborne illnesses in the USA annually. This included an estimate of hospitalisations (53.300) and deaths (900).

 

Foodborne disease outbreaks

Outbreaks of infectious disease caused by foods in February included a large listeriosis outbreak in the USA implicating supplement shakes that, so far, has caused 38 cases, 37 hospitalisations and 12 deaths across 12 states. Most of those affected lived in long-term care facilities or were hospitalised before becoming sick. A salmonellosis outbreak was reported in Spain implicating restaurant made potato omelette and affecting 4 people. A suspected outbreak of foodborne illness was reported in a Tuscany residential care home with more than 100 cases and 3 deaths although the cause and food source have yet to be established. Over 140 people suffered symptoms of foodborne illness at a festival in Iceland with analysis findings enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) in jellied pork and Bacillus cereus in meat from the head of sheep and also the jellied pork. A case of botulism was reported in a woman in Japan after consuming refrigerated food that was stored at room temperature. Canned tomatoes were implicated in four cases of botulism in Uzbekistan with one fatality. A case of infant botulism was reported in a 52 day old baby in China following the consumption of water with added honey. A case of anisakiasis was reported in a man in his 20s after consuming flounder sashimi in Japan. An outbreak of norovirus implicating oysters and affecting 11 people was reported in Alabama, USA and follows a similar oyster associated outbreak in Louisiana affecting 15 people. A small outbreak of mushroom poisoning was reported in Hong Kong with four people suffering symptoms and being hospitalised after consuming shop bought porcini mushrooms. An outbreak of Shigella sonnei infections reported in the UK (20 cases), Austria (7 cases), France (7 cases), Ireland (3 cases) and Netherlands (1 case) associated with international travel on long-haul flights is likely to be associated with a common point-source, as yet to be identified.

Illegal alcohol containing methanol continues to be identified as a cause of outbreaks including one resulting in 33 deaths and 20 in intensive care in Turkey with 102 tonnes of contaminated alcohol being seized.

Food Recall Highlights

The data used for this food recall highlights review is sourced from open access recall databases covering different countries and continents including the USA (Food & Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture), the UK (Food Standards Agency), Germany (Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety) and Australia (Food Standards Australia New Zealand).

Microbiological recalls were nearly double that of January with Listeria monocytogenes being the cause of the majority and botulism risks also caused two separate recalls.

 

Allergen recalls were spread across a number of categories with milk, nuts and multiple allergens representing most of the underlying issues.

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Physical contamination events were significantly down in the month with two in both glass and plastic categories.

 

Chemical recalls followed a similar trend to physical recalls with a lower number and included elevated pesticides and mycotoxin contamination.

 

 

Author

Alec Kyriakides

Independent Food Safety Consultant