Eideard

Cantaloupes rotting in the Jensen Farms fields in Colorado
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

Potentially contaminated processing equipment and problems with packing and storage of whole cantaloupes at a Colorado farm likely led to the deadliest listeria outbreak in the United States in 25 years, which has so far claimed 25 lives in a dozen states…

Pools of water on the floor of the Jensen Farms packing facility in Granada, Colo., equipment that was not easily cleaned and sanitized and failure to cool newly harvested cantaloupes before sending them to cold storage all contributed to the outbreak, the first-ever listeria contamination blamed on whole melons, federal Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday…

Investigators tested fruit samples and equipment from Jensen Farms and confirmed the presence of four outbreak strains of the listeria monocytogenes bacteria confirmed in the illnesses and deaths.

The FDA said Jensen Farms, which is based in Holly, Colo., had recently bought used equipment that was corroded and hard to clean. For example, the equipment used to wash and dry cantaloupe showed signs of dirt and product build-up, even after it had been disassembled, cleaned and sanitzed, the FDA’s report said. The equipment had been previously used to process raw potatoes, officials said, which could have left listeria bacteria behind.

In addition, a truck used to haul culled cantaloupe to a cattle operation was parked near the facility and could have introduced contamination to the facility, investigators said. Low levels of listeria in the field also could have introduced the bacteria into the packing facility. And the design of the plant allowed stagnant water to pool on the floor. The FDA had not inspected the farm before the Sept. 10 session that first detected listeria problems…

The outbreak has claimed lives in a dozen states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. They include six in Colorado, five in New Mexico, two each in Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Texas and one each in Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wyoming…

Four illnesses were related to pregnancy, including a newborn who fell ill. One miscarriage has been reported.

Rest assured our elected officials are on top of the situation. Between Congress, the White House, the bureaucrats within the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture — the company has been mailed a warning letter detailing violations.

WTF?

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered and received a patent for a naturally occurring lantibiotic — a peptide produced by a harmless bacteria — that could be added to food to kill harmful bacteria like salmonella, E. coli and listeria.

The U of M lantibiotic is the first natural preservative found to kill gram-negative bacteria, typically the harmful kind. “It’s aimed at protecting foods from a broad range of bugs that cause disease,” said Dan O’Sullivan, a professor of food science and nutrition in the university’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. “Of the natural preservatives, it has a broader umbrella of bugs that it can protect against.”

The lantibiotic could be used to prevent harmful bacteria in meats, processed cheeses, egg and dairy products, canned foods, seafood, salad dressing, fermented beverages and many other foods. In addition to food safety benefits, lantibiotics are easy to digest, nontoxic, do not induce allergies and are difficult for dangerous bacteria to develop resistance against.

O’Sullivan discovered the lantibiotic by chance, while researching the genome of bacteria. He then collaborated with Ju-Hoon Lee, a U of M graduate student, to continue the research…

Salmonella and E. coli, both gram-negative bacteria, account for more than half of all food recalls in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella contributes to an estimated 28 percent of more than 3,000 deaths related to foodborne illness each year.

As an aside, this is one more example of collateral discoveries made in the course of basic research. Not as uncommon as journalists believe. This is part of the whole process requiring the broadest possible outlook, an open mind throughout any basic research.

It’s why there are researchers and scientists who spend their time searching out just such side roads – and taking the time and effort to develop and add them into the sum of human tools.

Bakersfield, California: State and local health inspectors are teaming up to catch vendors selling illegal bathtub cheese. The homemade cheese is known to be tainted with harmful bacteria.

“There have been several incidents where we have seen it sold at local markets,” said Chief Environmental Health Specialist Donna Fenton.

Bathtub cheese is homemade cheese, also known as queso fresco, and is a staple for Hispanic immigrants.

“It’s normal there in Mexico. You can make your own thing so you can eat,” said fruit market owner George Flores. The cheese is often made in bathtubs or back yard troughs.

“The cheese has been made in a coffin, or they use PVC pipe just purchased from a local hardware store. Sometimes it’s done in galvanized metal containers that can also leach contaminants,” said Fenton.

Not only is the cheese unsanitary, but its ingredients can also harbor bacteria. Raw, unpasteurized milk and coagulants used to make the cheese can contain salmonella, E. coli, tuberculosis and listeria…

“It’s not uncommon to find it in the local markets, swap meets, street vendors, or you may have a neighbor who’s trying to sell it from their home,” said Fenton.

“Yeah, they come once in a while. Not to our business but to our home. In a truck,” said Flores.

It’s a misdemeanor to sell or give it away. It’s a felony if you make it to sell or give away.

I wonder if it’s a crime if you make it yourself for personal consumption – and kill off yourself and your family?

State health officials Wednesday ordered a San Antonio produce company to halt production and ordered a recall of all products shipped from the plant since January after five people — three of them in Bexar County — died from a foodborne illness.

Over the past nine months, 10 people in Bexar, Travis and Hidalgo counties were infected with the same strain of listeria, including the five who died. Six of the 10 were conclusively linked to chopped celery sold by Sangar Fresh Cut Produce at 1500 S. Zarzamora St., health officials said.

They said most of the listeriosis patients were elderly with serious underlying health problems, and many were hospitalized before and during the onset of their infection.

As of Wednesday night, health officials weren’t releasing any further information about the patients…

Of the shutdown, Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Carrie Williams said: “This is a rare action that we took. … We closed the plant, we ordered a recall, but we’re not at the end. We’re still investigating the situation.”

The emergency order prohibits the plant from resuming operations without permission.

The recalled products were cut produce in sealed packages, and were not believed to have been sold in grocery stores, but rather used in restaurants and institutions such as schools and hospitals…Oh!

Inspectors found sanitation problems at the plant, including a condensation leak above a food product area, soil on a preparation table and improper hand washing by employees.

Officials said the bacteria found in the celery may have contaminated other food processed at the plant…

The long investigation was made more difficult by the fact most of the victims were frail with poor memories or had died.

Getting medical history from dead people is always difficult.

Zemco Industries in Buffalo, New York, has recalled approximately 380,000 pounds of deli meat that may be contaminated with bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced.

The products were distributed to Wal-Marts nationwide, according to the USDA’s website.

The meats may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which was discovered in a retail sample collected by inspectors in Georgia.

Upon learning of the voluntary recall, Wal-Mart immediately told its stores to remove the meat from their shelves, the company said in a statement.

“Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease,” according to the USDA. “Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.

“Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy,” the USDA said.

Golly. That’s not much to worry about is it?

The meats were produced on dates ranging from June 18 to July 2, 2010. The “Use By” dates range from August 20 to September 10, 2010. Wal-Mart noted the recall involves Marketside Grab and Go sandwiches, but not individual packages of deli meat. “We encourage customers who recently purchased this item to return it for a full refund.”

I’ll second that.