Food Safety News - 08/12/2021

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Eighth Circuit breaths life back into Iowa’s ‘ag-gag’ law By Dan Flynn on Aug 12, 2021 12:06 am For the conservative Eighth Circuit, lying to gain access to the property on the premise that animal abuse might be occurring does not cut it as First Amendment-protected speech. A three-member panel on Aug. 10 overturned a district court ruling that found an Iowa “ag-gag” law violated the First Amendment. Judge Steven Colloton wrote the majority... Continue Reading EU report shows progress on fruit and vegetable checks By Joe Whitworth on Aug 12, 2021 12:05 am An overview report on official controls for fruit and vegetables in Europe covering a number of years has shown improvement, but areas of concern still remain. European Union laws aim to ensure the microbiological safety of fruits and vegetables. To check these rules are followed by food businesses in primary production and processors, the authorities... Continue Reading New Cyclospora outbreak announcement has few details; patient count up in another By Coral Beach on Aug 12, 2021 12:04 am A new Cyclospora outbreak is under investigation and there are updated patient numbers for another among the details this week in the FDA’s outbreak update. The new outbreak, posted Aug. 11, has 29 patients. The number of states involved is not included, nor is the hospitalization status of any of the patients. The Food and... Continue Reading Undercooked burgers suspected for E. coli cases in Finland By News Desk on Aug 12, 2021 12:03 am Finnish authorities have issued a warning after a number of E. coli infections were linked to hamburger patties. The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) were made aware of several E. coli infections earlier this year after people ate burgers. Municipal inspectors investigated cases locally and took food samples.... Continue Reading Cubano sandwiches with Clostridium perfringens found in Alaska investigation By News Desk on Aug 12, 2021 12:02 am The Anchorage Daily News reports that Alaska health officials have traced the source of a foodborne illness outbreak that sickened dozens of hospital workers in Homer to a single item The Department of Health and Social Services said in a release Monday that it was Cubano sandwiches. Experts who investigated the incident think. In fact, it was probably the... Continue Reading Seattle area restaurant found spreading Norovirus By News Desk on Aug 12, 2021 12:01 am King County’s Public Health is investigating an outbreak of norovirus-like illnesses with vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, and chills at a Seattle area restaurant. Public Health has not yet identified how norovirus was spread within the restaurant. This is not uncommon for norovirus outbreaks, because the virus can spread through multiple contaminated food items, environmental surfaces,... Continue Reading Outbreaks ongoing; onsite inspections initiated for two By News Desk on Aug 12, 2021 12:00 am The table below shows outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with active investigations ongoing, others may be near completion or concluded. Onsite inspections have begun for outbreaks associated with E. coli in cake mixes and an as yet unknown... Continue Reading Company refuses to expand recall despite new patients in outbreak linked to shrimp By News Desk on Aug 11, 2021 06:12 pm The company has not issued an expanded recall even though there have been additional patients identified in a Salmonella Weltevreden outbreak linked to shrimp from Avanti Frozen Foods of India. As of this afternoon, new patients were identified after the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention declared the outbreak over on July 21, according... Continue Reading CDC reports more illnesses in outbreak traced to raw, frozen chicken products By News Desk on Aug 11, 2021 05:39 pm The CDC has confirmed in a public alert updated numbers for a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak traced to raw, frozen, breaded chicken products. The USDA published the updated numbers earlier this week in a recall notice. According to the CDC, there are 11 more confirmed patients, bringing the total to 28 people spread across eight states.... Continue Reading