Testing at egg company negative for Salmonella

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) recently conducted follow-up testing at the Good Earth Egg Company processing facility in Bonne Terre, MO. The results were negative for Salmonella bacteria. The facility has reopened after being ordered to close on Dec. 18 until remediation efforts and re-sampling could be completed.
The facility underwent cleaning and remediation efforts, and DHSS staff took new samples at the facility. Those samples were then tested at the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory and came back negative for Salmonella bacteria.
However, DHSS urges individuals that may have already purchased eggs from the Good Earth Egg Company to fully cook their eggs to 165 degrees, avoid cross contamination of raw eggs with ready to eat foods and wash their hands after handling eggs. Alternatively, consumers may choose to throw away any older products from Good Earth Egg Company.

CDC: Barber Foods Salmonella outbreak appears to be over

A Salmonella outbreak traced to chicken products from Barber Foods "appears to be over,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced.
A total of 15 people became ill with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Enteritidis in seven states. Four of those people were hospitalized, but there were no deaths.
The company had issued a recall on July 2 on raw stuffed chicken products, and expanded that recall less than two weeks later.
The chicken product subjected to the recall was: 2-lb. 4-oz. cardboard box containing 6 individually pouched pieces of “BARBER FOODS PREMIUM ENTREES BREADED-BONELESS RAW STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH RIB MEAT KIEV” with use by/sell by date of April 28, 2016, May 20, 2016 and July 21, 2016 and Lot Code number 0950292102, 0950512101, or 0951132202. They were produced between February 17 and May 20.
While CDC states the Salmonella outbreak appears to be over, it cautioned that the chicken product could be in people’s freezers and if someone who was unaware of the recall ate the product, an illness could still occur.
The products subjected to the recall bear the establishment number “P-276” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were shipped to retail locations nationwide and Canada.  

RECALL:Public health alert for Koch Foods poultry products

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert, informing consumers that frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken products produced by Aspen Foods, a division of Koch Foods, have been confirmed as having the same Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak strain which was part of a recall in July.
A recall, however, has not been issued.
The frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken items may include the following brands and be labeled as “chicken cordon bleu,” “chicken Kiev” or “chicken broccoli and cheese” and bear the establishment number “P-1358” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were shipped to retail location and food service locations nationwide.
Following the July 15 recall, FSIS has been conducting intensified sampling at this establishment to ensure that the hazard responsible for the initial contamination has been controlled by Aspen Foods. Results from FSIS sampling revealed 12 positive results that match the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis to Aspen Foods products. Three illnesses were epidemiologically linked to the original July recall. FSIS continues to work with public health partners including the Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on this ongoing.
FSIS is concerned about all frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken products produced by Aspen Foods between July 30, 2015 and September 17, 2015. The 12 positive samples collected during FSIS’ intensified sampling efforts alerted FSIS to a systemic problem at the establishment. FSIS has directed its personnel to detain products covered by this alert that they find in commerce.

Public health alert for possible Salmonella contamination of pork

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella that may be associated with pork products, specifically whole pigs used for pig roasts.
FSIS was notified of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i-illness clusters (groups of illnesses) on July 15, 2015. FSIS suspects that there is a link between the illnesses associated with whole pigs used for pig roasts and eight illness clusters based on information gathered in conjunction with the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Case-patients have been identified in Washington with illness onset dates ranging from April 25, 2015 to July 21, 2015.
This investigation is ongoing. FSIS continues to work with the Washington State Department of Health and the CDC on this investigation. Updated information will be provided as it becomes available.
Roasting a pig is a complex undertaking with numerous potential food handling issues. FSIS urges consumers to keep the four food safety steps in mind: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. 


• CLEAN: Obtain your pig from a reputable supplier. Have the supplier wrap it in plastic, or a large plastic bag to contain the juices. Keep the pig cold until it is time to cook it. If you can’t keep it under refrigeration or on ice, consider picking it up just before you are ready to cook it.
• SEPARATE: Anything that comes into contact with whole pig should be washed with hot soapy water afterwards. This includes hands and utensils.
• COOK: FSIS recommends that all pork products are cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145º F with a three minute rest time. Make sure to check the internal temperature with a food thermometer in several places. Check the temperature frequently and replenish wood or coals to make sure the fire stays hot. Remove only enough meat from the carcass as you can serve within 1-2 hours.
• CHILL: Once the meat is cooked, transfer to clean serving dishes. Pack leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 1-2 hours. It is not necessary to cool before you refrigerate it.
FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen items, and only consume pork products (such as pork roast or tenderloin) that have been cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F with a three minute rest time. The only way to confirm that whole pigs are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.
Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the organism. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.

Arkansas researcher examines Salmonella transmission

Yichao Yang, a University of Arkansas Department of Poultry Science graduate student, is analyzing how Salmonella is transmitted within a chicken flock to find a way to prevent the spread of the major foodborne pathogen.
“My research work focuses on drawing an exact picture of how Salmonella is transmitted when it is introduced into a chicken,” Yang said. “If we are able draw this picture very clearly, we can stop Salmonella at an early stage, ensuring the safety of poultry products.”
She presented her findings in June at the American Society of Microbiology’s 115th meeting in New Orleans.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that Salmonella causes 1 million illnesses in the United States every year. Despite Salmonella being recognized as a major foodborne pathogen, the mechanism by which the bacteria are transmitted within a poultry flock is still poorly understood.
Yang used genetically identifiable strains of the bacteria, allowing her to trace them as they spread from chicken to chicken and found that contrary to previous research, chickens can be infected by multiple strains at the same time.
To track transmission pathways, Yang constructed a set of six identical but genetically marked strains by inserting six random nucleotides into the chromosome of S.enteritidis, a strain of Salmonella recognized for causing foodborne illnesses. The nucleotides made each strain traceable as they spread throughout the flock.
Yang and her adviser, Young Min Kwon, assistant professor in poultry science, designed three sets of experiments to track Salmonella transmission. The first experiment introduced Salmonella into chicks orally, the second added a low and a high dose of Salmonella to the water supply and the third introduced Salmonella by infecting the feed with the low and high doses.
Yang found that the strains were found after seven days in the chicks infected with high dose, whereas at 14 days nearly all the strains were identified in the chicks. Yang’s data also showed that culled infection or mixed infection happened in each chick.
“This is a pretty big finding, and I did not recognize it at first because a major theory in the field of Salmonella transmission — called the colonization inhibition theory — says that if one strain of Salmonella infects a chick, a second strain cannot infect the chick, suggesting there might be unknown mechanisms involved,” Yang explained.
She plans to continue her research work by conducting bigger trial to study these findings in further detail.

CDC: 7 ill in Salmonella outbreak traced to Barber Foods

The number of people who have become ill in a Salmonella outbreak traced back chicken products from Barber Foods has been increased to seven, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC stated that in addition to five patients from Minnesota, and one patient from Wisconsin, a new case of illness from Salmonella has been discovered in Oklahoma. Two of the seven patients were hospitalized, but no deaths have occurred.
The products were reportedly shipped to retail locations across the United States, as well as to Canada.
On July 1, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert about illnesses caused by Salmonella that may be associated with the raw, frozen, breaded pre-browned stuffed chicken products. Barber Foods initiated a recall on 58,320 pounds of the product one day later. On July 12, the company expanded the recall to involve more than 1.7 million pounds of Barber Foods products.
The chicken products in question were sold under several different brand names, which include Barber Foods, Meijer and Sysco. All products subject to recall show the establishment number P-276 inside the USDA mark of inspection on the packaging.
FSIS stated that it was continuing to work with partners from other public health agencies on the investigation.

Salmonella concerns lead to Koch Foods chicken recall

Koch Foods has voluntarily issued a Class I recall for its Aspen Foods breaded raw stuffed chicken breasts, because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. An estimated 1,978,680 pounds of product are included in the recall.
The recalled product can be identified by a plant code of P-1358 and a “best if used by” date between July 14, 2016 and October 10, 2016. Flavors affected include: Breaded Cordon Bleu, Breaded Broccoli & Cheese, Breaded Chicken Kiev, Breaded Chicken Parmesan, and Breaded Buffalo-Style.
The company issued the recall after USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified of a cluster of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses on June 23. Working in conjunction with Minnesota State Departments of Health and Agriculture, FSIS determined that there is a link between the frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken products from Aspen Foods and this illness cluster. Based on epidemiological evidence and traceback investigations, three case-patients have been identified in Minnesota with illness onset dates ranging from May 9, 2015 to June 8, 2015. FSIS continues to work with the Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on this investigation.
“We are taking this precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our consumers. If you have purchased any of the effected items, please return them to the store where you purchased them for a full refund,” Koch Foods stated.
“Koch Foods has and will continue to collaborate with the USDA to prepare the highest quality poultry products. Health and food safety are always Koch Foods’ first priority, and we take great pride in the safe processing of billions of pounds of poultry each year.”
No other products prepared by Koch Foods have been affected by the Salmonella issue.

Ex-Quality Egg worker gets probation in Salmonella case

A former Quality Egg LLC employee who was involved in a 2010 interstate Salmonella outbreak that caused as many as 56,000 people to become ill has been sentenced to four years of probation.
Tony Wasmund, who in 2012 pleaded guilty to his role in bribing a USDA inspector to allow sales of eggs that didn’t meet federal standards, was able to avoid jail time because he cooperated with investigators and provided “substantial assistance” in the case, according to a KDLT report. Wasmund was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett.
Another Quality Egg employee had also allegedly tried to bribe USDA inspectors, but that person is now deceased.
The 2010 Salmonella outbreak also led to the recall of 550 million eggs.
Two of Quality Egg’s top executives, Austin “Jack” DeCoster, and his son, Peter DeCoster in April were sentenced to three months in jail after being found guilty of misdemeanor charges of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce. They also were both fined $100,000 and Quality Egg paid a fine of $6.8 million.
Those sentences came despite urgings from the DeCosters’ attorney, who stated he did not feel his clients deserved jail time, as federal prosecutors said they had found no evidence that the father and son were aware the company was selling tainted products. 

Salmonella patients sue Foster Farms

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of six people who allegedly became ill as a result of consuming chicken from Foster Farms that was tied to a nationwide Salmonella outbreak. The national food safety law firm of Ron Simon &Associates, along with local counsel Gomez Trial Attorneys of San Diego, filed the suit.
The outbreak, which began in March 2013, affected more than 600 people in 29 states and Puerto Rico. It was tied to poultry produced at three Foster Farms facilities in California as a result of epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback investigations conducted by local, state, and federal officials. Two of the plants are located in Livingston, while the other is in Fresno.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of six outbreak victims, claims that Foster Farms knew that its chicken was contaminated with Salmonella, but kept selling the chicken for years despite numerous warning letters from federal health officials that the chicken would injure the public. The lawsuit seeks punitive damages against the company. 
Foster Farms did not initially recall any of its products tied to the Salmonella outbreak, but eventually issued a recall in July 2014.
Since the Salmonella outbreak began, Foster Farms had actively been implementing a $75 million multi-hurdle food safety program to reduce naturally occurring Salmonella at each stage of the production process. The company stated it now leads the industry in reducing incidence levels of Salmonella in raw poultry parts companywide to less than five percent. Foster Farms is actively sharing its learnings with other producers in the food industry to improve Salmonella controls industrywide.

Minnesota Salmonella outbreak points to chicken products

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella that may be associated with raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken products. These items may be labeled "chicken cordon bleu" or "chicken Kiev." The name of the company that produced the products in question has not been revealed, nor has the number of people affected by the outbreak..
FSIS was notified of, and is investigating with the State of Minnesota, a Salmonella Enteritidis illness cluster on June 23, 2015. FSIS suspects that there is a link between the frozen, raw, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken products and this illness cluster based on information gathered in conjunction with the State of Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture. Using epidemiological evidence, case-patients have been identified in Minnesota with illness onset dates ranging from May 9, 2015 to June 8, 2015.
Additionally, on June 24, 2015, FSIS was notified of, and is investigating with the State of Minnesota, a second, separate Salmonella Enteritidis illness cluster with another strain. FSIS suspects that there is a link between the frozen, raw, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken products and this illness cluster based on information gathered in conjunction with the State of Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture. Using epidemiological evidence, case-patients have been identified in Minnesota with illness onset dates ranging from April 5, 2015 to June 8, 2015.
The products the illnesses may be associated with appear to be ready-to-eat, but are in fact raw and need to be fully cooked before consumption. Frozen, raw, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken products covered by this alert and similar products, may be stuffed or filled, breaded or browned.
These investigations are ongoing. FSIS continues to work with the State of Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture on both of these investigations and will provide updated information as it becomes available.

3 Sofina Foods products recalled over Salmonella worries

Sofina Foods Inc. is recalling some of its no name and Compliments brands frozen uncooked breaded chicken products from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) three specific chicken products are being recalled by the company. Those products are:


1. No name chicken burgers, 2 kilogram packages, product code is 2016 JA 22 EST 374
2. Compliments chicken strips, 907 gram packages, product code is BB/MA 2016 JA 22 EST 374
3. Compliments chicken nuggets, 907 gram packages, product code is BB/MA JA 22 EST 374
According to CFIA, it is possible that the recalled products may have been distributed nationally.
The recall comes just several days after CFIA reported chicken products had been tied to an outbreak of Salmonella. That outbreak caused 44 people to become sick. Of those 44, 28 were confirmed in Onatario, 12 were confirmed in Quebec, and two each were reported in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The agency has not stated whether the products mentioned in the Salmonella outbreak are the same ones that are being recalled.
People who purchased the Sofina Foods products are encouraged to either dispose of them or return them to the store where they were bought.

Canadian human Salmonella outbreaks linked to hatchery

A hatchery in Alberta, Canada, is thought to be the source of Salmonella enteritidis-infected chicks that have resulted in 34 cases of human infections so far this year.
The cases of human infection under investigation are spread across three of the country’s provinces. Individuals became sick between April 5 and May 12 this year, and in all cases there had been contact with chicks. Most cases have reported contact with chicks coming from the Alberta hatchery.
The un-named hatchery, with is thought to work with small- and large-scale producers, is contacting any clients who have placed orders for chicks since the beginning of March this year, however, it is not known how many infected chicks may have been sent out.
Alberta Forestry and Agriculture is leading the animal health investigation and working closely with the hatchery. The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial and local public health and agricultural partners to investigate the outbreaks of Salmonella infection in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has stressed that the risk to the general population of infection with Salmonella is low, but is reminding those that have contact with live poultry to take precautions to protect their health.

Research provides improved method for detecting Salmonella in processing

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., in which a researcher developed a rapid detection assay for Salmonella that can be used in poultry processing plants. The project is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A brief summary of the completed project is shown below. A complete report, along with information on other Association research, may be obtained by going to USPOULTRY’s website, www.uspoultry.org. The project summary is as follows:
Project #F056:  Rapid Detection of Viable Salmonella on Poultry Carcasses without Enrichment Using Multiplex PCR and Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
(Dr. Steven Ricke and collaborator, Si Hong Park, University of Arkansans, Center for Food Safety – Institute of Food Science and Engineering, Fayetteville, Ark.)
Dr. Steven Ricke, University of Arkansas, recently completed research in the development a rapid detection assay for Salmonella that can be used in poultry processing plants. The method will allow the detection of all Salmonella strains as well as identify S. enteritidis, S. Heidelberg, and S. typhimurium. The assay also reduces cost and testing time compared to some currently used methods. The testing method could be adapted to detect Salmonella in various stages of processing, providing important information for improving control measures. For a detailed summary, click here.

DeCosters get 3-month jail sentences in Salmonella case

Former Quality Egg LLC executives Jack DeCoster and Peter DeCoster have been given jail sentences in a case that tied Quality Egg to a multi-state Salmonella outbreak. 
Former egg industry executives Austin “Jack” DeCoster and Peter DeCoster have been sentenced to serve three months in jail after being found guilty on charges related to a multi-state Salmonella outbreak that occurred in 2010. The two men were sentenced April 13 in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, on misdemeanor charges of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
Both Jack DeCoster, and his son Peter, remain free as they appeal their sentences, the Associated Press reported.
The conviction comes after a lengthy judicial process that followed a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that was traced back to the DeCosters’ former company, Quality Egg LLC. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked 1,939 illnesses to the Salmonella outbreak, but officials have argued that many more -- as many as 56,000 people -- may have become ill after the eggs entered commerce.
The Salmonella outbreak also led to the recall of more than 550 million eggs.
The two pleaded guilty on June 3, 2014 to the charges. The DeCosters’ attorney had argued that the former egg executives should only pay a fine and did not deserve jail time, as federal prosecutors said they had found no evidence that the DeCosters were aware they were selling tainted products. However, as corporate officers, the father and son could still be held legally responsible.
Both men were also fined $100,000, and Quality Egg paid a fine of $6.8 million.

Foster Farms reaffirms commitment to Salmonella control

In conjunction with the January 21 announcement by the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service ( FSIS) regarding a proposed 15.4 percent standard for Salmonella prevalence in raw poultry parts, poultry producer Foster Farms has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining Salmonella prevalence levels below 5 percent.
Foster Farms has maintained an average Salmonella prevalence level of two percent for the last nine consecutive months, the company stated. This performance record is the result of a $75 million food safety program launched in 2013 after a Salmonella outbreak was traced to Foster Farms products and caused more than 600 people in the United States and Puerto Rico to become sick.
"We support the USDA in taking this critical step to advance food safety across the poultry industry," said Foster Farms President and CEO Ron Foster. "Foster Farms has made a tremendous investment to ensure that our practices represent the very best in the industry. We stand by our commitment to lead the industry with Salmonella prevalence levels of less than 5 percent. We remain dedicated to continuous food safety advances."
Prior to the FSIS announcement, there was no established regulatory standard for raw poultry parts, though the most recent 2011-2012 reported industry average was 25 percent. Foster Farms has worked closely with the USDA, CDC, poultry industry and retailers to share its learnings in controlling Salmonella in the interest of creating a safer food supply system nationwide. The company continues to draw on the best food safety advice in and outside of the poultry industry through its Food Safety Advisory Board.
In 2013, Foster Farms implemented a $75 million food safety program that effectively reduced Salmonella system-wide from the breeder level, to the farms where the birds are raised and to the plants where the chicken is processed and packaged. This included improvements to equipment and processes, the implementation of a continuous testing program and food safety education.
Foster Farms' multi-hurdle program has been credited by the CDC and the USDA for its consistent control of Salmonella in raw chicken. The company has also been recognized for its leadership in controlling Salmonella by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a champion of improved food safety. Based on the program's success, Foster Farms is actively sharing data and insights with other poultry and meat producers. As part of this collaboration, Dr. Robert O'Connor, Foster Farms senior vice president for technical services, leads a National Chicken Council committee on Salmonella reduction at the parts level and has informed retailers in their development of vendor protocols.

Foster Farms VP: It's about the process used to reduce Salmonella

Dr. Robert O’Connor, senior vice president, technical services, Foster Farms, said that Foster Farms’ broiler processing plants in California now have Salmonella  incidence rates on its chicken parts that are consistently below 5 percent. 
Dr. Robert O’Connor, senior vice president, technical services, Foster Farms, said, “I am not going to give you a recipe for reducing Salmonella prevalence on chicken parts. I am not going to advocate any products. I am going to give you the process we went thorough to lower the incidence of Salmonella on poultry parts. It isn’t about what product you use, but the process you use to evaluate the products.”
He told the audience at USPOULTRY’s seminar, “Microbial Control in Second Processing,” that while Foster Farms has succeeded in meeting the goal set for it by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of reducing Salmonella incidence on its broiler parts from its pre-outbreak level of 25 percent to 5 percent of less, its journey continues.
“We reached our goal, but now we have to maintain it,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor said that when his company was first contacted by USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the outbreak and the suspected link to Foster Farms’ broiler products, Foster Farms’ personnel spent both time and energy pushing back against the agencies. He said, “That didn’t work; I wouldn’t recommend that approach.” He suggested that any processor in that situation should engage the people from those agencies. He said that, eventually, Foster Farms met with CDC personnel at the agency headquarters in Atlanta, not just on teleconferences. He said that forming these relationships helped him and the rest of Foster Farms’ team to understand all of the data the agencies had and let them see that everyone was trying to solve a public health problem.
O’Connor shared data on Salmonella results for carcasses and parts for the firm’s three California broiler processing plants. The company was notified of the outbreak in October of 2013. He said that within six months, in April of 2014, all three plants had Salmonella incidence rates on parts below the goal given to them by USDA of less than 5 percent. The company has managed to keep its Salmonella incidence on parts down around 2 percent through the remainder of 2014, according to data O’Connor reported.

New Salmonella serotype discovered at Texas Tech University

A new serotype of Salmonella has been discovered by a researcher at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The new serotype, found by Marie Bugarel, a research assistant professor at Texas Tech’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, was confirmed by the Pasteur Institute in Paris, the international reference center for Salmonella.
Because convention calls for a new serotype to be named after the city in which it is discovered, this one will be called Salmonella Lubbock.
Bugarel came to the university with an extensive background in Salmonella research, and has worked on developing new tools to detect Salmonella, new approaches to distinguish serotypes and ways to understand Salmonella’s biology.
In Bugarel’s research for Salmonella Lubbock, the impetus was to reduce Salmonella in food and improve public health. She focused on providing solutions to control salmonella in cattle population, which led to a better understanding of the biological makeup of Salmonella itself, including its genetic makeup. Through this approach, Bugarel discovered the new strain never before described.
The long-held standard way of distinguishing one strain of Salmonella from another is called serotyping and is based on the molecules on the surface of the bacterium. Each serotype has its own pattern of molecules, called antigens, and the collection of molecules provides a unique molecular appearance. These antigens interact with certain antibodies found in specifically prepared serum, thus providing the serotype. It is similar to how blood typing is performed.
“This discovery reinforces my feeling that the microbiological flora present in cattle in the United States harbors a singularity, which is an additional justification of the research we are doing in the International Center for Food Industry Excellence (ICFIE) laboratories at Texas Tech,” Bugarel said. “Additional research will be performed to better describe the characteristics of this atypical bacterial flora and, more specifically, of the Lubbock serotype.”
Guy Loneragan, a professor of food safety and public health and one Bugarel’s mentors at Texas Tech, believes that between 20 and 30 percent of two current strains, Salmonella Montevideo and Salmonella Mbandaka, will be reclassified as Salmonella Lubbock. The algorithm used in serotyping has some stopping points, but Bugarel discovered a need to go a step further to get the correct strain name. Therefore some of those strains called Montevideo and Mbandaka are now Salmonella Lubbock.
Some of the strains of Salmonella Lubbock fall into the category of serotype patterns that are more broadly resistant to many families of antibiotics, furthering the need for more research on the subject. Human susceptibility to the Lubbock strains remains unknown.
“We will continue to develop methods to detect, identify and control the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in food products in order to improve food safety and public health,” Bugarel said.
Loneragan added: “This discovery illustrates there is more that needs to be discovered about Salmonella and how it interacts with cattle populations. With this understanding will come awareness of how to intervene to break the ecological cycle and reduce Salmonella in animals and in beef, pork and chicken products.”

Salmonella enterica detection presentation to be held at IPPE

Dr. Evan Chaney, manager of applications at Roka Bioscience, will be presenting a session at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The session will take place on January 27 at 1:30 in Hall B at the Tech Exchange.
The session is titled "Integrated Sample Preparation to Enable Reliable Salmonella enterica Detection in Difficult Poultry Matrices" and will discuss results from a comparative study evaluating Salmonella enterica detection platforms using ground poultry and carcass rinse data from five poultry producers. The results show the detection of Salmonella enterica in ground poultry and carcass rinse samples can be improved by utilizing a testing platform that includes an integrated target capture step when compared to PCR and culture confirmation. The presentation will also describe semi-quantitative threshold testing and how it can be applied to poultry operations.
"I am looking forward to presenting our collaborative findings and discussing our current efforts to develop unique testing applications for the poultry industry" stated Dr. Chaney.
The IPPE, the world's largest annual poultry, feed and meat industry trade show, will be held January 27-29, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The expo is hosted by the American Feed Industry Association, U.S. Poultry &Egg Association and the North American Meat Institute.

Anitox announces new research on search for Salmonella

Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) testing is the feed industry's gold standard for physically and biochemically identifying Salmonella. According to data from researchers at pathogen control specialist Anitox, this testing is not sufficient on its own to return reliable results.
“Salmonella favors warm, damp conditions with little environmental stress, and in these circumstances H₂S testing proves highly effective,” explains Anitox research, development and analytics manager Kellie Hogan, Ph.D. ”However, the work we’ve just completed confirms that when Salmonella is ‘stressed’ and environmental conditions are less than favorable the pathogen can remain undetected, only to be confirmed as Salmonella within a matter of hours.”
Anitox advises using a comprehensive approach to testing using multiple methods. While H₂S should always be considered, the most accurate results can be obtained with a testing regime that includes PCR or other molecular testing alongside H₂S analysis, according to Hogan.

EU court: Retailer liable for selling Salmonella-tainted meat

The EU Court of Justice has concluded that retailers may be penalized if they sell fresh meat contaminated with Salmonella, even if the contamination occurred at an earlier stage in the food chain.
Ute Reindl, the manager of an Austrian branch of the supermarket chain MPREIS Warenvertriebs GmbH, was fined for failure to comply with food safety rules after a sample of vacuum packed fresh turkey breast, processed and packaged by another company, was found to be contaminated with Salmonella, and was therefore ‘unfit for human consumption’ for the purposes of EU law, according to RTT News.
The Austrian authorities brought proceedings against the manager for failure to comply with food safety rules and ordered her to pay a fine. The case went to appeal and the Independent Administrative Chamber for the Land of Tyrol asked the EU Court of Justice about the extent of liability of food business operators where they are active only at the distribution stage.
In its judgment, the EU Court of Justice said that the fresh poultry meat referred to by EU law must satisfy the microbiological criteria for Salmonella at all the stages of distribution including the retail sale stage. The court further noted that the microbiological criterion applies to ‘products placed on the market during their shelf life.’ The concept of ‘products placed on the market’ refers to foodstuffs which are held for the purpose of sale, distribution or other forms of transfer, which thereby includes retail sale, according to a BPEX report.
The court stated that failure to ensure compliance with microbiological criterion at all stages of distribution (including the retail sale stage) would therefore amount to undermining one of the fundamental objectives of food safety legislation, i.e. to attain a high level of protection of human health.
The Court of Justice further stated that food business operators which are active only at the distribution stage may be fined for having placed on the market a foodstuff which fails to comply with the microbiological criterion.
The court considers that it is clear from EU food safety law that the member states must set penalties for infringements of food law, which are effective, proportionate and dissuasive; and that the system of fines put in place by Austrian law may help to attain the fundamental objective of protection of human health - although Austrian authorities must ensure that that system is proportional.