A Canberra food business has been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella, which has so far resulted in five people being hospitalised. The ACT Government’s Health Directorate is currently investigating the outbreak. So far 13 people have been diagnosed with Salmonella, all of whom reported purchasing ready-to-eat food from the implicated business on 25 of 26 November 2011. ACT Chief Health Officer, Dr Paul Kelly said today, “Salmonella has been identified in mayonnaise containing raw egg, with further... ...Read more »

New legislation passed yesterday by the Queensland Parliament will allow a government-led food business rating scheme to be introduced across Queensland. The Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2011, tabled by Health Minister Geoff Wilson, was passed just days after Queensland Health unveiled figures that suggest there are more cases of food poisoning in Queensland than any other Australian State. According to Queensland Health, more than 7,700 cases of the most common forms of food poisoning were... ...Read more »

New standards for reducing the prevalence of salmonella and campylobacter in young chickens and turkeys are being implemented in the United States. The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is acting on base-line studies that indicated American consumers are still being exposed to pathogens in poultry. After two years of enforcement, the FSIS estimates that the new standards will prevent approximately 5,000 cases of campylobacter-caused illnesses and... ...Read more »

Woolworths has recalled its own-brand 750g bags of almonds “due to the potential presence of Salmonella”, effective immediately, in a product recall issued just before Easter. Bags of almonds with a best before date of 10/11/11 and 11/11/11 are being recalled, having been sold in Woolworths, Safeway and Food for Less supermarkets across Australia between 15 and 21 April. Exactly how many of the almond bags are affected has not been released, nor how the contamination was discovered, but... ...Read more »

University of Missouri researchers have created a new test for salmonella in poultry and eggs that will produce faster and more accurate results than most currently available tests, which might catch salmonella-tainted products before shipping, preventing outbreaks like those which recently swept the US. “Processors and consumers will benefit from the speed and sensitivity of the new test’s results,” said Azlin Mustapha, associate professor of food science in the College of Agriculture,... ...Read more »

Sunny Queen Farms, one of Australia’s foremost egg producers, has launched a new product that should have chefs breathing a collective sigh of relief. It’s a fresh egg snap frozen, pasteurised, and HACCP and Halal – approved, so no nasty case of salmonella on the side. Simple steps for preparing in the combi or microwave mean greater consistency in presentation. But more importantly, the eggs leave zero risk of a contamination crisis, which is probably a chef’s worst nightmare.... ...Read more »

Researchers have developed a novel approach to automated detection and classification of harmful bacteria in food – allowing computers to learn what a pathogen might look like. By equipping computers with sophisticated learning software and a laser scanner, colonies of pathogens such as listeria, staphylococcus, salmonella, vibrio and E. coli can be identified based on the optical properties of their colonies, and new unknown pathogens can be discovered. “The sheer number of existing... ...Read more »

An Albury takeaway restaurant has been fined following a salmonella outbreak that resulted in more than 170 people falling ill after eating food from the Albury Burger Bar, Minister Steve Whan said today. “Investigations conducted by the NSW Food Authority have determined the cause of the outbreak to be a raw egg aioli product that was contaminated with salmonella,” Minister Whan said. “The product in question was sold from the premises between the 14th and 17th of January this... ...Read more »

The recent Salmonella outbreak in eggs in the U.S highlights a crucial need for an effective product tracing system. According to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific society focusing on the science of food, a product tracing system would make it possible to identify food-borne illness outbreaks earlier as well as contain the outbreak faster.A report issued earlier this year from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)... ...Read more »

Borgo Smallgoods is conducting a recall of its Friulano Salame, Lismore Salame and Casalingo Salame after detection of Salmonella bovismorbificans in the products. The recall affects products with a Best Before date of 30 Aug 2010 and 6 Sep 10 for all three products, and is limited to products purchased in Queensland. It is not currently clear how the products became contaminated, or whether any cases of resulting food-borne illness have yet been reported. Some symptoms of Salmonella poisoning are... ...Read more »