Botulism Blog : Botulism Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : Botulism Blog

Amish Wedding Foods Inc. of Millersburg, Ohio, is recalling all lots of 9- 16- and 18-ounce pumpkin butter, as well as all lots of 16- and 18-ounce sweet potato butter. The items are recalled because of concerns over possible botulism contamination. No illness has been reported. The pumpkin and sweet potato butters were sold under a variety of brands and were available in most states

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is warning of possible botulism poisoning from dried uneviscerated fish found on the shelves of ethnic grocery stores in the Twin Cities.

MDA officials discovered and embargoed more than 400 pounds of the fish, which has not had the internal organs removed. Eating dried uneviscerated fish can result in food-borne botulism poisoning.

The dried uneviscerated fish in question are typically salted, and in some cases smoked. Consumers are asked to throw away any dried uneviscerated fish they may have at home.

There are no reports of illness linked to consumption of the dried uneviscerated fish, but MDA embargoed the fish due to the high risk of it being contaminated with Clostridium bacteria known to produce potentially deadly botulinum toxins.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The U. S. Department of Justice, in an action initiated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is seeking a permanent injunction against Chung's Products LP ("Chung's"), an egg roll manufacturer in Houston, Charlie A. Kujawa, the company's president, and Gregory S. Birdsell, the firm's director of quality assurance.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, charges the defendants with violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the "Act") by preparing, packing and holding shrimp egg rolls under insanitary conditions, whereby they may have become contaminated with filth and rendered injurious to health. The complaint concerns Chung's fish and fishery products. It does not include Chung's other food products.

"The agency has previously warned the company that corrective actions need to be taken in this facility," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "This FDA action is aimed at protecting the public health."

The shrimp egg rolls produced by Chung's are sold in grocery stores and large retail stores nationwide.

FDA inspections have revealed significant deviations from the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) requirements, which are designed to protect the public from food safety hazards in fish and fishery products. Failure to comply with the seafood HACCP regulations renders food adulterated under the Act.

A 2009 FDA inspection of the firm showed significant deficiencies with the firm's HACCP plan, including the continued failure to control for the risk of Clostridium botulinum ("C. botulinum") toxin formation in its shrimp egg rolls that are packaged in modified atmospheric packaging at refrigerated temperatures.

Ingestion of C. botulinum toxin can cause botulism, a potentially fatal disease. Although the incidence of botulism is very low, the disease can cause paralysis and has a high mortality rate if treatment is not prompt and appropriate.

The 2009 inspection also found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes ("L. mono") in the firm's egg roll processing environment. L. mono can cause listeriosis, a disease that can be very serious, even fatal, for high-risk groups such as unborn babies, newborns, the elderly, and those with impaired immune systems.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Queens based Haifa Smoked Fish is recalling Haifa brand vacuum packaged Whole Schmaltz Herring with the lot number 20, because the product was found to be uneviscerated.

The lot being recalled is a product of Norway, individually vacuum-packed in clear plastic pouches with lot # 20 indicated on the label and distributed through various food retailers in the New York and New Jersey area.

The Whole Schmaltz Herring was sampled by a New York State Agriculture and Markets Food Inspector during a routine inspection. Subsequent analysis of the product by New York State Food Laboratory personnel confirmed that Whole Schmaltz Herring was not properly eviscerated prior to processing.

The sale of uneviscerated fish is prohibited under New York State Agriculture and Markets regulations because of Clostridium Botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Bao Ding Seafood of New York, NY 10002 is recalling Boiled Horse Mackerel, because it has the potential to be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death.

Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.

Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, causes the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

The recalled Boiled Horse Mackerel packaged in a vacuum packed plastic bag, net weight 450g, was sold in New York State.

The recall Boiled Horse Mackerel was discovered by NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Market food inspector during a routine inspection and subsequent analysis of product by food lab personnel confirming fish was not eviscerated prior to processing.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The Bellingham Herald reported this evening that consumers shouldn’t eat smoked salmon that comes in 7-ounce jars or jams made by local business Sug Chee Smoked Salmon because they were made in an unlicensed food processing plant, the Whatcom County Health Department warned Wednesday, January 6.

No illnesses have been reported from people eating food made by the business at 2707 Lummi Shore Road, said Tom Kunesh, supervisor for Environmental Health, which is the health department’s food-safety program.

The warning was issued because inspectors don’t know if the food was properly processed to destroy pathogens like Clostridium botulinum – a bacterium that can cause botulism and can be deadly.
Health officials focused specifically on Sug Chee Native American Wild Smoked King Salmon in 7-ounce glass jars, with or without jalapenos.

Warnings also were issued for huckleberry, elderberry and blackberry jam made by Sug Chee, although they posed less of a health risk than the jarred salmon, the health department said.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Botulism is a form of food poisoning caused by eating contaminated food containing a toxin that severely affects the nervous system. It can be very serious, although not contagious. There are two other types, wound botulism and infant botulism. These affect the central nervous system and the muscular system.

Causes of Botulism

Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria found in contaminated or incompletely cooked,
canned foods, is the cause of Botulism. This bacteria produces a powerful poison (toxin) that is absorbed from the digestive tract and spreads throughout the central nervous system. Likely foods to cause botulism include: home-canned vegetables and fruits, fish, meat, undercooked sausage, smoked meats and milk products. With infants under 1 year, raw honey or other uncooked foods may be the cause. The bacteria also may infect a wound and produce the toxin.

Signs and Symptoms of Botulism

Symptoms of Botulism usually appear suddenly 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. They include blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, dry mouth, slurred speech, swallowing difficulty, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness of the arms and legs. As the condition progresses, paralysis may develop. There is not direct effect on mental abilities and there is no fever associated with Botulism. Symptoms appearing in infants include severe constipation, feeble cry, and the inability to suck.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

U.K. researchers linked a protein to the development of mad-cow disease and found a way to reduce it, a discovery that may lead to a treatment for the illness and its human form, according to a report today in PLoS Pathogens.

A team of scientists at the University of Leeds found that the protein, called Glypican-1, boosts abnormal and infectious proteins in the brain called prions, which are known to cause mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy. When the researchers reduced Glypican-1 in infected mouse cells, abnormal prion levels also declined, they wrote in the online journal.

Glypican-1 may act as a scaffold that brings together the two forms of the prion protein, causing normal prions to mutate into infectious ones, Nigel Hooper, one of the authors, said in a telephone interview.

“It’s bringing the normal prion protein and the infectious molecule together and allowing them to interact,” said Hooper, a professor of biochemistry at the university in northern England. “The infectious molecule will then allow the normal one to convert, setting up a cascade.”

In the mid-1990s, scientists found a possible link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy and a variant of the fatal human illness, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which destroys brain tissue. An estimated 166 people in the U.K. may have died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob since 1995, according to the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh.
Infected Animals

People are believed to develop the disease by eating meat from infected animals or after transfusions of infected blood. Early symptoms include depression or psychosis, unsteadiness and involuntary movements. By the time of death, patients become immobile and mute.

Researchers may be able to use the Leeds team’s finding about Glypican-1 to design drugs that disrupt the disease process and treat mad-cow disease or variant CJD, Hooper said. He said his team next plans to study the effect of removing Glypican-1 from mice.

“We’re going into animal models to look at what happens if you take the Glypican-1 out,” Hooper said.
The Wellcome Trust and the U.K.’s Medical Research Council funded the research published today.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Plum Organics ™ announced today that it is taking the precautionary measure of voluntarily recalling one particular batch of its 4.22 oz. Apple & Carrot Portable Pouch baby food with the best by date May 21, 2010 and marked with the following universal product code (UPC) #890180001221 located on the bottom of the package. These pouches are sold individually at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us locations nationally.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with this product and no other Plum Organics products are affected. As a further precaution, samples from every Plum Organics product manufactured before and after this batch were tested and found to be within quality standards.

The recall was undertaken as a precaution due to the risk of potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism, a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition. Consumers should not use these products, even if they appear to be normal, because of the possible health risk. Symptoms of botulism poisoning in humans include general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link