Quotable Quotes:
"No matter how much cocktail sauce the industry dumps on the data, in 2004 twenty people died unnecessary and painful deaths after eating contaminated oysters," Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director, Center for Science and the Public Interest

"The new molluscan shellfish regulation by the US FDA is indeed good news. Still under review is approval to irradiate Shrimp and other related fish are part of another petition before the US Food & Drug Administration." Michelle Marcotte, Marcotte Consulting
 

In This Update:

Wal-Mart Stores Pull 900,000 Pounds of Potentially Contaminated Meat

Use of Food Irradiation for the Control of Vibrio Species and other Foodborne Pathogens in Fresh or Frozen Molluscan Shellfish

Deaths, Illnesses from Contaminated Oysters Continue

Shellfish and fish can be irradiated to control pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, and to extend their marketable life.

Listeria Concerns Prompt Turkey Sandwich Recall

Salmonella Outbreak in Raw Almonds Examined

More Thorough Recall Process May Have Prevented Salmonella Outbreak

News from the International Irradiation Association (iiA)

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Durango, Colorado: On August 26th, Wal-Mart stores throughout Colorado pulled 5-pound packages of Flanders Beef Patties that state health officials say may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea and intense abdominal cramps.  A state Department of Public Health and Environment news release said the warning came after Flanders Provision Co., of Waycross, Ga., voluntarily recalled 900,000 pounds of beef produced from Feb. 21 to March 10.
 

The recall affects a variety of Flanders products sold to retail stores nationwide. None of the products was distributed directly in Colorado, but could have reached stores from distribution centers outside the state, the news release said.  The only questionable Flanders product sold by Wal-Mart was the 5-pound package of Flanders Beef Patties and were not available at Sam's Club locations. Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart.

The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has issued a Final Rule which amends " ... the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of ionizing radiation for control of Vibrio species and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish (e.g., oysters, mussels, clams, etc.). This action is in response to a petition filed by the National Fisheries Institute and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry ...". The rule will allow fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish to be irradiated at a dose not to exceed 5.5kGy.The decision was announced by the FDA in the August 16, 2005 US Federal Register (Volume 70, Number 197, 48057).

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Despite a risk management plan adopted in 2001, deaths and illnesses caused by raw oysters contaminated with the dangerous Vibrio vulnificus bacteria have remained relatively constant. The main reason that deaths aren't increasing is because in 2003, one state, California, reduced its Vibrio deaths to zero by banning the sale of the riskiest unprocessed Gulf Coast oysters, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). On August 18th, CSPI told the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) , the quasi-public organization that regulates shellfish safety, that it should reduce deaths and illnesses by requiring treatment of oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico harvested during warmer months. Much of the industry has resisted employing technologies that can kill Vibrio without affecting taste, such as cold pasteurization and hydrostatic pressure.

The ISSC risk management plan called for a 40 percent reduction in Vibrio illnesses for 2005 and 2006, and a 60 percent reduction for 2007 and 2008. To measure its progress, the ISSC intends to look at data from what it calls the "core states" of Florida, Texas, California, and Louisiana. CSPI says that it is more likely that the California ban, rather than anything the ISSC is doing, will make those targets achievable. CSPI said the ISSC could better gauge the effectiveness of its plan by excluding California and looking at other states, preferably from the Gulf region.

"No matter how much cocktail sauce the industry dumps on the data, in 2004 20 people died unnecessary and painful deaths after eating contaminated oysters," said CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith DeWaal. Virtually all oysters carry the bacteria, which are particularly deadly for people who have liver disease, diabetes, AIDS, or other immune deficiencies. Half of the victims who develop a blood infection from Vibrio vulnificus will die from it, making it one of the deadliest types of food poisoning.

"The shellfish industry representatives that dominate the ISSC are more concerned with avoiding the inconvenience and expense of regulation than with protecting the public's health," said CSPI staff attorney Amy McDonnell. "This is an industry that needs to be improved by federal regulation, not protected by an interstate cheering section."  The ISSC has been considering, among other things, its risk management strategies for Vibrio vulnificus at a meeting in Point Clear, Alabama.

CSPI has urged public health authorities to advise consumers to avoid eating any raw, untreated oysters that are harvested from Gulf states during April through October. Restaurateurs and retailers who want to serve untreated oysters should seek out those from the colder waters of New England or the Pacific Northwest, according to CSPI.

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Shellfish and fish can be irradiated to control pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, and to extend their marketable life. By Michelle Marcotte, Marcotte Consulting Inc. (Updated September 2005)

Control of Harmful and Spoilage Microorganisms

Shellfish and may be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio and other species including parasites. In addition, various spoilage bacteria reduce marketable life of the food by causing off odors, off colors, sliminess and other quality problems. In other cases, spoilage is caused by the action of enzymes.

Irradiation of fish and shellfish can only be considered as part of good manufacturing or HACCP processing. The foods must be in good quality, properly handled, processed and stored before and after irradiation. Under these conditions, with good irradiation practices, most pathogenic microorganisms can be essentially eliminated, and spoilage bacteria can be sufficiently reduced to result in significant increases of refrigerator, ice or freezer storage times.

The irradiation dose for this purpose is usually between 0.75 - 1.5 kGy for fresh products and cooked products and between 2 - 5 kGy for frozen products. This dose is not sufficient to control spore-forming bacteria such as C. botulinum Type E. In addition, irradiation does not eliminate the toxins produced by S. aureus and others. For these reasons and others, fish and shellfish, whether irradiated or not, must be properly processed and stored cold <3C or on ice, or frozen.

Storage and Packaging

Unless intended for further processing, poultry and red meats should be irradiated in their final packaging to prevent recontamination, since the purpose of irradiation is to control harmful, common bacteria such as Salmonella and coliforms. Fish and shellfish, however, might be irradiated to control harmful water-borne microorganisms and recontamination with these organisms might not be expected. In addition, to eliminate the risk of growth of C. botulinum Type E (that would survive irradiation), fish is often sold unpackaged, displayed and stored on ice since this bacteria can grow at cold temperatures.

Fish is sometimes not packaged before sale to prevent the growth of spoilage organisms and because this method of retailing meets consumer expectations for fresh fishery products. Many spoilage organisms would be expected to remain after low-dose irradiation, but at reduced levels. Irradiated fish and shellfish does spoil eventually, exhibiting typical spoilage indicators as it does. For this reason and others, the use of packaging that excludes oxygen might not be recommended for many fresh fish and seafood products.

On the other hand, improved packaging methods, and modified atmosphere packaging methods might combine with irradiation to improve marketability of fish and shellfish products, particularly for processed products. Combination methods must, however,  be optimized and closely evaluated.

Irradiated fish and shellfish, packaged or not,  should be stored either very cold <3C, on ice, or frozen. After irradiation, additional cold storage life can be expected in either fresh, frozen or previously frozen irradiated product that has been thawed. Several researchers have indicated increases in storage times of 1-3 weeks for fresh and cooked product and doubling of storage times for frozen products. Thawed, previously-frozen irradiated fish and shellfish products also show this effect (approximately three weeks under research conditions). This is a benefit to retailers who often break up blocks of frozen seafood for display on chopped ice and for consumers.

Irradiation and Further Processed Fish and Shellfish Products

In Europe, smoked fish products are successfully irradiated to extend shelf life. Irradiation also reduces the extent of smoking and drying required, ensuring a moister product that better meets consumer tastes. Vacuum packaged smoked salmon is sold in France and Belgium with a 6 week (minimum) refrigerator storage life, in excellent quality. One of the benefits of this combination treatment is that the proteolytic and TMA-producing bacteria are particularly sensitive to radiation. Even in high fat species, oxidative rancidity is not observed with the combination of smoked fish preparation and irradiation over the storage time. The dose used for this purpose is between 1 - 2 kGy.

Irradiation is the ideal treatment to ensure the safety of high value frozen shrimp, shelled or shell-on. In joint Canadian and Thai research with block frozen, shelled "Tiger" shrimp, the product had both extended freezer storage time and greatly extended refrigerator storage time after thawing. This result offers a clear benefit to retailers who break up blocks of  previously frozen shrimp for sale on ice, and for their customers who purchase these shrimp products.

In lobster producing regions, lobster is sometimes sold cooked. The cooked lobster meat can be sold fresh, or placed in a can and frozen (which is not the same as canning). Cooked lobster meat has a very short shelf life and is often not widely marketed, although it is in good demand for the restaurant trade. Cooked lobster sold frozen in cans is a good product, although there are texture differences compared with unfrozen cooked lobster. Frozen cooked lobster has a better storage life (one month is recommended for best quality), but contamination with Listeria has been noted as an occasional problem. Irradiation under 1.5 kGy extends the on-ice storage time by one or two weeks, and the freezer storage by one month.  At this level, Listeria, if present, would be reduced by one or two logs.

Various combinations of cooking and irradiation also gave good results for scallops, finfish and crabmeat and would be expected to work as well for other products. In this way, fresh cooked products for foodservice could be marketed to a wider geographic region with good quality and with a better assurance of safety.

In other countries, traditional dried, salted fish products intended for long storage are irradiated to prevent insect disinfestation common when open-air drying methods are used. In North America these products are unfamiliar, except for certain ethnic populations who appreciate these foods for traditional recipes.  Packaging that prevents recontamination is required, but refrigeration is not required for completely dried fish. The dose used for this purpose is a minimum of 0.50 kGy.

Regulations

The new molluscan shellfish regulation by the US FDA is indeed good news. Still under review is approval to irradiate Shrimp and other related fish are part of another petition before the US FDA.

Listeria Concerns Prompt Turkey Sandwich Recall: (August 25, 2005) By Ann Bagel for meatingplace.com:

Eden Prairie, MN: Approximately 13,087 Deli Express turkey club sandwiches sold by Eden Prairie, Minn.-based E.A. Sween Co. have been recalled because they may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.

The 4.4-oz. sandwiches carry the manufacturer date code 652091 and are Deli Express product code 157. They were distributed to convenience stores in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. No illnesses have been reported in connection with consumption of these products.

Salmonella Outbreak Examined:
County and state health officials continue to investigate a Salmonella outbreak at a South San Francisco restaurant in July 2005 that may be linked to raw almonds. One worker and 21 diners were left sick after eating at La Tapatia Restaurant, but a county report from the health department on communicable diseases notes the monthly increase is not considered out of the ordinary.

A communicable disease team, including an environmental health specialist and a public health nurse, visited the Grand Avenue facility and made recommendations to prevent further disease transmission, according to the report. Later visits included state health officials who collected samples from those affected. The specimens from restaurant patrons matched a strain of Salmonella specific to raw almonds.

State investigators discovered La Tapatia bought raw almonds in bulk from a large food retailer and repackaged them for resale. However, all of the almonds confiscated from the restaurant all tested negative for that strain, said Health Services spokeswoman Beverly Thames.

Currently, officials are comparing the outbreak to a similar incident in Berkeley during the same period. No illnesses have been reported since the initial batch.
[In 2004, a worldwide recall of raw almonds occurred due to contamination of the nuts with Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis. It would be interesting to know the relationship between the California strain and last year's contaminant.)

ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org

SAN FRANCISCO - Food Safety attorney William Marler August 24th reissued calls for more stringent recall procedures for contaminated food in the aftermath of a Salmonella outbreak at a restaurant in San Francisco. According to health officials, 22 ill persons have tested positive for a strain of Salmonella matching the strain associated with raw almonds.

In May, 2004, officials at the FDA, in conjunction with state health officials from Oregon, Washington, and California, reported a link between a number of Salmonella illnesses and raw almonds processed and sold by Paramount Farms, Inc. of California. As a result, Paramount Farms recalled approximately 13 million pounds of raw almonds. Eventually at least 46 illnesses, including a death, were tied to that outbreak. Documents acquired in litigation against Paramount Farms demonstrate that of the roughly 13 million pounds of almonds recalled, only 1,183,279 pounds were recovered by the firm. While a significant amount of the recalled almonds were likely consumed before the recall, it remains likely that the most recent outbreak can be traced back to the prior problem.

"Given the amount of potentially contaminated product involved, tougher follow-up procedures were needed in this case,” said Marler, who has represented thousands of food-poisoning victims in the past. "If even ten percent of the product was allowed to remain on the shelves, which leaves the potential for hundreds, if not thousands, of illnesses. And in reality, they recovered only ten percent of the product. The other ninety percent has either been consumed or is still out there.”

Marlers firm, Marler Clark, has filed lawsuits on behalf of eleven people who became ill with Salmonella infections after consuming contaminated Paramount Farms almonds. For more information on Salmonella litigation in this case, visit www.Salmonellalitigation.com or http://www.marlerclark.com/news/almonds13.htm

News from International Irradiation Association

August 8, 2005 Fortune Magazine Special Feature on Nuclear Energy, including feature on "Irradiate This" with notable quotes from John Masefield, International Irradiation Association (iiA) Chairman.

September 13, 2005 A new IAEA communications "toolkit" for government agencies, industries, and other key groups covers top safety and security issues related to sealed radioactive sources. An aim is to improve awareness and communication of potential risks and how to prevent them. See the IAEA website for details.

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