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FDA news , Lettuce tied to E.Coli National Outbreak

PORKER

Well-known member
Lettuce tied to latest E. coli cases
FDA: Food would be safer with stricter growing standards
By TRACIE CONE
Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 09/27/2008 01:41:21 AM PDT


Public health officials in Michigan have fingered a brand of shredded and chopped iceberg lettuce as the likely source of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has sickened consumers in several states.
The lettuce, distributed nationally by Detroit-based vendor Aunt Mid's Produce Co., is being linked to 26 cases in Michigan, as well as illnesses in Illinois, New York, Ohio and Oregon.

"Even though the investigation is ongoing, available evidence is strongly pointing to iceberg lettuce," said Dr. Gregory Holzman, chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Community Health.


His agency issued a public health alert Friday afternoon as a precautionary measure. It says the recent E. coli illnesses are thought to be associated with bagged, industrial-sized packages of iceberg lettuce sold to restaurants and institutions.

There is no evidence the bagged lettuce at grocery stores is affected. Other distributing outlets could be identified, officials said, and product trace-back and additional test results are still in progress.

The news came the same day that a government report outlined the Food and Drug Administration's problems in keeping up with its food safety enforcement mandates.

The report by Government Accountability Office investigators said the FDA's efforts to combat food-borne illness are hampered by infrequent inspections and poor enforcement at fresh produce processing plants.


Stricter growing standards needed with traceback in COOL law

But a Food and Drug
Administration official said Friday that the nation's fresh produce would be safer if U.S. farmers were required to adopt strict standards for growing leafy greens similar to industry-written ones devised for California growers.
Dr. David Acheson said the FDA would need authority from Congress to enact "preventative controls" over production of the nation's fresh produce like those it has in place for seafood and fresh juice.

"Having Congress give us explicit authority makes it a much more robust approach and gives more chance of success," said Acheson, the commissioner for foods.

He said the FDA agreed with many of the findings of the report and began addressing them before it was published. Acheson said in a written statement Friday that at least two of the GAO's recommendations, including giving the agency enhanced access to food records during emergencies, are included in the FDA's 10-month-old Food Protection Plan. The strategy to protect food from intentional and unintentional contamination also involves more closely working with states' departments of food and agriculture.

"FDA will soon be awarding grants to states to further food and feed safety," said Acheson, adding that it is "one of the many steps we are taking to transform food protection."

The 59-page report, drafted as salmonella sickened 1,300 people in 43 states over the summer, cited previously unpublished FDA figures showing that 14 people died and 10,253 were sickened in 96 outbreaks associated with fresh produce from 1996 through 2006.

The report said the FDA delayed implementing safety measures for the fast-growing bagged produce market because of its focus on counterterrorism and investigations into the outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. The result, the report said, will be a six-year delay in fresh-cut produce guidelines.

The FDA has focused its testing efforts on pesticide residue, rather than microbial contamination such as E. coli. In 2007, 82 percent of all produce samples underwent pesticide testing, while 18 percent were tested for microbial contamination.


Defense of industry measures


The cut produce industry is funding studies into potential causes of contamination, especially in leafy greens. New FDA studies on potential wildlife transmission of E. coli to leafy greens are still two years from completion.

After the E.coli outbreak, California growers and processors wrote their own guidelines for production to avoid further loss in consumer confidence. Enforced by inspectors from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, it sets buffer zones around fields to reduce the risk of feces contamination from wildlife and establishes a safe distance between produce and cattle grazing operations and feedlots.

On Friday, California Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement CEO Scott Horsfall hadn't had an opportunity to read the report but defended the leafy greens industry's measures to guarantee a safe food supply and said the call for more regulation doesn't take into account the measures already being enforced.

"There's a lot that's been done in the last two years to move the goal of food safety further down the field," he said. "We've done a lot to raise the bar on food safety."

The voluntary compliance program, which establishes a checklist of good agricultural practices, has been adopted by 99 percent of the leafy greens producers in California, he said, and while it was created by the industry, the program is audited by government agents.


Local safety efforts


Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of the Central Coast, criticized the implication that government intervention is the best way to ensure a safe food supply, particularly in an era where the FDA is grossly understaffed to handle its workload.

"I find it ironic that people value the role of the government when it suits their purpose, and devalue it when it doesn't," he said. "Would this be the same FDA that was categorically wrong about the whole tomato situation? What I don't like about the report is that there's an inference that if the FDA were more involved, things would be better."

He said the FDA's limited resources are most needed in the inspection of products imported by non-American firms that have less stringent food safety programs than domestic companies.

"When it comes to the Salinas Valley and what we do, I would contend that it's fundamentally unnecessary," he said. "Our industry aggressively responded because we understood it was in our best interest and the right thing to do."

In addition to the Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement, Donohue said, the strict safety mandates of third-party buyers, including the big grocery chains and the restaurant industry, add an additional layer of audits upon the industry.

"I wouldn't want to downplay the role of government in any way," he said, "but you have to be realistic about available resources, where the needs are, because every level of government has to make choices."


Herald staff writer Marie Vasari contributed to this report.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Shipments of contaminated lettuce halted
Published: Sept. 27, 2008 at 2:36 PM EAST LANSING, Mich., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Shipments of iceberg lettuce identified as a source of E. coli illnesses in Illinois have been stopped, a produce supplier said.

Aunt Mid's Produce Co. halted shipments of the contaminated lettuce believed to be associated with some of 26 cases of the illness, The Detroit News reported Saturday.

The supplier shipped bags of shredded or chopped iceberg lettuce to restaurants and institutions. Officials say they believe contaminated lettuce was not sent to store shelves,the newspaper reported.

"We are going to have to take a step back and make sure everything is proper. We are taking this seriously," said Aunt Mid's Chief Executive Officer Philip Riggio.

The source of lettuce delivered to Aunt Mid's had yet to be identified.

The Michigan Department of Community Health said 26 cases of genetically linked E. coli were reported in eight Michigan counties. The same strain has been identified in cases in Illinois, New York, Ohio and Oregon.

Eight Michigan State University students were hospitalized with E. coli 0157:H7.

Restaurants and institutions should not buy iceberg lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid's Produce Co. after the produce was linked to more than 30 Illinois cases of E. coli, the Illinois Department of Public Health warned Sunday.

No Aunt Mid's lettuce should be used until further notice.

Aunt Mid's has voluntarily suspended the processing and sale of iceberg lettuce throughout the United States, according to the department.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
More People Ill in Growing Michigin Lettuce E. coli Outbreak
Date Published: Tuesday, September 30th, 2008



The E. coli outbreak linked to a Michigan lettuce distributor has now sickened 30 people in the mid- and southeast regions of that state, according to Michigan health officials. Four new cases have been reported since late last week across three counties. In all, about eight counties are involved.

Meanwhile, we just reported that the Michigan Department of Community Health announced that bagged lettuce from Detroit-based produce distributor Aunt Mid’s Produce Company, is the probable source of the outbreak that seems to have originated in that state. In addition to those ill in Michigan, this outbreak has sickened several others in New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Oregon. “That pretty much nailed the fact that it was a national distributor,” Michigan State University Physician Beth Alexander said regarding the related cases emerging in other states. “There can be many distributors of one farm.

If you trace it back to where the product is produced they might sell to several distributors.” Aunt Mid’s released a statement Friday saying, “(Aunt Mid’s) has already voluntarily initiated testing procedures by an independent laboratory. In the meantime, Aunt Mid’s is voluntarily suspending any processing and sale of its iceberg lettuce product line…. I don’t think there’s much question about it being lettuce,” Alexander said. “Fresh produce and ground beef are the two most common sources.”

The state connected lettuce supplies from MSU, the Lenawee County Jail, and a restaurant in Illinois, said James McCurtis, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health. “So far, it points to Aunt Mid’s,” he said. “As we progress, there might be other vendors.” The Associate Press reports that at least five Illinois residents were hospitalized after contracting the bacteria between late August and mid-September, with a sixth Illinois resident also reported infected. An Aunt Mid’s company statement says Aunt Mid’s has begun testing of its processing facility and initial results show no contamination, according to the AP.

E. coli are a group of bacteria found in animal intestines and feces. Some strains are necessary for digestion; some are harmful, deadly, and toxin-producing and part of a group of E. coli called Verocytotoxigenic E. coli, or VTECs. Of particular concern is the virulent, sometimes deadly E. coli O157:H7 strain that is part of this group and that is generally found to be the culprit in E. coli-related food-borne illness outbreak. Strain O157:H7 has been confirmed to be to blame in this outbreak. E. coli may cause fatal blood poisoning, cystitis, deadly septicemia, and death. In the US, E. coli is the leading cause of food-borne illness, sickening about 73,000 and killing 61; last year, over 22 million pounds of beef and vegetables were recalled due to E. coli outbreaks.

There is growing concern in the scientific community—not just because of the seeming prevalence of all manner of foodborne illnesses—but because instances of drug resistant E. coli are being reported world-wide and are similar in path to a mutated staph called MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that, when not treated early, is resistant to all but the one antibiotic of last resort.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
At least 39 E. coli Cases in MI, IL, NY, OH and OR and the Count Likely Will Continue to Rise

Posted on September 29, 2008 by E. coli Attorney



Source of Article: http://www.marlerblog.com/

The number of confirmed E. coli cases continues to climb in Michigan and Illinois. Numbers from New York, Ohio and Oregon have yet to be counted. At least 39 cases with the same DNA fingerprinting have been identified in five states. In Michigan, some of the cases are at Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and the Lenawee County Jail. Other cases are in St. Clair County, Wayne County, Macomb County, Oakland County and Kent County.

The Illinois Department of Public Health says at least five Illinois residents have been hospitalized after contracting E. coli between late August and mid-September. Aunt Mid’s Produce Company supplied the lettuce. Where the lettuce was grown is still a mystery.

Seems a bit odd that at this point Aunt Mid's has not announced who they bought the lettuce from and where it was grown. Where is the FDA? However, look at the number of outbreaks and the locations of where lettuce is grown. My bet is the Salinas Valley. However, as I said to the Salinas Californian:
Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney specializing in product litigation, said his office has been retained by some of the people sickened during the outbreak.

Marler said he doesn't know the source of the lettuce and likely won't until health officials complete their trace-back.

"At this point it's all speculation about where it's coming from," Marler said

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PORKER

Well-known member
E. coli warning too late, Windsor hospital chief says
CAROLINE ALPHONSO

October 3, 2008

TORONTO -- The head of an Ontario hospital is demanding an investigation into why the federal agency charged with food safety took five days to notify health authorities of a suspected E. coli outbreak.

David Musyj, president and chief executive officer of the Windsor Regional Hospital, said authorities in Michigan issued a public-health alert last Friday that 26 cases of E. coli strain O157:H7 were believed to be associated with iceberg lettuce from Aunt Mid's Produce, a Detroit-based wholesale distributor.

But the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is coming under fire for only notifying Windsor health officials on Wednesday.

"What happened between Sept. 26 and Oct. 1? Clearly there is a communication gap that occurred," Mr. Musyj said yesterday. "I want an investigation to be launched into this to find out why there was a communication gap, whether it was our CFIA or whether it was the State of Michigan."

The E. coli scare comes on the heels of a listeria outbreak linked to deli-meats at Maple Leaf Foods that has so far claimed 20 lives, including two people in Windsor, and left 32 people seriously ill across Canada. The Globe and Mail reported last week that health officials in Ontario ordered hospitals and nursing homes to stop serving Maple Leaf meats five days before the CFIA sounded the alarm.

Mr. Musyj said that even if the CFIA was only informed about the outbreak on Wednesday, federal officials need to determine why the delay took place. He wrote to the president of the CFIA and to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz yesterday calling for an investigation and an explanation.

"This isn't a ball game. We don't wait for a third strike to do something," he said.

Dustin Pike, a spokesman for Mr. Ritz, said in an e-mail yesterday that the Public Health Agency of Canada notified the CFIA of the E. coli outbreak in Michigan potentially linked to the lettuce on Tuesday, and after determining that the product had been imported into Canada, the CFIA contacted Windsor health authorities the following morning.

Mr. Pike said Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has promised to launch an independent probe into the listeria outbreak that will also look at any potential food safety and inspection shortfalls.

"It is important to note that the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] has not yet confirmed a link between the [E. coli] illnesses and the product, and therefore has not issued a recall.... If it is determined that there is a risk to the public, the CFIA will take necessary actions to remove any product from the marketplace," Mr. Pike said.

Davendra Sharma, a food-safety recall specialist at the CFIA, said the agency acted promptly when it heard of the outbreak to identify who in Canada purchased the product and to notify Windsor officials. He, too, said that the FDA, which the CFIA communicates with, hasn't issued a recall.

E. coli infections can be spread by many food sources such as undercooked ground beef, raw vegetables and contaminated water. It can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Some infections are mild, but others can be life-threatening. In 2006, for example, an E. coli outbreak, caused by tainted spinach from California, killed three people and sickened more than 200 others.

Mr. Musyj said that, in early September, 164 patients in the hospital's acute-care facility ordered salads containing the suspect lettuce. In less than 24 hours after receiving the call from CFIA, Windsor health officials contacted all of them.

So far, eight people have said they are suffering from gastro symptoms and are being treated by public health, he said.
 

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