A new strain of norovirus, which is thought to have originated in Australia, was the leading cause of norovirus outbreaks in the United States from September to December 2012, according to a study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new strain, first detected… Continue Reading
A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to soft cheeses has sickened 18 people in Australia; two victims have died and one woman miscarried as a result of infection with the bacteria. The outbreak began in November of 2012, at which time an 84-year-old man from Victoria and a 44-year-old Tasmanian man died as a result of… Continue Reading
Food & Water Watch is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to review its decision to allow the newly privatized meat inspection system of Australia to be considered equivalent to U.S. inspection, according to a press release by the group. In a letter sent to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week, the group pointed… Continue Reading
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Australia opted to appeal the $8 million that a trial court award to a brain damaged teenage girl who was infected with Salmonella from eating a contaminated chicken twister at the fast food restaurant. Monika Samaan, now 14, has already waited more than seven years to be compensated for injuries… Continue Reading
The ground beef product that was recalled last week by two South Carolina-based manufacturers was imported from Australia and contaminated before it arrived, according to one of the importers. After testing conducted by the South Carolina Meat and Poultry Inspection Department revealed E. coli in a sample of boxed beef from Australia, two U.S…. Continue Reading
Australia is set to OK the sale of some hard, grating cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, but Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) says raw drinking milk “presents too high a risk” to consider its commerce. The change for some raw milk cheese is the result of an assessment, known as Proposal P1007, which considered… Continue Reading
The governments of Australia and New Zealand, major beef exporters, expressed written concern last week to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service over their new non-O157 E. coli policy, according to the North American Meat Processors Association newsletter. Echoing the arguments of the American Meat Institute, both Australia and New Zealand questioned whether the… Continue Reading
An alternative meat inspection program used by Australian exporters maintains sanitation standards equal to those of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), according to a notice of approval published in the Federal Register March 3. The notice says FSIS is reaffirming its earlier decision to accept Australia’s Meat Safety Enhancement Program, or MSEP,… Continue Reading
An Australian court has fined a New South Wales man $53,000 for various food safety violations, including selling unpasteurized dairy products “deliberately mislabeled and camouflaged as cosmetic products” when he knew his customers would drink them. According to a story in Hospitality Magazine, Peter Melov was found guilty of 43 breaches of the Food Act… Continue Reading
A Salmonella outbreak in Australia has sickened at least 60 people and is linked to custard-filled pastries. According to Australia’s ABC news, public health authorities are testing samples from two Adelaide bakeries and investigators suspect that the source of the the infections may be custard-filled berliner buns and custard-filled cannolis and eclairs. Nearly half the… Continue Reading
Like many foodborne illnesses, toxic honey poisoning can be a killer. Symptoms include vomiting, delirium, giddiness, increased excitability, stupor, coma, and violent convulsions. And it can be a quick tipping point from illness to death. As little as a teaspoon can have a severe effect on the human nervous system. Bees feeding on tutu… Continue Reading