The U.K. Department of Health (DH) has identified the presence of livestock-associated MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in turkeys and chickens on a farm in East Anglia. The BBC reports that it’s the first case of LA-MRSA in poultry in the U.K., and that two-thirds of the turkeys on the unnamed farm were infected. Hundreds of turkeys may have already been sold to local retail outlets. LA-MRSA is not the same bacteria that cause the healthcare-associated infections that affect people. DH reports that the risk of getting it from eating poultry meat is very low if the meat is handled hygienically and cooked thoroughly to kill any bacteria. The agency also says that the risk catching LA-MRSA from an animal is also very low. LA-MRSA rarely causes disease in people, and, in most cases, the bacteria clear within 24 hours. If the strain were to affect humans, the DH says it would involve a mild skin infection. “There are many different strains of MRSA that cause illness in people, but this is not one of the strains that we are overly concerned about, given the very low number of clinical infections that have been seen in people,” said Professor Angela Kearns, head of the Staphylococcus Reference service at Public Health England. In addition, Peter Borriello, chief executive of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, said that LA-MRSA is not considered a significant risk to animal health and welfare.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
Authorities in Lithuania are investigating two cases of foodborne botulism linked to fish sold at a market.
The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) conducted an inspection at a market
A man has been given a suspended sentence in England for food safety offences.
Arfan Sultan, from Ilford, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Nov. 14 following an investigation
A grocery company in New Zealand has been fined for selling recalled hummus products that may have contained Salmonella.
Foodstuffs South Island was told to pay $39,000 (U.S.
Rwanda has lifted a ban on some South African food products that was put in place in 2017 because of a Listeria outbreak that sickened more than 1,000 people.
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
Recent
Prairie Farms is announcing a recall of select Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk produced at its Dubuque, IA, facility and distributed to Woodman’s stores in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Aoun brand tahineh is under recall in Canada because of contamination with Salmonella.
The recall was triggered by test results from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The recalled tahineh was
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and feasting. Once the holiday meal ends, the spotlight turns to enjoying the leftovers in the days ahead. To keep those leftovers safe
