Industry Alert!

Update Salmonella Outbreak

07/22/2008

FOOD SAFETY UPDATE: JALAPENO PEPPERS TEST POSITIVE FOR SALMONELLA SAINTPAUL

PMA released the following statement on the Salmonella outbreak, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced it has found a jalapeno pepper sample positive for Salmonella saintpaul bacteria. The pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico and handled at a small wholesaler/distribution center in McAllen, TX. FDA stressed that it does not know where in the distribution chain the contamination took place.

The company, Agricola Zaragosa, is recalling its product voluntarily. FDA said this discovery is not the entire story but does focus the investigation within the produce distribution chain.

FDA is advising consumers to avoid fresh jalapeno peppers and products that include raw jalapeno peppers - both at retail and foodservice outlets. An FDA official said that because they do not know the origin of the contamination, this consumer advisory against all fresh jalapenos rather than just those from one source is necessary. He said this advice will remain until officials are certain no contaminated product is still in the marketplace.

The outbreak has sickened 1,251 people in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, with illness onset dates from April 10 to July 4. Although the last onset date has not changed in several days, health officials said they cannot yet say the outbreak is over. The strain found in the pepper sample is an exact match to the strain in the outbreak. No other tests have been positive for this strain of Salmonella.

FDA officials said that the epidemiological evidence that originally linked the outbreak to tomatoes still exists. They reiterated that consumers can enjoy any tomatoes in the marketplace today. All points of the investigation are ongoing; none has stopped. They continue to investigate the entire supply chain, testing product, water, equipment, and more.”

GFS Canada will continue to carry raw jalapeno peppers and advise customers not to consume them raw as a precautionary measurement. CFIA has not officially made a statement yet.

07/21/2008

FOOD SAFETY UPDATE: GRANDE PRODUCE, LTD. CO. RECALLS JALAPENO PEPPERS, SERRANO PEPPERS AND AVOCADOS

Grande Produce, Ltd. recalls jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers and avocados that have been distributed between May 17 and July 17 due to the potential contamination of Salmonella. According to the Texas and North Carolina Departments of Health, the strain of Salmonella is not Salmonella Saintpaul, and is not believed to be related to the current Salmonella outbreak. The recall is a result of sampling not by the FDA, but by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the North Carolina Departments of Health & Human services, which revealed these products contained Salmonella bacteria. No illnesses associated with this recall have been reported to date.

The jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers and avocados were distributed to the following states: TX, DE, NC, GA, OK, IA, MN, IL, FL, IN, MD, NY, MS, AR, KS, and KY.
The avocados being recalled were shipped in boxes labeled "Frutas Finas de Tancitaro HASS Avocados, Produce of Mexico," all sizes, with lot number HUE08160090889. The jalapeno peppers and serrano peppers being recalled were shipped in 35-pound plastic crates with no brand name or label.

Consumers who purchased jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers and avocados should contact their supplier to determine if their products are involved in the recall. Consumers with questions may contact Grande Produce, Ltd. at (956) 843-8575.
We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

07/18/2008

FOOD SAFETY UPDATE: JALAPENO & AVOCADO RECALL IN NORTH CAROLINA

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) has reported the following recall information due to positive testing for Salmonella in peppers. State public health and agriculture officials have triggered a recall of jalapeno peppers and avocados distributed in North Carolina. Two samples from a food distributor tested positive for salmonella. In addition, the Texas supplier has been requested to recall all of the implicated products distributed in North Carolina.

It is not yet known whether this is the same Salmonella Saintpaul strain that has been identified in the outbreak; further testing is still required. Consumers are cautioned to prepare their vegetables properly. Raw produce should always be thoroughly washed under running water and produce that is to be consumed raw should be kept separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.

NCDA&CS Food and Drug Protection Division and the N.C. Division of Environmental Health staff are working to determine how many North Carolina food distributors, restaurants, grocery stores and other food sellers received this produce.

The HASS avocados were shipped from Texas in boxes labeled “Frutas Finas de Tancitaro HASS Avocados, Produce of Mexico,” 60-count, with lot number HUE08160090889.

The jalapenos were shipped in black plastic crates weighing about 15 pounds and containing no brand name or other label. CFIA has not made a statement yet as they are investigating impact in Canada.

We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

07/17/2008

FOOD SAFETY UPDATE: FDA LIFTS ADVISORY ON TOMATOES

PMA released the following statement on the Salmonella outbreak, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today lifted its advisory that consumers not eat certain tomatoes from certain areas. FDA has said that U.S. consumers should enjoy any and all tomatoes on the market.

The agency continues to work to determine the cause of the Salmonella saintpaul foodborne illness outbreak that has sickened more than 1,200 people in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. It continues to look at tomatoes, jalapeno and serrano peppers, and cilantro. The FDA said it lifted the warning because no suspect tomatoes remain in the marketplace.

FDA said it is going to a pepper packer in Mexico that has appeared during the traceback, but stressed that the visit to the packer should not be interpreted as that packer being responsible for the outbreak.”

We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

07/14/2008

Advice to Consumers

Update: UPDATE OF SALMONELLA SAINTPAUL SITUATION IN CANADA

Ottawa, July 11, 2008 - Public Health officials in Canada have reported four cases of Salmonella Saintpaul infections that match those associated with the outbreak in the United States. All of the cases became ill upon return from travel to the United States, suggesting they were infected during their trip. Cross border cases are expected given the size of the outbreak in the U.S., and travel by Canadians to the U.S. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is continuing to follow the outbreak investigation related to Salmonella Saintpaul by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The U.S. government announced recently that a recent study and disease cluster information provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that not only tomatoes, but also raw jalapeno and serrano peppers may be linked to illnesses in this continuing outbreak.

Canadians travelling to the United States should be aware of US advice to consumers on raw jalapeño peppers or raw serrano peppers. In addition, if they choose to eat raw tomatoes they should ensure that they are on the FDA safe list.

Consumers should be aware that tomatoes grown in Canada have not been implicated in the U.S. investigation. It is unlikely that Canadian-grown cilantro, jalapeno and Serrano peppers would be implicated as they were not in production during the time of the outbreak. Once the source of contamination has been determined by the US investigation, the CFIA will initiate the proper action to minimize the risk to consumers.

CFIA and PHAC want to inform Canadians that both the FDA and the CDC continue to update their respective websites to provide on-going information about their investigation. The FDA has updated their website to include a list of tomatoes that are not associated with the U.S. outbreak. The list is being updated as new information becomes available and can be viewed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html. More information on the CDC’s investigation is available at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday). People who believe they have experienced symptoms of illness are urged to contact their health care provider.

07/04/08

The following press releases have been issued today to the media and for posting on the CFIA web site.

Advice to Consumers

UPDATE OF SALMONELLA SAINTPAUL SITUATION IN CANADA

Ottawa, July 4, 2008 - Public Health officials in Canada have reported a case of a Salmonella Saintpaul infection that matches those associated with the outbreak in the United States. The individual involved has indicated that he recently travelled to the United States. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is also continuing to follow the outbreak investigation related to Salmonella Saintpaul by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The outbreak may be associated with a food source, particularly certain types of uncooked, fresh tomatoes or products containing these raw tomatoes.

Consumers should be aware that tomatoes grown in Canada have not been implicated in the U.S. investigation. As there is no definitive link to a specific food source available in this country, no specific advice is being issued for people in Canada.

CFIA and PHAC want to inform Canadians that both the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to update their respective websites to provide on-going information about their investigation. The FDA has updated their website to include a list of tomatoes that are not associated with the U.S. outbreak. The list is being updated as new information becomes available and can be viewed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

07/01/08

FOOD SAFETY ALERT: TOMATO INVESTIGATION EXPANDS

The PMA sent information today regarding FDA expanding the investigation of the tomato outbreak. In the alert they state, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they are expanding the focus of the epidemiological investigation into the ongoing Salmonella saintpaul outbreak to include other fresh produce items typically consumed with tomatoes. Tomatoes remain the lead suspect, according to CDC. FDA and CDC have not changed their advice to consumers related to this outbreak.

A Baltimore Sun report indicated that investigators are looking at cilantro, jalapeno peppers, or other items typically used in Mexican restaurants.

In a call with consumer media, David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods for FDA, stated that the industry has an ethical and legal responsibility to provide food that is "safe, wholesome, and free of contamination." He said that FDA has not made as much progress in the investigation as it would like because of industry record keeping, much of which is paper records. He said the industry must modernize and move to electronic records to enhance data retrieval and improve traceability.

Acheson noted that investigators must go where the science leads, and he said they are investigating the entire supply chain from farm to consumer. He said they will look at various possibilities such as:

Multiple products grown on one farm;
Multiple products with a common water source;
Products at a common packing-house; and
Possible cross-contamination when products come into contact with each other

Acheson said FDA is activating the Food Emergency Response Network (FERM), asking laboratories to expand testing given the new commodities under investigation. Activating FERM will increase lab capacity; this happened during the 2006 outbreak linked to spinach as well.

In addition, FDA is exploring the idea of an inter agency task force to coordinate response in situations like this. The agency is also renewing its November 2007 call for Congress to give it authority to require preventive controls.

The total number of culture-confirmed cases is currently at 869 with onset dates of April 10 to June 20. The total number of hospitalization is 107 as of June 30. The total number of states reporting illnesses is 36, plus Washington, DC.”

The FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still characterize the outbreak as ongoing, and have issued information on the outbreak. To see the CDC information, visit the CDC Web site. To see the FDA information, visit the FDA Web site.

At this time, there is no reason to believe that any products involved in the 'new' investigation are a concern in Canada as no incidents have been reported. We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

06/11/08
On the evening of June 10th, 2008 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated their list to include 19 counties in Florida that could not have been associated with the recent outbreak because they were not shipping at that time. Those counties are : Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte. Shipments of tomatoes harvested in these counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

As a precautionary step, GFS Canada has acquired the certificates to verify the county of origin back to June 1st, 08.

The CFIA has not issued any advisory on Florida tomatoes in Canada and no cases of salmonella have been reported in Canada. Based on this information, GFS Canada will continue to ship Florida roma and round tomatoes from the counties listed above as of today June 10.

If any new information becomes available, our team will evaluate the situation and communicate it to you.

Further information can be obtained through the CPMA, CFIA, and the FDA. Please refer to the CFIA website for the latest information as it pertains to the Canadian marketplace or the FDA website for US information. The addresses are: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml and http://www.fda.gov/

06/10/08
To further our efforts to provide up-to-date information to our customers regarding any confusion between statements & information provided by FDA & CFIA, GFS is providing the following Question & Answer section regarding the Salmonella Outbreak.

Question: Why is CFIA stating that tomatoes in Canada are safe, while the FDA is saying not to consume any tomatoes from certain states that supply to Canada?

Answer: Many tomatoes from the United States that enter into Canada have gone through the supply chain with no contamination reports. The outbreak was identified from April 17th - May 25th with no more cases reported afterwards. CFIA believes that no contaminated tomatoes made it to Canada.

Question: Are all tomatoes safe if used for cooking purposes?

Answer: Yes, as long as food safety practices are followed and internal temperature of 165° F is reached.

Question: Are Florida tomatoes safe?

Answer: FDA is monitoring Florida product and will update a list of safe areas later this week. CFIA has not recalled any Florida tomatoes, as there is no evidence of contamination and continues to monitor the situation with the FDA.

Question: Are grape, cherry, and hot house tomatoes safe?

Answer: Yes. FDA has not linked these varieties to the salmonella outbreak.

Question: What should I do with tomatoes I have in my restaurant?

Answer: Based on info from CFIA, all tomatoes in Canada are safe. It is up to the operators discretion and expense, should they decide to dispose of their current supply of tomatoes.

Question: What is GFS doing to continue to keep food service operators informed?

Answer: GFS, in conjunction with Markon®, are closely monitoring the information from both CFIA and FDA investigations, in order to ensure the most up-to-date information is communicated to our valued customers in a timely fashion.

06/09/08
On the evening of June 7th, 2008 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning across the United States that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red round and roma tomatoes. To date, the CFIA has not implicated tomatoes that have entered the distribution chain in Canada.

As a precautionary step, Gordon Foodservice had made a decision to halt shipments of round and roma tomatoes on Sunday June 8th until further tests and evaluation can be done. We are extremely confident in our food safety practices and those of our suppliers and we will keep you informed as to the status of this situation.

The CFIA has not issued any advisory on Florida tomatoes in Canada and no cases Of salmonellosis in Canada have been reported. Based on this information , GFS Canada will continue to ship Florida roma and round tomatoes as of today June 09.

FDA has indicated that the hold on Florida tomatoes in the United States might be released some time this week and we will keep you informed.

As new information becomes available our team will evaluate the situation and communicate it to you on a daily basis.

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