In the third quarter of this year, there were more worldwide food safety issues than in the first three months. In comparison to 46 alerts during the second quarter of 2022, the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) participated in 58 alerts from July to September.
A total of 32 events were classified as biological hazards, with Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella leading the way with 10 cases each. Clostridium botulinum and hepatitis A each caused two, whereas Bacillus cereus and Coxsackievirus both caused one. Almonds, eggs, walnuts, peanuts, soy, and wheat are just a few of the 11 that had an undeclared allergy. Eight of these cases were brought on by chemical risks like mycotoxins, aconitine, butylated hydroxytoluene, ethylene glycol, ethylene oxide, histamine, and peracetic acid. Seven were brought on by natural disasters, such as glass, metal, insects, and plastic. BHT is an additive found in foods like cereals, and aconitine is a toxin made by plants.
Hepatitis A associated with Berries
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) jointly oversee INFOSAN. Over half of all instances were reported by INFOSAN members, 28% by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission, and 19% through other WHO channels.
One noteworthy case was hepatitis A, which has been linked to frozen berries, in six European nations and the United Kingdom. With more than 300 cases, hepatitis A virus genotype IB clusters and epidemics have been documented in Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, and the UK. Investigations indicate that frozen berries and human-to-human transmission of the associated HAV strains may be linked to outbreaks and clusters of cases.
Snacks, desserts, and other foods; milk and dairy products; composite foods; meat and animal products; and vegetables and vegetable products were the most often engaged food categories. There have also been several occurrences related to fish and other shellfish, cereals and cereal-based products, fruit and fruit-related items, and herbs, spices, and condiments.
In July, a restaurant in Hungary was implicated in an outbreak after 16 patrons there also developed HAV IB infection. A cold soup made with frozen berries was served to certain patients. This led to the recall of Ardo Fruitberry mix, which was made and packaged in Poland by a group subcontractor and shipped to more than 25 nations.
Training and Workshops
The WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) jointly sponsored a workshop on foodborne disease surveillance and response in which INFOSAN also took part. Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar received sessions. During the quarter, four virtual INFOSAN seminars took place in Benin, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ireland, and the UK. The objective was to assist nations in enhancing their ability to control hazards to food safety.
In another incident, Dutch spinach and arugula were found to contain Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). International distribution of the pertinent items was made to 16 nations, including Belgium, Germany, Kuwait, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Members of INFOSAN carried out additional research in an effort to comprehend the rise in warnings related to E. coli O157 and non-O157 STEC.