“History is a circle, made by men who don't learn from their mistakes.”
~Edward Hogan~
In order to prepare for 2019, it would be wise for us to learn from what 2018 taught us. Here are some of the notable outbreaks and risks you should prepare for in 2019.
Europe:
March 2018
Nuts, fruit and veg top EU food recall chart when fresh produce and nuts account for almost two fifths of recalls and notifications in first quarter of 2018. Bacterial contamination was the top cause of food recalls overall, at 25.2 per cent, followed by aflatoxins (cancer-causing mould) with 20.6 per cent.
http://www.fruitnet.com/fpj/article/175654/nuts-fruit-and-veg-top-eu-food-recall-chart
August 2018
Bacterial contamination because of pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes was the top cause of food recalls for the sixth quarter in a row. Chemicals were second in the causes for recalls followed by aflatoxins.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/08/nuts-seeds-lead-2q-recall-stats-for-eu/
USA
April 2018 - Eggs
The Rose Acre Farms recall of almost 207 million shell eggs for Salmonella contamination accounted for more than 95 percent of the 213 million recalled food units regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, according to the second quarter recall index from Stericycle Inc. The eggs were responsible for a 10-state outbreak that sickened at least 45 people, with 11 requiring hospitalization.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/08/bacteria-top-fda-recall-stats-for-2q-foreign-matter-leads-usda-recalls/
USA
Nov 2018 - The ongoing saga of Romaine lettuce
It’s been a rough year for salad lovers. There were a total of three E. coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens in 2018. The first was from an outbreak that began in December 2017, resulting in 25 illnesses. The outbreak prompted a trace-back investigation that focused on romaine. The second E. coli outbreak occurred in April, and was eventually confirmed to have spread through lettuce from the Yuma region of Arizona. It wasn’t an official recall, but many growers and others in the romaine supply chain launched a voluntary “market withdrawal” of all forms and brands of the popular leafy green two days before Thanksgiving. The action was at the request of the FDA, which announced the third E. coli outbreak in 12 months on Nov. 20. Hundreds of people in the United States and Canada fell ill in the three outbreaks. At least five people died.
https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/biggest-food-recalls-2018-list
Oct 2018 - JBS beef
In October, JBS Tolleson Inc., a beef producer in Arizona that is part of the multi-national Brazilian company JBS S.A., recalled 6.5 million pounds of ground beef because of links to a Salmonella outbreak. The company expanded the recall in December to a total of more than 12 million pounds. As of Dec. 12, there were 333 people with confirmed Salmonella Newport infections across 28 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/12/recalls-show-foodborne-threats-continue/
USA
Dec 2018
A bad year in the USA, but: The CDC's index of Selected Multistate Foodborne Outbreak Investigations, a running record of the year's large and notable outbreak investigations, also shows 15 salmonella outbreaks and multiple outbreaks of listeria and cyclospora. The CDC's investigations list currently features 21 cases—the most, according to CNN, undertaken by the agency in the last decade…. "We're getting better at detecting the outbreaks, and there are better-trained public-health individuals now looking to solve foodborne illness outbreaks than we've ever had.
https://psmag.com/news/2018-was-a-record-year-for-foodborne-illnesses
UK
July 2018 – Fresh produce
UK hardest hit in Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers
www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/uk-hardest-hit-in-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-cucumbers/
South Africa
March 2018 - Listeria
The largest ever detected Listeria outbreak in known history is over, according to officials in South Africa.
Between Jan. 1, 2017, and July 17, 2018, South Africa recorded 1,060 laboratory-confirmed cases of listeriosis, including 216 deaths.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/09/south-africa-declares-end-to-largest-ever-listeria-outbreak/
July 2018 - Listeria
South Africa's Woolworths (and others) recalls frozen savory rice product amid listeria outbreak in Europe
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-woolworths-hld-listeria/south-africas-woolworths-recalls-frozen-savory-rice-product-amid-listeria-outbreak-in-europe-idUSKBN1K11SD
Oct 2018 – Salmonella
Although the source is still a mystery and the KZN Health MEC slammed the reports…
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/salmonella-outbreak-at-least-20-hospitalised-in-durban-area-20181110
Australia
Dec 2018
More than 2,000 ill and nine dead in Australian outbreaks
One of every five outbreaks was due to Salmonella Typhimurium. Other frequent pathogens were norovirus, other Salmonella serovars, scombrotoxin, Campylobacter species and Clostridium perfringens.
Restaurants were the most often reported food preparation setting – 71 of the 144 outbreaks followed by private residences with 18 outbreaks.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/11/more-than-2000-ill-and-nine-dead-in-australian-outbreaks/
Oct 2018
Between January 16 and April 10, 22 cases of listeriosis occurred across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, which led to seven deaths and a miscarriage
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-11/listeria-rockmelon-report-finds-outbreak-caused-dust-storms/10365636
China
China’s food safety monitoring systems have undergone major improvements in the last decade following some notable food borne disease outbreaks. The latest research highlights these improvements and the need for further changes
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713518301063
The silent global threat – Antimicrobial resistance
Oct 2018
Repeated warnings were echoed during the second Food security and food safety conference hosted by University of Pretoria this year and it seems this is not just a local problem.
http://reports.weforum.org/global-risks-2018/anti-microbial-resistance/
As Louis Pasteur predicted
The microbes will have the last word…
Conclusion
Despite improvements in technology, we cannot afford to let down our guard. History should be our teacher and history has been known to repeat itself.
2019 will bring changes in our local legal requirements for Microbiological standards of food (Regulation 692) and this will mean stepping up our efforts to ensure the food we produce is safe.
