PPT file location on Blackboard

Question from student:

You mentioned there are two powerpoint: FoodMic2a-2013.pdf and FoodMic2b-2013.pdf  during the class this week.  However, I cannot find any file named as FoodMic2a-2013.pdf and FoodMic2b-2013.pdf on Blackboard.  May I know that where can I find these files?

A: The PPT files are in the "Food Microbiology PPT" folder.

Groupings--Sorry for the delay

	Seesion A	Session B
Topic 1 - The roles of HKSAR Government agencies to food safety and food hygiene in HKSAR I: "Health and Food Bureau", "Health Department", "Agriculture, Fishery, and Conservation Department", "Government Laboratory"	Lau Tsz Ying Jenny, Ho Yi Ting Stephanie, Dai Hui Wah, Hui Chloe Ivy Ho Yin, Ong Yi Tung	Au Wing Shan, Shum Yuk, Tsang O suet, Wong King Shou, Wong Un Ieng
Topic 2 - The roles of HKSAR Government agencies to food safety and food hygiene in HKSAR II: Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and Centre for Food Safety	Cheng Fun Yi, Li Ho Lam, Kwok Hin Ching, Pang Hoi Yung, Leung Chun Kit	AO IEONG Mei Han, CHU Ching Yee, LAM Ka Yee, MAN Ka Fai, MA Man Wai
Topic 3 - The roles of HK SAR Non-government organizations in HK SAR in food safety:  “Consumer Council”, “Green Peace”, “Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency” and others	Hung Ka Yu, Lau Chak Hay Herman, Leung Kin Lun, Leung Yin Ching, Lo Wai Tsun	Wong Tsz Ching, Hsia Cin Yee, Lam Kar Yu, Ng Ting Yan, Fok Wai Leung, Kan Sung Yee
Topic 4 - Food safety and public health in HKSAR I: Central supplies - slaughter houses, vegetable wholesales, fishery wholesales	Chan Cheuk Him, Kwong Pak Hei, Yeung Wing Kei, Wong Shui Yu Bertha, Lok Chun On Ricky, Lee Wai Hang	Lee Fuk Pui, Lam Ning Yi, Wong Man Chun, To Wing Hang, Ho Chung Yan Joanne, Mui Lok Sum
Topic 5 - Food safety and public health in HKSAR II: Food manufacturers - cooked foods for consumption in a short time,e.g., lunch boxes for schools	Lau Ka Ho, Kwan ka ki, Chan nga lai, Lai King Ngai, Chen Yu Jen, Leung ka yan	Chan Hiu Yan, Fong Hoi Yan, Tang Wai Kong, Chan Suen Tung, Tsang Man Ting, Yeung Ming Sze
Topic 6 - Food safety and public health in HKSAR III: Food manufacturers - foods for long-term storage,e.g., canned foods	Ko Kin Chun, Ng Kam Hang, Hon Wai Lam, Lee Man Tai, Ng Lai Nam, Ng Yu Hang	Yeung Pak Hei, Ng Ming Shing, Yu Cheuk Yan, Yeung Ting, Cheung Tin Yee Zoe, Yeung Ka Yi
Topic 7 - Food safety and public health in HKSAR IV: Retails - markets and supermarkets	Lee Sin Yee, Liu Nga Man, Kam Chi On, Shing Po Yi, Tse Sze Man	Ao Hoi Cheng, Ip Wing Lam, Clara, Lei Wai U, Celia Damiana Sou, Ho Wai Yin, Wilma
Topic 8 - Food safety in food service premises in HKSAR: Fast food and other take-out food stalls; Restaurants	Wong Wai Lok, So Sze Ki, Chan Ka Chi Caleb, Choi Yan Yan, Wong Ming Kok, Yau Pui Ying	Ler, Lian Chia Tan, Yan Qin Tang, Chun Wing Tanuwijaya, Dhea Christella Song, Shuang Sun, Heyuan

You are here: Home / Food Safety / Disinfectants Fail to Kill Salmonella Biofilm

Disinfectants Fail to Kill Salmonella Biofilm

January 17, 2014 by Linda Larsen Leave a Comment

Pathogenic bacteria are able to grow and defend themselves by formingbiofilms. These clusters of bacteria communicate and the slime-enclosed aggregate help the bacteria defeat antibiotics. When the bacteria can form a biofilm in the human body, the infection will often become untreatable.

Researchers in Ireland studied whether disinfectants can kill Salmonella bacteria in a biofilm in food processing facilities. The scientists used three disinfectants, and found it did not kill the Salmonella cells if the biofilm grew for 7 days before the disinfectant was applied. Even soaking the biofilm in disinfectant for 1-1/2 hours failed to destroy the bacteria.

The research began after a Salmonella Agona outbreak in Europe sickened 160 people, linked to meat from a major processing facility. Salmonellosis is the second most common cause of foodborne illness worldwide. And contamination of surfaces in food processing facilities is one of the ways this bacteria gets into our food.

It turns out that Salmonella is able to adopt a “specialized biofilm” on many different hard surfaces, such as stainless steel, glazed tile, plastic, and glass. Over time, that biofilm becomes denser and attaches more firmly to the surface. The scientists found “morphological differences between the biofilm formed at 48 hours and the biofilm formed at 168 hours.” Only sodium hydroxide killed the early biofilm, but no disinfectant eradicated the mature biofilm.

Since disinfectants can’t kill this biofilm, processors must be very careful to keep Salmonella out of their facilities.  When Salmonella is established in a food facility, it persists despite thorough cleaning and chemical decontamination. The scientists think that the biofilm changes over time to provide more protection from harsh environmental conditions. More research is needed to find better ways to destroy Salmonella biofilms.

Japan food poisoning

Article:

- www.channelnewsasia.com

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E-news - 16.01.2014

 致食物安全電子資訊訂閱者:
Dear E-news recipients,

以下資訊已上載到食物安全中心(中心)網站:
News on the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) online:

食物安全焦點（2014年1月第90期）
Food Safety Focus (90th Issue, January 2014)

今期熱門焦點包括 :
The topics of the current issue are:

• Oyster and Food Safety Risk
• 蠔的食物安全風險 
• Toxins in our Mushrooms?
• 菇類含毒素嗎？
• Nuts and Aflatoxins
• 堅果與黃曲霉毒素
• Import Control for Avian Influenza
• 針對禽流感的進口管制

歡迎你們到中心以下網頁閱覽上述月刊 :
You are most welcome to browse through the publication at:

中文: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/tc_chi/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf.html
English: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf.html                      

時令食品調查 - 賀年食品
Seasonal Food Surveillance - Lunar New Year Food

農曆新年將至，中心最近完成了一項關於賀年食品的時令食品調查，為消費者及業界提供有關食品的食用安全資訊。
Lunar New Year (LNY) is coming soon, the CFS recently completed a seasonal food surveillance project on LNY food to provide relevant food safety information to consumers and the trade.

歡迎你們到以下網頁閱覽上述報告:
You are most welcome to browse through the report at:

中文: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/tc_chi/programme/programme_fs/files/CNY_Food_2014_c.pdf
English: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_fs/files/CNY_Food_2014_e.pdf

專項食品調查 - 肉類中的二氧化硫(第三期)
Targeted Food Surveillance – Sulphur Dioxide in Meat (3rd Phase)

二氧化硫是一種防腐劑，經常用於乾果、醃菜和經加工處理的肉製品如香腸及漢堡扒等不同種類的食物中。但根據《食物內防腐劑規例》（第132章附屬法例），二氧化硫不得用於新鮮、冰鮮或冷藏肉類。然而，個別販商為使肉類的色澤更鮮明，會違法在肉類中添加二氧化硫。因此中心近年定期進行專項調查，評估肉類中添加二氧化硫的情況。 該專項調查第三期檢測結果已上載到中心網頁。
Sulphur dioxide is a commonly used preservative in a variety of foods including dried fruits, pickled vegetables and meat products such as sausages and grilled burgers, but under the Preservatives in Food Regulation (subsidiary legislation of Cap 132), it is not permitted in fresh, chilled or frozen meat. Nonetheless, individual meat traders had been found illegally using sulphur dioxide to make the meat look fresher. Hence, the CFS has launched targeted surveillance projects regularly to assess the use of sulphur dioxide in meat in recent years. The third phase testing of a targeted food surveillance project has been uploaded onto the CFS website.

歡迎你們到以下網頁閱覽上述報告:
You are most welcome to browse through the report at:

中文: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/tc_chi/programme/programme_fs/files/SO2_in_meat_3rd_phase_c.pdf
English: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_fs/files/SO2_in_meat_3rd_phase_e.pdf

基因改造食物多面睇 (2013年12月第20期)
GM Food Newsletter (20th Issue, December 2013)

最新一期「基因改造食物多面睇」已出版，內容包括基因改造農作物的特徵、有待審批的基因改造動物、批准基因改造三文魚作食物用，以及基因改造食物的安全關卡。歡迎你們到以下網頁閱覽上述刊物：
The latest issue of the GM Food Newsletter has been published. This issue includes characteristics of genetically modified crops, genetically modified animals in the pipeline, approval of genetically modified salmon for food use and gateway for safe GM foods. You are most welcome to browse through the publication at:

中文: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/tc_chi/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_newsletter_issue_20.html
English: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_newsletter_issue_20.html
 

食物安全中心
Centre for Food Safety

 

Article: Actress Rossum had miserable Christmas in London

Actress Rossum had miserable Christmas in London - NEWSWATCH 50

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Article: Hundreds ill in Japan food scandal

Hundreds ill in Japan food scandal - Radio New Zealand

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Salmonella Chicken Recall: Tyson Yes, Foster Farms No, Why?

http://137.189.43.91:8080/FS/newsPage.jsp?id=2765193   Salmonella Chicken Recall: Tyson Yes, Foster Farms No, Why?

Food supply chain google images

Food Supply Chain 1


Food Supply Chain 2

Fwd: 《食品安全資訊》電郵提示--Macau Centre for Food Safety

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <foodsafety@iacm.gov.mo>
Date: 2014/1/6
Subject: 《食品安全資訊》電郵提示
To: hskwan288@gmail.com

發稿日期 :06/01/2014

衛生局正調查 1宗集體胃腸炎事件 (來源: 新聞局) 民政總署跟進一宗懷疑集體胃腸炎事件

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衛生局正調查 1宗集體胃腸炎事件 (來源: 新聞局)

06/01/2014

衛生局今日（1月3日）下午接獲 1名巿民投訴，指其公司有多名員工參加公司聚餐後出現胃腸炎病徵。衛生局呼籲巿民和食物供應商注意食物衛生。 經衛生局派員調查，事件涉及某公司組織的聚餐活動。該公司共30名員工於2013年12月30日晚上8時參加在消防隊巷鴻利來美食（彪哥私房食品）的聚餐活動。至12月31日晚上開始陸續有參加聚餐的員工出現嘔吐、腹瀉及發熱等病徵，分別到私家診所、仁伯爵綜合醫院及鏡湖醫院急診就診。截至今日下午6時，衛生局共聯絡到26人，其中20人曾出現胃腸道不適，患者年齡界乎於22至52歲，6男14女，沒有人需入院治療，所有患者目前病情穩定。患者除該聚餐外，沒有其他共餐史。 根據進食史、潛伏期、症狀，事件初步考慮為生食受污染的食物而引起的諾如病毒感染，衛生局現正採集病人的大便樣本以進行檢測，並已即時將事件通報民政總署食安中心。 衛生局表示，為預防食物引起的胃腸炎，消費者應向有信譽的供應商購買食物或食物原料，而食物供應商應確保食材和食物儲存、製作過程的安全。蠔、蝦或蟹等水產常帶有致病菌，應徹底煮熟才進食。 資料轉載自：新聞局 http://www.gcs.gov.mo/showNews.php?PageLang=C&DataUcn=75194&Member=0

FNSC4180 Materials now available on CUHK eLearning Blackboard

Dear students of FNSC4180,

Welcome back to Term 2. Wish you all a happy new year.

The initial set of materials are now available on the CUHK eLearning Blackboard. Please check it out.

You can also access a wealth of materials, information, and news on the FNSC4180 Blogger blog:

http://fns4180hsk.blogspot.hk/

Enjoy your FNSC4180 course.


Best,

HS Kwan

The 10 Biggest Foodborne Illness Outbreaks of 2013

The 10 Biggest Foodborne Illness 

Outbreaks of 2013

Chicken and fresh produce lead the pack

BY JAMES ANDREWS | DECEMBER 27, 2013

Editor’s note: 2013 saw dozens of well-publicized foodborne illness outbreaks. While many of them were found to have sickened a handful of individuals, a few stood out as especially wide in scope. Food Safety News has compiled a list of 10 of the biggest U.S. outbreaks in 2013. Please note that the list excludes Norovirus outbreaks and only includes pathogenic outbreaks associated with grocery products or restaurants. Also note that the actual number of outbreak cases is typically much higher than the quoted number due to many victims typically falling ill but never being reported.

10. E. coli O157:H7 from Glass Onion chicken salads, 33 sick. Trader Joe’s customers in four states fell ill after eating one of two pre-made salad products from Glass Onion Catering: the Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken or the Mexicali Salad with Chili Lime Chicken. At least seven people were hospitalized, with two developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kidney disease associated with severe E. coli infections. [CDC outbreak information]

9. Salmonella from Hacienda Don Villo in Channahon, IL, 35 sick. Health investigators traced 35 Salmonella illnesses back to this Mexican restaurant in Grundy County, but they could never pinpoint the exact food source. At least one person was hospitalized, and one employee was among those who tested positive for Salmonella. [News report]

8. E. coli O121 from frozen Farm Rich foods, 35 sick. Prompting a large recall of frozen mini pizza slices, cheeseburgers and quesadillas, this outbreak sickened predominantly minors across 19 states. Of those confirmed ill, 82 percent were 21 years of age or younger. Nine were hospitalized. The company recalled all products created at one Georgia plant between June 2011 and March 2013. [CDC outbreak information]

7. Salmonella from imported cucumbers, 84 sick. Investigators eventually traced this outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul back to cucumbers imported from Mexico. Of those confirmed ill, 17 were hospitalized. The importers were barred from bringing more products into the U.S. until they could prove the products were not contaminated. [CDC outbreak information]

6. E. coli O157:H7 from Federico’s Mexican Restaurant in Litchfield Park, AZ, 94 sick.Investigators have implicated lettuce served at the restaurant as the likely source of the E. coli, but no other restaurants in the area had cases connected to them. The lettuce may have been cross-contaminated from another food at the restaurant, or the restaurant may have received a highly contaminated batch. Two victims developed HUS as a result of their infections. [News report]

5. Salmonella from Foster Farms chicken, 134 sick. The first of two Foster Farms outbreaks in 2013 hit Washington and Oregon the hardest, but then spread out across 13 states. At least 33 people were hospitalized, with infections likely resulting from cross-contamination or undercooking of highly contaminated raw chicken. Foster Farms has not issued a recall for either of the two major outbreaks caused by chicken it produced this year. [CDC outbreak information]

4. Hepatitis A from Townsend Farms frozen organic berries, 162 sick. At least 71 people were hospitalized after eating an organic berry mix purchased at Costco stores in the Southwest. The exact source of the outbreak was eventually traced back to pomegranate seeds from Turkey which were contained within the mix. [CDC outbreak information]

3. Salmonella from dining at Firefly restaurant in Las Vegas, NV, 294 sick. Patrons of this popular Las Vegas tapas restaurant fell ill after dining within a five-day stretch in April. The owners ultimately closed up shop and re-opened the restaurant in a new location. [News report]

2. Salmonella from Foster Farms chicken, 416 sick. While this outbreak appears to be ongoing, hundreds of individuals have fallen ill over the course of the year in connection with raw chicken processed at Foster Farms facilities in California. At least 162 people have been hospitalized after likely undercooking the contaminated raw chicken or handling it in a way that lead to accidental cross-contamination. Foster Farms has refused to issue a recall, and cases continue to appear as recently as early December. [CDC outbreak information]

1. Cyclospora from salads and cilantro, 631 sick. The outbreak of this foodborne parasite also takes the title for most confusing, as it appeared to be two separate Cyclospora outbreaks working in tandem. One set of patients – predominantly from Iowa and Nebraska – clearly appeared to be connected to Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants (both owned by Darden Restaurants), while, just weeks later, patients in Texas began cropping up with no apparent connection to those restaurants. The Darden illnesses were tentatively traced to lettuce supplier Taylor Farms de Mexico, but no contamination could be found at the farms. Meanwhile, many of the Texas illnesses seemed to implicate fresh cilantro grown in Puebla, Mexico. [CDC outbreak information]

© Food Safety News

Top 10 News Stories of 2013

The Food Safety News 

Top 10 News Stories of 2013

BY DAN FLYNN | DECEMBER 31, 2013

Editor’s Note: Each year, the writers and editors of Food Safety News pick the top 10 news stories based on the story’s overall importance within the food safety community. This year, we’ve added a separate listing of the top 10 foodborne illness outbreaks, as compiled by managing editor James Andrews and published on Dec. 27. Some of these outbreaks make a repeat appearance by also making the list of top 10 news stories. Drum roll, please … Here are the top 10 food safety news stories for 2013:

1. U.S. District Attorney for Colorado breaks new legal ground for food safety with successful prosecution of the Jensen brothers on multiple federal misdemeanor counts. Making rare use of a federal criminal statute, whereby convictions can be obtained based on strict liability without any need to prove intent to harm, district attorney John Walsh obtained guilty pleas from the Jensens with an agreement that will see the pair sentenced later this month. The brothers already participated in a precedent-setting meeting with outbreak victims. The case was a severe one, with as many as 43 direct and indirect deaths resulting from the 2011 Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes grown by the Jensens, and sets a precedent for similar charges in cases where adulterated food is released into interstate commerce.

2. Cyclosporiasis outbreak sickens 631 in 25 states but leaves investigators with multiple theories. The outbreak of this foodborne parasite also takes the title for most confusing, as it appeared to be two separate Cyclospora outbreaks working in tandem. One set of patients – predominantly from Iowa and Nebraska – clearly appeared to be connected to Olive Garden and Red Lobster outlets (both owned by Darden Restaurants), while, just weeks later, patients in Texas began cropping up with no apparent connection to those restaurants. The Darden illnesses were tentatively traced to lettuce supplier Taylor Farms de Mexico, but no contamination could be found at the farms. Meanwhile, many of the Texas illnesses seemed to implicate fresh cilantro grown in Puebla, Mexico. [CDC outbreak information]

3. Stewart Parnell and three other former Peanut Corporation of America executives charged with 76 federal felonies for conspiracy and fraud in connection with a peanut butter-related outbreak. After a Congressional inquiry in early 2009 alleged that Parnell knowingly shipped peanuts contaminated with Salmonella, an action that killed nine and sickened 700, his victims had to wait four years for investigators to make their case. But the indictments that came down in February 2013 were stunning – a complex criminal conspiracy case with food poisoning at its core. Convictions could carry long jail sentences and heavy fines. The trial is scheduled for later this summer.

4. Foster Farms outbreak (its second of the year) sickens 416 in 23 states with multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg, leaving consumers to ask, why no recall? While this outbreak appears to be ongoing, hundreds of individuals have fallen ill over the course of the year in connection with raw chicken processed at Foster Farms facilities in California. At least 162 people have been hospitalized after likely undercooking the contaminated raw chicken or handling it in a way that led to accidental cross-contamination. Foster Farms has refused to issue a recall, and cases continue to appear as recently as early December. [CDC outbreak information]

5. Costco, with Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen juice, sickens 162 in 10 states and sends 71 to hospitals by serving up Turkish pomegranate seeds contaminated with Hepatitis A. [CDC outbreak information]

6. Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety, departs, leaving the federal government without its top food safety official. After making her mark on USDA’s food safety record, Hagen departed just before 2013 came to an end. She will be remembered for increasing by six the number of E. coli strains classified as adulterants, updating Salmonella performance standards for poultry, issuing the first-ever standard for Campylobacter, and requiring labeling for mechanically tenderized meat. Her impressive run raises the bar for the president’s next appointment (and for the required U.S. Senate confirmation) to this important office.

7. Horsemeat scandal rocks the European beef market, which is the target of widespread fraud. In December 2012, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland reported that equine DNA was being found in beef products, and, from there, the horsemeat scandal spread across Europe. By February, four subsidiaries of ABP Food Group had been accused of supplying adulterated meat. They were Silvercrest in County Monaghan, Dalepak in North Yorkshire, Freshlink in Glasgow and ABP Nenagh in County Tipperary, Ireland. Burger King, with 500 outlets in the U.K., dropped Silvercrest as its beef supplier. The French government suspended the license of a processing company for knowingly selling horsemeat labeled as beef, which had resulted in frozen products sold by others containing 60-100 percent horsemeat. Substitution of cheaper horsemeat for beef was seen as classic food fraud rather than a food safety crisis; however, it brought stepped-up residual testing for the veterinary drug known as phenylbutazone, or “bute.” While specific testing found “bute” only at low levels posing little risk to human health, there was concern about potentially higher levels in horses from the U.S. slaughtered in Mexico and Canada for export to Europe. Another concern are horses from Romania with equine infectious anemia (EIA). Due to its many aspects, the horsemeat scandal is sure to carry over into 2014.

8. Meat inspectors were kept on the job during the partial federal government shutdown, while some U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections were slowed. The failure to enact legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014, which began Oct. 1, brought another partial shutdown of the federal government. The shutdown began Oct. 1, with normal operations resuming Oct. 17. This time, however, there were no threats of pulling USDA meat inspectors from their jobs and thereby shutting down the industry. Likewise, FDA inspections were slowed, but not stopped, during the 16-day shutdown.

9. Another year passed without a new Farm Bill as the historic urban/rural coalition falls apart and the connection is broken between food stamps and farm payments. The 2008 Farm Bill was scheduled for renewal in 2012. It did not happen then, nor did it happen in 2013. This means that the legal authority for America’s farm and nutritional policies is wearing thin and will require quick action in 2014.

10. GMO labeling is voted down in Washington state. Just like California a year earlier, Washington state voters, by only a very slim margin, rejected a ballot initiative that called for labeling food and beverages containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Like California’s Proposition 37, Washington’s Initiative 522 started out with a massive lead in the polls that melted away during a heated campaign that saw GMO labeling proponents heavily outspent by major players in the food manufacturing industry.

© Food Safety News