| Which foodhandler certification is right for me.
Welcome to the National Food Safety Training Program.
The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) developed the National Food Safety Training Program in response to a growing demand for affordable food safety certification that meets the needs of foodservice operators from coast-to-coast.
Designed to train quick-service, full-service, chain and independent operators and food handlers to a national standard of food safety. NFSTP food handler certification is recognized across Canada. NFSTP is now available across Canada through a network of certified trainers.
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Majority of cases linked to Jungle Jim's restaurant in Miramichi
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/05/15/nb-e-coli-update-957.html?cmp=rss
Posted: May 15, 2012 9:21 AM ET
The Department of Health plans to toughen up food safety regulations following an outbreak of E. coli in the province, which officials believe may be linked to a Miramichi restaurant.
Starting in July, anyone who handles food sold to the public will have to take a course and maintain certification, said Dr. Denis Allard, the deputy chief medical officer of health.
The course will go along with the province's restaurant inspection rankings, he said, noting even the best restaurants sometimes slip up.
"There's lots of restaurants in the province that haven't always had a good mark, not always green and occasionally may even had their license removed that have jumped back and now they have full approval from us and sometimes it serves as a lesson for them to be able to provide much safer food afterwards," Allard said.
Officials believe the potentially deadly outbreak of E. coli is over because no new cases have been reported.
The public health office confirmed a week ago that 13 people were infected with the same strain of E. coli that killed seven people in Walkerton, Ont., in 2000.
And another 11 people may have also been infected by the strain of E. coli.
Recently failed health inspection
The majority of the E. coli cases in the Miramichi area ate at a Jungle Jim's restaurant in the northern city prior to getting sick at the end of April, health officials revealed Tuesday.
"Right now I can't tell you that it was something done at the restaurant itself or whether it was pre-contaminated before it got there," said Allard.
No E. coli was found at Jungle Jim's during testing, he said.
But the restaurant failed a health inspection last week. Infractions included storing raw food above cooked foods and fridge temperatures being above the standard of 4C.
"There were certainly some faults that were discovered at that point that we felt not only that it deserved a total sanitation of the place, in order to make sure the faults were not repeated," Allard said.
"We felt they needed a thorough course in food handling. This was done that same night that the results of the inspection came back."
A spokesman for Jungle Jim's told CBC News that employees at the Miramichi location have all completed food safety training and the restaurant is operating according to the health department's high standards.
The restaurant takes the health and safety of patrons seriously and has co-operated fully with the investigation, the spokesman said.
The franchise owner hopes patrons will continue to come and would welcome them to tour the kitchen facilities, he added.
Allard also offered assurances that Jungle Jim's has made changes and passed its latest inspection.
Investigation continues
Meanwhile, the Department of Health is continuing its investigation with the Public Health Agency of Canada to try to track down the exact source, he said.
"If we can identify a certain food, then we'll maybe look a little bit more into the suppliers of that food, the handling of that particular food at the restaurant to see if there might have been anything that would have been able to contaminate that food," said Allard.
Health officials plan to broaden the investigation to include people who were at at Jungle Jim's between April 23 and 26 and didn't get sick, he said.
Those individuals will be asked to fill out a food questionnaire with the goal of discovering which foods were consumed by those who did not become infected with E. coli.
The results of the study will be communicated to the public, officials said.
Source likely gone
The provincial government focused on food sources after a check of the municipal water came back normal.
Provincial inspectors went to several restaurants that were mentioned by people who had the E. coli symptoms.
Dr. Eilish Cleary, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said in a statement a majority of the confirmed cases ate at a Jungle Jim’s restaurant in Miramichi in the days prior to getting sick.
“Food samples taken from Jungle Jim’s tested negative for E. Coli 157: H7,” Cleary said.
“However, as most of the confirmed cases ate at this restaurant, it is likely that the contaminated food source was present in the restaurant for a short period of time but that contaminated products had been used up when testing took place.”
Cleary said the case count has remained steady.
With no new cases of E. coil being reported, she said it suggests the source of the contamination remained in the food supply chain for only a short period of time.
She said Jungle Jim’s fully co-operated with provincial inspectors, including a thorough sanitation of its kitchen and the completion of a food safety course. |
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Bruce Campion-Smith Ottawa Bureau chief
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1178428--ottawa-to-allow-slaughterhouses-to-process-already-dead-animals
OTTAWA—The federal government wants to allow the carcasses of already dead animals to be processed in slaughterhouses for human consumption, a move that is raising concerns about the safety of Canada’s food system.
The Conservative government is pitching the change as a way to cut red tape and provide greater flexibility to slaughterhouse operators.
But the New Democrats are raising a red flag saying the move invites possible “contamination” of the food supply.
“Under the present regulations . . . it has to come in alive, be slaughtered on site,” said NDP MP Malcolm Allen (Welland), the party’s agriculture critic.
“Now you can bring in dead stock. It’s okay to bring in that animal into a slaughterhouse, have it cut, wrapped . . . for human consumption.
“The real fear is how did it die, (and) under what circumstances did it die.”
The proposed changes to Meat Inspection Regulations, outlined in the Canada Gazette, would allow “greater flexibility” to the activities that can be carried out in federally regulated slaughterhouses.
Current federal regulations do not allow meat to be processed from animals slaughtered outside of a registered slaughterhouse.
Now the government is proposing to make exemptions to that rule for animals that cannot be transported to a slaughterhouse alive because they are too aggressive to move or because they are injured.
“It is proposed to amend the (meat inspection regulations) to allow into registered establishments carcasses from food animals slaughtered elsewhere . . . following a detailed ante-mortem examination by a private veterinary practitioner,” the proposed rules state.
“Such an amendment would be extremely useful for industry in a number of situations, such as when injured animals cannot be transported alive for welfare reasons; or when animals are dangerous, aggressive or difficult to handle and cannot be transported.”
A vet would have to inspect an animal prior to slaughter to confirm it could not be safely transported, as well as determine if the animal is fit to serve as food. The vet will also certify the date of the slaughter and method.
Allen said that rule change risks allowing the food supply to be contaminated by “dead stock.”
“You wouldn’t know by looking at it and nor would the label tell you it’s dead stock because I’ll guarantee you if the label said dead stock, you would never buy it,” Allen said.
“All the regulations before about dead stock not being consumed by humans is for a reason and that was to protect our health,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency cited the example of an animal suffering from a broken leg.
“The cow could be slaughtered on the farm and after inspection at a federally registered establishment can be processed. This meat would be eligible for retail,” Guy Gravelle said.
“As for concerns that this amendment may allow unfit animal into the food supply system, this would not be the case.”
“CFIA inspectors, including veterinarians, are present daily during operations at federally registered establishments to verify that food safety requirements are met. All carcasses are individually inspected to protect the health and safety of Canadians,” he said in an email.
That was echoed by Meagan Murdoch, a spokesperson for Agriculture Minster Gerry Ritz, who called the rule change “common sense.”
“This does not affect food safety,” she said. |
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Reducing contamination from the farm to the table
Each year, roughly 1 in 6 people in the US gets sick from eating contaminated food. The 1,000 or more reported outbreaks that happen each year reveal familiar culprits—Salmonella and other common germs. We know that reducing contamination works. During the past 15 years, a dangerous type of E. coli infection, responsible for the recall of millions of pounds of ground beef, has been cut almost in half. Yet during that same time, Salmonella infection, which causes more hospitalizations and deaths than any other type of germ found in food and $365 million in direct medical costs annually, has not declined. Each year, 1 million people get sick from eating food contaminated with Salmonella. Applying lessons learned from reducing E. coli O157 infections could help reduce illness caused by Salmonella.
Problem
Targeting Salmonella
Salmonella infection has not declined in 15 years
Reducing Salmonella infection is difficult because
- It is found in many different types of foods: meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and even processed foods such as peanut butter.
- Contamination can occur anywhere: from fields where food is grown to cutting boards in kitchens.
- What we eat and how we eat have changed: foods coming from one central location are widely distributed, meaning that sickness can spread quickly; we eat more meals outside the home; and more foods and ingredients come from all over the world.
- Some policies and procedures that can make a difference in reducing contamination take years to put into place.
Foods associated with Salmonella outbreaks*
*These contaminated ingredients or single foods (belonging to one food category) were associated with 1/3 of the Salmonella outbreaks.
†Other includes: Sprouts, leafy greens, roots, fish, grains-beans, shellfish, oil-sugar, and dairy.
Source: CDC National Outbreak Reporting System, 2004–2008.
Salmonella infection can be reduced by
- Taking strong and specific action to identify and prevent contamination from the farm to the table—a primary lesson learned in successfully reducing E. coli O157 infection.
- Developing new prevention strategies for the riskiest foods before and after harvesting.
- Enhancing laboratory testing and disease reporting to more quickly identify outbreaks and their causes.
- Investigating outbreaks quickly and alerting consumers and industry of concerns to prevent more illness.
- Using prevention-focused safety systems like the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point management system and applying technologies (for example, use of high temperatures in pasteurization and cooking) to reduce contamination.
- Putting into action new policies that focus on preventing food safety problems and address new challenges.
Change in E. coli O157 and Salmonella infection, 1996–2010
Source: Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, 2010.
Back to Top
What Can Be Done
Work together to reduce Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses 
Government can:
Implement policies and regulations
- Ensure that food production and service facilities adopt proven preventive measures and enforce food safety laws and regulations, including requirements for eggs, meat, poultry, and processed and imported foods.
- Increase and improve inspections in the US and abroad.
- Develop and implement safety standards for fruits and vegetables.
- Use what is learned from outbreaks, inspections, and monitoring systems to develop new and improve existing prevention strategies.
Track and investigate illness
- Track trends, report progress, and make sure policies aimed at reducing infections work.
- Fund state and community efforts to identify and report sicknesses and catch outbreaks faster.
- Investigate outbreaks thoroughly to identify sources and improve control strategies.
- Develop new tools to find sources of contamination and characterize germs faster.
Farmers, grocery stores, and places that make, sell, or serve food can:
- Use good management practices to reduce contamination when raising livestock or food animals.
- Adopt proven preventive measures for food safety plans in all food production and service facilities.
- Follow the US Food and Drug Administration Model Food Code in restaurants and other places that serve food.
- Keep good records of where foods and food ingredients come from.
- Train and certify managers in food safety in all restaurants.
Health care providers can:
- Diagnose and treat infections by using best practices and report them rapidly.
- Talk to high-risk patients about food safety.
- Report suspected outbreaks to your local health department.
Everyone can:
- Clean. Wash hands, cutting boards, utensils, and countertops.
- Separate. Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from ready-to-eat foods.
- Cook. Use a food thermometer to ensure that foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature: 145°F for whole meats (allowing the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or consuming), 160°F for ground meats, and 165°F for all poultry.
- Chill. Keep your refrigerator below 40°F and refrigerate food that will spoil.
- Report suspected illness from food to your local health department.
- Don't prepare food for others if you have diarrhea or vomiting.
- Be especially careful preparing food for children, pregnant women, those in poor health, and older adults.
- Visit FoodSafety.gov
 for the latest information on preventing food poisoning.
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http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2012/2012_65-eng.php
2012-65
May 8, 2012
For immediate release OTTAWA – Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are advising Canadians that the consumption of certain whole salted fish products like fesikh, a traditional dish in the Egyptian community, represents an increased risk of botulism because of the way they are prepared.
The fish used to make these specific salted fish dishes, including fesikh, are not gutted before the ripening and salting process. This provides an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum bacteria that may be in the gut of the fish to grow and produce the toxins that cause botulism. These toxins are not eliminated by any smoking or drying of the end product. Regardless of whether the end product is whole fish, fillets or parts, refrigeration, freezing, open air or vacuum packaging will not make the fish safe.
This warning comes as the result of a recent botulism outbreak in Ontario caused by the consumption of fesikh. While the specific products implicated have been recalled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the outbreak has highlighted the risks represented by these products. Internationally, the consumption of ungutted salted fish, including fesikh, has been linked to many cases of botulism.
Food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled. Symptoms of botulism can include nausea and/or vomiting followed by one or more of: double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, weakness, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases, death can occur. Symptoms generally begin 12 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as six hours or as late as 10 days.
Health Canada continues to collaborate with international, federal and provincial partners to develop and provide detailed guidance with respect to safe production of these types of product. |
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May 8, 2012
http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/it/newsrel.nsf/bydate/8DAE67779EE12027852579F8006B2575
Residents of Toronto are being reminded to thoroughly wash and cook fiddleheads before they are consumed to avoid illness. Fiddleheads are curled, edible shoots of the ostrich fern and are commonly eaten at this time of year as a seasonal vegetable.
"Recently, five cases of illness associated with fiddleheads have been reported to Toronto Public Health. To prevent further illness in the community, it is important to thoroughly wash and cook fiddleheads before eating them," said Jim Chan, Food Safety Program Manager for Toronto Public Health.
Cases of temporary illness from eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads were first reported in 1994, and additional cases have been reported periodically since then across Canada. While the cause of this temporary illness is not known, Health Canada believes it is most likely the result of an unidentified natural toxin present in the fiddlehead.
Illness associated with consuming fiddleheads is uncommon. Symptoms of illness appear within 30 minutes to 12 hours of eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads and typically last for less than 24 hours but may last as long as three days. Symptoms may include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and headaches.
Fiddlehead food safety tips include:
• Never eat raw fiddleheads.
• Remove as much of the brown, papery husk as possible.
• Wash the fiddleheads well using fresh, cold water
• Cook fiddleheads by boiling them for 15 minutes or by steaming them for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Discard water used for boiling or steaming fiddleheads, as it may contain the toxin.
More information about how to safely enjoy fiddleheads can be found on Health Canada's website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/kitchen-cuisine/fiddlehead-fougere-eng.php.
People who believe that they may have become ill as a result of eating fiddleheads should contact Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600 during business hours or after hours at 3-1-1, or see their family physician.
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Contact: Sky Opila sopila@pcipr.com 312-558-1770 Infectious Diseases Society of America http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/idso-ito050712.php
Oregon investigators recently mapped the trail of an outbreak of a nasty stomach bug among participants in a girls' soccer tournament to a reusable open top grocery bag stored in a hotel bathroom. Their findings, which illustrate the role that inanimate objects can play in spreading norovirus infection, appear in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Noroviruses are a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide and the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks in the United States. Highly contagious, even in low concentrations, the viruses spread efficiently from feces and vomit by direct contact or by indirect transmission from viral contamination of surfaces. In October 2010, a cluster of gastroenteritis that appeared in a group of people with no apparent direct physical contact with a pathogen challenged investigators to find the cause and take appropriate control measures.
In the study, Kimberly K. Repp, PhD, MPH, of Oregon Health and Sciences University, and William E. Keene, PhD, MPH, of the Oregon Public Health Division in Portland, investigated an outbreak in a group of 17 Oregon girls, 13-14 years old, and their four adult chaperones attending a soccer tournament in Washington state. All had traveled in private automobiles, shared hotel rooms, and eaten at local restaurants. Eight cases were identified, including the index patient who was presumably infected prior to the trip. There was no direct contact between the original patient and her teammates after her symptoms began; before her overt symptoms began she left her room and moved in with a chaperone. The girl subsequently began vomiting and having diarrhea in the chaperone's bathroom. The outbreak affecting the rest of the team began several days later; they were exposed by handling a bag of snacks that unfortunately had been stored in the hotel bathroom. Virus aerosolized within the bathroom likely settled onto the grocery bag and its contents. Matching viruses were found on the reusable shopping bag two weeks later.
The investigation confirmed the great potential for contamination of surfaces in norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, in nursing homes, and in other group settings. "While we certainly recommend not storing food in bathrooms," the authors note, "it is more important to emphasize that areas where aerosol exposures may have occurred should be thoroughly disinfected; this includes not only exposed surfaces, but also objects in the environment" that could become contaminated and spread infection. The authors point to some of the practices that can be put in place to limit outbreaks caused by such indirect contact, including disinfection of affected areas and the use of multiple bathrooms with one dedicated for use by those who are sick.
In an accompanying editorial, Aron J. Hall, DVM, MSPH, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, notes that noroviruses "are perhaps the perfect human pathogens," causing an estimated 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis annually in the U.S. alone. The investigation of this outbreak, as reported by the study authors, "provides a fascinating example of how a unique exposure and transmission scenario can result in a norovirus outbreak."
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Fast Facts:
1. Norovirus can spread infection through contact with surfaces and objects contaminated by aerosolized particles.
2. Noroviruses are highly contagious, even in low concentration, and the viruses spread efficiently from feces and vomit by direct and indirect contact.
3. Noroviruses are the leading cause of endemic diarrheal disease across all age groups, the leading cause of foodborne disease, and the cause of half of all gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide.
4. Whenever possible, ill persons should use a separate bathroom to reduce the potential for spread of the virus. Notify family members or cleaning staff about the need for thorough disinfection of surfaces.
The study and the accompanying editorial are available online. They are embargoed until 12:01 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 9, 2012:
Founded in 1904, The Journal of Infectious Diseases is the premier publication in the Western Hemisphere for original research on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases; on the microbes that cause them; and on disorders of host immune mechanisms. Articles in JID include research results from microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, and related disciplines. JID is published under the auspices of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Based in Arlington, Va., IDSA is a professional society representing nearly 10,000 physicians and scientists who specialize in infectious diseases. For more information, visit www.idsociety.org. |
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02:04 PM,May 16 NFSTP Administrator E. coli outbreak sparks stricter food regulations more...11:10 AM,May 15 NFSTP Administrator Ottawa to allow slaughterhouses to process already dead animals more...11:24 AM,May 14 NFSTP Administrator 12:38 PM,May 9 NFSTP Administrator High Risk of Botulism from Ungutted Salted Fish Products, such as Fesikh Information Update more...12:31 PM,May 9 NFSTP Administrator Health warning: Wash and cook fiddleheads to prevent illness more...12:27 PM,May 9 NFSTP Administrator Investigators trace of role reusable grocery bag in norovirus outbreak more...
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