Congress to probe listeria outbreak in cantaloupes

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AppId is over the quota

Farm workers harvest cantaloupe in Somerton, Arizona, June 7, 2006.

Credit: Reuters/Stringer

WASHINGTON | Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:24am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives plan to investigate what caused a deadly food poisoning outbreak in cantaloupes from a Colorado farm.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce committee wrote to Ryan and Eric Jensen, who own Jensen Farms, asking them to brief committee staff and preserve documents related to the outbreak of listeria, which has killed 25 people and made 123 ill.

Unsanitary conditions at the farm's packing plant probably contributed to the outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said.

The committee also wants to hear from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about what could be done to prevent future outbreaks, the lawmakers said in a letter on Friday.

Listeria monocytogenes is a frequent cause of U.S. food recalls in processed meats and cheeses, but contamination in fresh produce is a new development.

The elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea and other gastric problems.

The illness has a long incubation period, with symptoms sometimes not showing up until two months after people consume listeria-contaminated foods.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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Congress to probe listeria outbreak in cantaloupes

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Farm workers harvest cantaloupe in Somerton, Arizona, June 7, 2006.

Credit: Reuters/Stringer

WASHINGTON | Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:24am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives plan to investigate what caused a deadly food poisoning outbreak in cantaloupes from a Colorado farm.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce committee wrote to Ryan and Eric Jensen, who own Jensen Farms, asking them to brief committee staff and preserve documents related to the outbreak of listeria, which has killed 25 people and made 123 ill.

Unsanitary conditions at the farm's packing plant probably contributed to the outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said.

The committee also wants to hear from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about what could be done to prevent future outbreaks, the lawmakers said in a letter on Friday.

Listeria monocytogenes is a frequent cause of U.S. food recalls in processed meats and cheeses, but contamination in fresh produce is a new development.

The elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea and other gastric problems.

The illness has a long incubation period, with symptoms sometimes not showing up until two months after people consume listeria-contaminated foods.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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FDA Probe Points To Cantaloupe Packing Plant As Source Of Listeria

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Enlarge Ed Andrieski/AP

Owner Eric Jensen examines cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., last month.

Ed Andrieski/AP

Owner Eric Jensen examines cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., last month.

The Jensen Farms cantaloupe blamed for the deadliest listeria outbreak in years may have become contaminated in the farm's own packing facilities.

That's the conclusion of the FDA's investigation into the source of the outbreak so far, although the saga is far from over.

And once again, the likely culprit is poop.

 

In a conference call with reporters today, FDA's Sherri McGarry says the agency's tests of cantaloupes growing in the fields were negative. Same for some samples collected in the packing facility, although she noted they were collected after the equipment had been thoroughly cleaned.

Listeria bacteria were found on some of the fruit in cold storage and some equipment, but not in the water used to wash the cantaloupes. (Read the full inspection report here.)

But where did the bacteria come from? A farm truck used to haul cantaloupes to a cattle facility — increasing the risk of contamination via animal feces — is one possibility.

Also, Magary says, the packing facility has a floor that allows water to pool and contains equipment previously used on another crop — potatoes — that wasn't "easily cleanable and sanitized." And, the packing facility is open to the air.

She added that there is no reason to believe these practices are widespread in the industry.

Jensen Farms is currently not operating and has agreed to allow government inspectors to inspect it before reopening. It initiated a recall Sept. 14.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says she hopes the listeria investigation will lead to better prevention of foodborne illnesses in the future - a mantra the agency has been repeating since the first reports came out last month.

As of yesterday, the outbreak has been blamed for at least 25 deaths and 123 illnesses in 26 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. While the casualties have slowed since September, they still may creep up, given the long incubation period of listeria, officials say.

Still, not everyone who was exposed got sick, and our own Allison Aubrey reported on why that is recently.

Stay tuned for more on the listeria outbreak tonight on All Things Considered.

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Shanghai shuts 2 factories in lead poisoning probe

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A security guard closes the gate as workers walk in a battery factory nearby Kanghua New Village, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 in Shanghai, China. The company said it had suspended lead-related production at the factory as of Sept. 13, at the local government's request, because it had already used its quota of lead for the year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) A security guard closes the gate as workers walk in a battery factory nearby Kanghua New Village, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 in Shanghai, China. The company said it had suspended lead-related production at the factory as of Sept. 13, at the local government's request, because it had already used its quota of lead for the year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) A man rides a motorcycle past a battery factory nearby Kanghua New Village, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 in Shanghai, China. The company said it had suspended lead-related production at the factory as of Sept. 13, at the local government's request, because it had already used its quota of lead for the year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Zhao Mengling, a 3-year-old resident of Kanghua New Village, shows her hospital test report of the blood lead level Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 in Shanghai, China. Families living in one of Shanghai's many industrial suburbs say their children are suffering from lead poisoning from nearby factories and recycling facilities. The source of the lead contamination was not immediately clear, but the village is located just north of the factory zone, amid corn and vegetable fields and older rural housing, and beside chemical, battery and electronics equipment factories. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)eval("var currentItemd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 1;");eval("var nextd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");eval("var previousd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;"); SHANGHAI (AP) — Shanghai's environmental watchdog ordered two factories in its suburbs to halt production pending an investigation into the source of lead poisoning among children in a nearby village.

The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau said in a notice on its website Friday that it was studying lead emissions from the two factories, one of which is a large lead-acid battery plant run by U.S.-based Johnson Controls.

The Pudong district government, where the cases were found, issued a statement saying it believed the Johnson Controls factory was the main source of lead emissions in the area.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Johnson Controls said it was taking residents' concerns about lead exposure very seriously and cooperating with the authorities, but that it had no reason to believe its battery factory was causing contamination.

The company earlier confirmed it had suspended production after hitting its annual lead use quota.

Staff at the other company, Shanghai Xinmingyuan Automobile Accessory Co., confirmed it had stopped its lead-related production, which the environment bureau said was unauthorized.

"We did not know that we cannot produce products with lead without a license," said Li Zhiliang, a manager at the factory, which according to trade websites makes wheel balance weights and plastic auto accessories for Shanghai Volkswagen.

Li said his plant did not produce any lead emissions.

"Actually our products have won awards for environmental protection," Li said.

Families living in Kanghua New Village, a small block of apartment buildings erected 15 years ago to house farm families moved to make way for the city's Kangqiao Industrial Zone, say recent checks showed many of their children had abnormally high blood lead levels.

The source of the lead contamination has not been confirmed. But the village is located just north of the zone and close to chemical, battery and electronics equipment factories.

Johnson Controls says its battery plant was named a "national model enterprise for occupational health and safety" in 2006. The factory has lead emissions at about one-seventh the Chinese national standard and employees are regularly tested to ensure their blood lead levels remain low enough, the company said in an emailed statement.

Earlier this week, the company announced it was expanding in China, planning a new $100 million plant to make start-stop batteries for vehicles. Such batteries cut fuel use and emissions by automatically shutting off a standard gas-powered engine when it idles and restarting it when the driver engages the clutch or releases the brake.

The company said it was considering several locations for the new factory.

Soaring use of cars and electric scooters is driving strong demand for lead acid batteries, and their production and recycling are a key source of lead contamination.

China has begun cracking down on emissions of lead and other heavy metals following scores of poisoning cases. But reports of clusters of cases in big cities like Shanghai are uncommon.

Lead poisoning can damage the nervous, muscular and reproductive systems, and children are particularly at risk.

___

AP researcher Fu Ting contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Listeria Outbreak probe expands to three States

By Keith Coffman
DENVER | September 9, 2011 7: 16 pm EDT
DENVER (Reuters) - has expanded an investigation into a Listeria outbreak has killed at least one person with three States where was consumed potentially contaminated cantaloupe, Colorado health officials said on Friday.
The Colorado Department of public health and the environment, said in a release that the all patients recently melon ate nine confirmed cases of the gastric infection in Colorado, two suspected cases in Texas and Nebraska.
Chris Urbina, medical Chief for the Department said that officials still pursued still not, where the tainted were sold melons.
"While the investigation continues the cooker of the listeria, it is advisable for people at high risk for Listeria infection to consume of melon," URBINA said in a written statement.
At the age of 60, pregnant women and people, whose Immunsystem have weakened by disease or organ transplantation, are the most likely of the bacteria become ill URBINA said.
Because of the outbreak is gone-State, the US Centers for disease control and prevention coordinated the investigation in conjunction with the U.S. food and drug administration and the U.S. Department of agriculture.
Although Colorado has reported since early August 13 cases of Listeria associated the State to the current outbreak only nine cases.
In four other cases the melon link has excluded or laboratory results aren't yet Health Department said.
Two patients have in Colorado of Listeria last month died, but investigators can only be a dead link to the current outbreak.
Avoid people in the groups at risk for contracting the infection should unpasteurized soft cheese, chilled, smoked fish and Deli meat unless they have been heated to 165 degrees Celsius.
Healthy people are usually not affected by the bacteria. In severe cases, the infection can lead to convulsions and stillbirths or miscarriages in pregnant women.

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