Food Industry News: Dec/Jan 2019

Farm Supervisor Charged with Contaminating Strawberries with Needles

In November, Australia charged farm supervisor My Ut Trinh in a strawberry needle contamination case that sparked a major food scare, according to Reuters. The strawberry industry, worth A$160 million ($116 million), was rocked in September following nearly 200 complaints of sewing needles found in strawberries and other fruits. Police received 186 complaints of fruit contamination, 15 of which proved to be hoaxes. Several major supermarkets withdrew the fruit as shoppers abandoned purchases, forcing some growers to dump fruit amid warnings of widespread bankruptcies. Queensland is reportedly setting aside A$1 million ($722,400) to help farmers make it through the season.

Q3 2018 U.S. Recall Index

According to the newest Recall Index by Stericycle Expert Solutions, undeclared allergens were the top cause of FDA food recalls at 42.6% in Q3 2018, while the leading cause based on recalled units was bacterial contamination at 75%. Overall food recalls decreased by 12% to 129; the lowest quarter since Q1 2016. Recalled USDA pounds of beef, poultry, pork, and other food decreased 58% to 731,462, the second lowest since Q3 2014. And recalled FDA food units decreased 96% to about 8.5 million, with produce comprising the highest food product category at 38.5%. But for the first time since at least 2010, a sickening parasitic contamination triggered recalls in Q3 2018. Eight recalls comprising 6,476 units were caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite present in fecal-contaminated food that causes severe intestinal illness. The report can be downloaded here.