FW: PRO/EDR> Foodborne illness - USA (02): Greek style yogurt, fungal contamination

[Maffei, Joanne]

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Subject: PRO/EDR> Foodborne illness - USA (02): Greek style yogurt, fungal contamination


FOODBORNE ILLNESS - USA (02): GREEK STYLE YOGURT, FUNGAL CONTAMINATION
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Date: Fri 13 Sep 2013
Source: Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Journal Sentinel [edited] <http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/pi/complaints-double-from-people-attributing-sickness-to-moldy-chobani-yogurt-b9997677z1-223689901.html>


Complaints to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] from consumers who say they got sick after eating recalled Chobani yogurt have nearly doubled since Monday, 9 Sep 2013. As of Friday, 13 Sep 2013, 170 consumers had filed complaints with the FDA, agency spokeswoman Tamara Ward told the Journal Sentinel. That's up from 89 on 9 Sep 2013.

"The various issues reported continue to be cramps, nausea, headache and diarrhea following consumption of the recalled yogurt," Ward said in an email. She stressed that the reports only reflect information "as reported" to the FDA, not any conclusion by the FDA about whether the yogurt actually caused the illnesses.

Chobani issued a voluntary recall 4 Sep 2013 for 91 varieties of yogurt with the code 16-012 and expiration dates of 11 Sep through 7 Oct 2013. So far, complaints to the FDA come from Arizona, Delaware, New York, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Indiana and Florida.

The Journal Sentinel has received complaints from readers in Wisconsin, Tennessee and Texas. A Caledonia mom said her 13-month-old son experienced stomach cramps and started vomiting from eating the Chobani Champions tubes. The mom created a Facebook page for Chobani consumers to document and vent their frustrations, and share their experiences with the recall.

Another mom from Tennessee said she fed Chobani to her 13-month-old daughter. "Last week, she was admitted in children's hospital with vomiting and diarrhea so bad she was severely dehydrated," she wrote in an email. Doctors "had no answer as to what she had 'cause she did not run fever. If it were a virus, myself and my husband, I feel, would have caught it."

The FDA and Chobani say the mold found in the recalled yogurt, called _Mucor circinelloides_ is known to cause spoilage, swelling and bloating in yogurt. But they say the mold shouldn't pose a health risk to most consumers because it's [generally - Mod.LL] not considered a disease-causing food-borne microorganism.

Ward said the complaints received by the FDA vary in quality and reliability of the information provided. Some don't include all the information the agency needs, such as whether the person suffered from other medical conditions or used other products or medications at the same time.

"They may not include accurate or complete contact information for the FDA to seek further information about the event, or complainants may choose not to participate in a follow-up investigation," she wrote.
"When important information is missing from a complaint, it is difficult for the FDA to fully evaluate whether the product caused the illness or simply coincided with it."

Chobani asked consumers to throw out any recalled products they purchased and seek a refund from Chobani or the store where it was purchased. The company asked retail stores to pull the affected yogurt from shelves going back to the end of August 2013. Chobani said last week that 95 percent of the recalled products had been removed from shelves, but a Public Investigator spot check showed some stores in the greater Milwaukee area were still selling it as of midweek.

[Byline: Gitte Laasby]

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[There continues to be a growing number of gastroenteritis-type illnesses which are temporally linked to the ingestion of this brand of Greek style yogurt. It is not likely that the cause of the illnesses is invasive infection due to this mold, but rather an undetected toxin produced by the mold or else another co-contaminant or toxin. It is not clear from the descriptions what the incubation period range is between ingestion and onset of symptoms and if fever is part of the symptom complex. - Mod.LL

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/1hiS>.]

[see also:
Foodborne illness - USA: Greek yogurt, fungal contamination
20130908.1930667
2011
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Mucormycosis, fatal - USA: (MO) tornado-related 20110612.1789
2005
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Mucormycosis - Australia ex tsunami areas (02): corr 20050202.0362 Mucormycosis - Australia ex tsunami areas 20050131.0338 Wound infections, tsunami-related - Asia (02) 20050112.0109 Wound infections, tsunami-related - Asia 20050110.0079] .................................................ll/je/ml
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