Food safety events
During the third quarter of 2019, the INFOSAN Secretariat has been involved in 18 food safety events involving 50 countries. There were 11 events involving a biological hazard (Salmonella (4), Listeria monocytogenes (3), Cyclospora (1), E. coli (1), Hepatitis A virus (1), Norovirus (1)), five involving a physical hazard (metal (2), plastic (2) and glass (1)), one involving a chemical hazard (methanol), and one involving undeclared allergens (cashew and walnut). The food categories most commonly involved in the 18 events during the third quarter of 2019 were milk and dairy products (4), herbs, spices and condiments (3), fish and other seafood (2), meat and meat products (2), snacks, desserts, and other foods (2), vegetables and vegetables products (2), alcoholic beverages (1), fruit and fruit products (1), and legumes and pulses (1).
During such international food safety events, the INFOSAN Secretariat relies on the swift action of national INFOSAN Emergency Contact Points to respond to requests for information. Rapid sharing of information through INFOSAN enables members to implement appropriate risk management measures to prevent illness.
Geographic scope
These events involved countries from all WHO regions: Europe (23), followed by the Western Pacific (11), Africa (6), the Americas (4), the Eastern Mediterranean (4), and finally South-East Asia (2).
Outbreaks of norovirus infections in Europe linked to frozen seaweed salad from China
During the third quarter of 2019, the INFOSAN Secretariat was notified of several outbreaks of norovirus infections in European countries epidemiologically linked to the consumption of frozen seaweed salad produced by the same manufacturer in China. The INFOSAN Secretariat has since been engaged with the INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point in China to determine if additional countries may have received potentially contaminated seaweed salad. This investigation is ongoing.
Outbreak of methanol poisoning in Costa Rica linked to adulterated, counterfeit alcoholic beverages
Also in the third quarter of 2019, the INFOSAN Secretariat was made aware of an outbreak of methanol poisoning in Costa Rica linked to the consumption of adulterated, counterfeit alcoholic beverages. During the investigation, the INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point in Costa Rica shared on the INFOSAN Community Website, details of the implicated products as they became available. Due to the criminal nature of the event and the possibility of implicated products being illegally distributed, other INFOSAN members in the region exchanged information about the risk management measures implemented in their respective countries and their past experiences in responding to similar incidents. No other illnesses associated with the implicated products were reported from other countries.
News & activities
Phase 1 of the ongoing study of INFOSAN concluded, phase 2 launched
Earlier this year, an in-depth study into the experiences of members of INFOSAN was launched. In phase 1 of the study, information from the INFOSAN Community Website was downloaded and analyzed to better understand how this online portal is being used by members. The results from phase 1 provide objective, foundational information about the engagement of all members and will be presented in October 2019 at the Canadian Conference on Global Health.
In August 2019, phase 2 of the study was initiated, which involves the completion of an online questionnaire by INFOSAN members. The information from phase 2 will help characterize INFOSAN as a community of practice and provide a broad understanding of members’ experiences and their perceptions of the value of INFOSAN. Results from phase 2 will be presented in December 2019 at the Second Global Meeting of INFOSAN.
Overall, results from this study will be used by the INFOSAN Secretariat to increase active participation and improve international information exchange to mitigate the impact of food safety emergencies and prevent foodborne diseases globally.
Voice of an active network member
