BOTULISM - FINLAND (02): ex ITALY, JARRED OLIVES, INTERNATIONAL ALERT

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Date: Mon 24 Oct 2011

Source: eFoodAlert [edited]







Italian olives tainted with botulinum toxin sickened 2 members of a

Helsinki family last week [week of 17 Oct 2011]. Both individuals

reported having eaten Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds.

Lab tests confirmed that the jar from which the 2 patients had eaten

the olives contained botulinum toxin.



The tainted olives were packed in 314 ml glass jars, with a "best

before" date of 09/2012. They were imported into Finland by Kespro as

early as September 2010. The olives were sold in Finland to K-food

stores KCM Big Apple (Espoo), KCM Jumbo (Vantaa), and KSM South Centre

(Rovaniemi), and to a few restaurants. The olives have been withdrawn

from sale in Finland, and consumers who purchased this product are

asked to return it to the store.



Germany's Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety has

learned that some of these olives also were distributed in Germany,

and is asking its citizens to dispose of any of the implicated jars of

olives "with household waste".



According to a notice posted 21 Oct 2011 on the Rapid Alert System for

Foods and Feeds (RASFF) and updated this morning (24 Oct 2011), these

olives also were distributed to the UK and the USA. So far, neither

the US Food and Drug Administration nor Britain's Food Standards

Agency has issued a Consumer Alert or a public health advisory of any

sort.



eFood Alert Advisory to Consumers in Finland, Germany, the United

Kingdom and the USA:

Check your pantry for Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds

(Product of Italy; Best before 09/2012), and discard the product in a

safe manner. DO NOT TASTE THIS PRODUCT. If you have consumed even a

tiny amount of this product and begin to experience any symptoms of

botulism, including blurred vision or difficulty swallowing, seek

immediate medical attention.





--

Communicated by:

ProMED-mail





[Based on this report, it appears that the potentially

toxin-containing olives were also imported in to the USA and Germany.

Germany and UK appear to have issued warnings regarding the product

but no alert seems to have yet been released from the USA. - Mod.LL]



[see also:

Botulism - Finland: (Helsinki) ex Italy, jarred olives 20111026.3182

Botulism, human - France: homemade tapenade 20110906.2720

2008

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Botulism, baby food - Denmark, Norway (02): Danish case 20081219.3995

Botulism, baby food - Denmark, Norway: recall, RFI 20081210.3871

Botulism, infused olive oil - UK: (England), risk, recall

20081118.3638

Botulism, precooked commercial food - France 20080911.2843

Botulism, canned truffle sauce - Italy: alert, recall 20080602.1760

Botulism, foie gras - France: risk, recall 20080102.0016

2007

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Botulism, olives - USA ex Italy: recall 20070329.1085

Botulism, olives - Canada ex Italy: recall 20070326.1042

Botulism, olives - USA: recall 20070311.0861

Botulism, olives - USA (FL, GA, NY): recall 20070310.0847

Botulism, canned artichokes - Spain (Guipuzcoa) (02) 20070120.0261

Botulism, canned artichokes - Spain (Guipuzcoa) 20070116.0203

2006

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Botulism, barbecue - Austria (northern) 20061214.3521

Botulism - UK & Ireland ex Poland 20061012.2923

Botulism - Ireland (County Mayo) ex Poland 20060919.2668

Botulism, smoked fish - Finland ex Canada 20060721.2000

2004

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Botulism, fish-related 2003 - Norway, Germany 20040120.0224

2003

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Botulism, beef poultry sausage - France: recall 20030922.2391

Botulism, bottled garlic - Denmark (03): discussion 20030209.0342

Botulism, bottled garlic - Denmark 20030131.0267]

.................................................mj/ll/mj/dk

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