Botulism Food Poisoning in Nachos
Although it is a rare occurrence, food poisoning due to Clostridium botulinum does occur. Such is the case with an Australian (Adelaide) company who manufactures pre-packed nachos product which was linked to a botulism infection in a 26 year old Melbourne man.
Clostridium botulinum is anaerobic, Gram-positive spore-forming rods, with heat resistant spore. They can be isolated from the soil and marine environment. Some strain (non-proteolytic) can grow slowly at temperatures down to 3.3°C. They usually will not produce toxins at pH lower than 4.6 and water activity (aw) values of less than 0.94. The toxin is one of the most potent toxins known and 10 – 6g is sufficient to kill an adult human. Unlike the staphylococcus aureus toxin which is heat stable, this toxin is easily destroyed by boiling for 10 minutes. Nitrate and nitrite are preservative which are effective in inhibiting the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
In March this year, the company, Mexican Express, previously recalled its 240g “Nachos to Go” products with a best before date of April 19. After further testing, it has decided to withdraw all remaining batches from sale and stop production until further notice. Interestingly, the product won the Vili’s Cakes Leadership Through Innovation in the Food Industry Award.
Consumers holding any of the items have been advised to throw them in the bin or return them.
Mexican Express managing director Ian Young said his first priority was the health and welfare of consumers. “We are putting the public first,” he said. “We are withdrawing Nachos to Go and have suspended production until the source of the botulism is found and we are satisfied about the product’s safety.”
The decision to stop production also followed intense discussions with health department officials in Adelaide and a review of the product formulation by the Dairy Authority of South Australia and Food Science Australia. I don’t think they had a choice.
Here’s what the company say about their hygiene,
“The company follows a strict step-by-step process to ensure it provides a safe, hygienic manufacturing environment for its products. Its QA operation has an SGS HACCP rating.” as for their HACCP plan, they must have forgotten one small Critical Control (CCP). So much for food companies using HACCP to ensure food safety and for SGS auditing their Quality systems.
For more information on the company profile click here.
