HEALTH & MEDICAL

ANSES identifies indispensable hazards in raw milk cheeses; E. coli infections prime the list

A French company has studied the predominant bacterial hazards connected with raw milk cheeses and other merchandise fabricated from raw milk.

The French Agency for Meals, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) identified the forms of unpasteurized milk cheeses on which to draw efforts.

In France, over the previous decade, 34 percent, 37 percent and 60 percent of outbreaks of salmonellosis, listeriosis and E. coli  infections were linked to raw milk cheeses.

The focus fell on relaxed cheeses with a surface mildew comparable to Camembert, Brie and Crottin and brief-ripened raw pressed cheeses like Morbier, Reblochon and Saint-Nectaire in addition as relaxed washed-rind cheeses comparable to Munster and Maroilles.

In whole, 46 hazard food pairs were judged as relevant by consultants. They lined E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and histamine in cheese, butter and cream.

Offer chain near


ANSES bought the demand for the glimpse from the Directorate Overall for Meals (DGAL) in 2019. The purpose turned into as soon as to evaluate the predominant sources of contamination and ways to manipulate these risks.

The model to manipulate microbiological risks in the predominant dairy sectors of cattle, sheep and goat from the rearing stage to consumption, were studied by the company.

At farm stage, measures included sexy animal husbandry and hygiene practices. The ANSES glimpse mentioned ongoing efforts in the case of hygiene for the length of milking and the management of mastitis must be persevered.

Throughout production, risk preserve watch over turned into as soon as also very high. The company suggested persevering with to put into effect sexy hygiene practices and to cease self-tests to easiest await any risk of a plague.

For patrons, to take care of a ways from a foodborne an infection, it’s going to be important to conform with files on the packaging or that given by the seller touching on the temperature at which raw milk cheese must be saved in the refrigerator and its dispute-by date.

ANSES recommends that pregnant ladies folks, immunocompromised individuals, of us over the age of 65 and younger children must no longer expend raw milk cheeses, aside from for laborious pressed cheeses comparable to Gruyère and Comté.

Linked outbreaks


Amongst 50 Salmonella outbreaks with a confirmed food source between 2008 and 2018, 18 were precipitated by raw milk cheeses. Five of them sickened bigger than 100 of us.

Six of 10 E. coli outbreaks recorded by Santé publique France between 2004 and 2019 were thanks to raw milk cheese. These merchandise were in the motivate of 14 of 37 Listeria outbreaks that affected 103 of us between 2012 and 2018.

Kinds of cheeses most in total linked to outbreaks were relaxed and raw pressed cheeses and were fabricated from cow’s milk.

Data from epidemiological investigations exhibits some incidents are thanks to a lack of hygiene preserve watch over on the farm or for the length of production. For others, the causes were no longer identified. This indicates that, even when sexy hygiene practices and preserve watch over measures appear to be adopted by operators, contamination can happen.

Laurent Guillier, who coordinated the expert appraisal, mentioned ranges of hygiene and risk preserve watch over are truly high on farms and self-tests at the processing stage are ready to name problematic batches.

“For quite a lot of years now, we were seeing a sturdy dedication on the piece of the many raw milk cheese sectors to fighting microbiological risks. On the change hand, there is indifferent a residual risk and it’s miles very important to name fresh ways of optimizing the most modern preserve watch over measures. Shall we whisper, this could perchance well involve enhancing epidemiological investigations, identifying unhappy hygiene practices at an earlier stage, or communicating extra with patrons.”

The work to classify raw milk cheeses turned into as soon as the predominant stage. Efforts are persevering with to review effectiveness of a decision of health measures comparable to sorting milk at farm stage and self-tests at the production stage. The following step will be to name precedence areas to additional lower microbiological risks.

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