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Botulism cases linked to potluck at Ohio church


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Wasn't it from the recalled ice cream?

 

That's listeria. 

 

I hope everyone else is able to recover from this.  This doesn't mean the person lives in bad conditions or has bad food handling.  She/he may not have realized one of her/his canned veggies didn't have a perfect seal.

 

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I read the article and learned something new...I knew about the risks with canned foods, honey for infants, and even the garlic-infused oils, but I didn't know that baked potatoes wrapped in foil could be a problem!

Here's the same info from the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/#prevent

I don't understand the advice to boil home canned food. I've always heard that botulinum spores can't be destroyed by boiling, hence the reason to can low-acid foods under pressure.

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I don't understand the advice to boil home canned food. I've always heard that botulinum spores can't be destroyed by boiling, hence the reason to can low-acid foods under pressure.

 

The spores aren't destroyed by boiling, so if you boil it and then wait a while and then eat it, they will produce more toxins. 

 

But the toxins themselves are destroyed by boiling, so if you boil it and then eat it immediately, it will be safe because the spores have not had time to produce more toxins. 

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When Hoarders was on the air and I saw how many of them insisted they were great cooks, while surrounded by rotting food and bugs and critters, I lost my appetite for potluck dishes. Unless you've been to someone's home (or even if you have been and it seems clean) you just don't know.

Amen. There are some folks I love but would not eat anything prepared in their kitchens.

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I read the article and learned something new...I knew about the risks with canned foods, honey for infants, and even the garlic-infused oils, but I didn't know that baked potatoes wrapped in foil could be a problem!

Here's the same info from the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/#prevent

If you google "potatoes foil botulism" you will get dozens of hits. Seems like a decade or so ago there was a large restaurant chain that dealt with a case of botulism from foil wrappers taters. Applebee's maybe? Anyway, they stopped wrapping their spuds in foil.

 

I think the main problem is when something is cooked, cooled and then reheated with the foil.

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Oh this is horrendous.  That poor person who brought the food!!  And of course how awful to lose a loved one to this. 

 

I am rethinking my laid-back stance on potlucks (we have one every month at church) now.  I have never thought twice about them.  YIKES. 

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Okay, it is scary.

 

But....if you add up all the potlucks that happen every year, and look at all the cases of food poisoning from them...statistically, how bad is it?  It seems bad because we're hearing about it, but that's my concern with the news, that it makes horror seem much more prevalent than it is.

 

I wonder if the chance of food poisoning at a potluck is statistically higher or lower than getting struck by lightening?  Or getting in a car accident?

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Okay, it is scary.

 

But....if you add up all the potlucks that happen every year, and look at all the cases of food poisoning from them...statistically, how bad is it?  It seems bad because we're hearing about it, but that's my concern with the news, that it makes horror seem much more prevalent than it is.

 

I wonder if the chance of food poisoning at a potluck is statistically higher or lower than getting struck by lightening?  Or getting in a car accident?

 

Well, also, when food poisoning strikes at a potluck it tends to strike lots of people, as opposed to lightning, so it seems scarier.

 

It won't stop me from eating at potlucks.

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Okay, it is scary.

 

But....if you add up all the potlucks that happen every year, and look at all the cases of food poisoning from them...statistically, how bad is it?  It seems bad because we're hearing about it, but that's my concern with the news, that it makes horror seem much more prevalent than it is.

 

I wonder if the chance of food poisoning at a potluck is statistically higher or lower than getting struck by lightening?  Or getting in a car accident?

 

When I start seriously adjusting my life due to fears from something like this I think I will have already died (more or less).

 

There's no way I'm willing to live in fear - esp such small odds fears.  If I were to be fearful of more major odds, I'd never go anywhere in a vehicle.

 

It is sad though, and I feel for the person who brought the dish and those who were affected by it (and their families/loved ones), but it could have happened anywhere - yet almost always doesn't.

 

I've found food at pot luck dinners to be incredibly tasty.  I doubt that will change.

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...it reminds me of a wedding a friend attended.

 

63 of 70 got food poisoning. From....hollandaise. Left unrefrigerated. For hours.

 

Illnesses ranged from week long hospitalizations to ER treatments to (simply) vomiting for a day or so. The worst were a pregnant woman and an elderly woman.

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...it reminds me of a wedding a friend attended.

 

63 of 70 got food poisoning. From....hollandaise. Left unrefrigerated. For hours.

 

Illnesses ranged from week long hospitalizations to ER treatments to (simply) vomiting for a day or so. The worst were a pregnant woman and an elderly woman.

How horrible. :(

 

I hope everyone recovered, in that case.

 

We deal with food allergies, so potlucks aren't an option for us. I do think, for the most part, they are safe. How very tragic when they are not, though.

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Home canned tomatoes are among the safest foods because of the acid. As are jellies, jams, pickles. You can "can" them with a water bath (not a pressure cooker). Beans, corn, potatoes, and meat products are more scary. However, I wouldn't be certain that it was home canned goods (unless that's been proven in this case). There are very few cases of that so I understand. I've eaten it all my life and the few times it's been bad, or a seal has popped, there is no question that it was bad, no one would ever eat it. Botulism is different. The reason to pressure can some things is that the pressure raises the temperature above boiling, which is necessary to kill botulism. Ordinary boilng does not kill botulism. It does kill many other things of course.

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http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/04/22/Updated-botulism-cases.html

 

Here's another article with some new info.

 

It mentions officials are searching through the church's garbage and people's food at home to help identify the source. It said they have a list of 20 dishes at the potluck.

 

It also mentions the woman who died had underlying health issues and that the anti-toxin probably would not have helped her.

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Home canned tomatoes are among the safest foods because of the acid.

 

​No. It is critical for people to know that commercially grown tomatoes and peppers are much lower in acid than traditional tomatoes, and for this reason besides that, all tomatoes are borderline, it is not safe to can them at home without a pressure canner or adding acid. 

 

https://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/preservation/UWEX_addacidtomatoes.pdf

 

The tl;dr here is that tomatoes are a fruit; are not consistently high acid throughout the season; commercial tomatoes are lower in acid.

 

Sorry for the big letters. Botulism is deadly and many of us can tomatoes. I think it's worth "shouting" so people can know this.

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​No. It is critical for people to know that commercially grown tomatoes and peppers are much lower in acid than traditional tomatoes, and for this reason, it is not safe to can them at home without a pressure canner or adding acid. 

 

https://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/preservation/UWEX_addacidtomatoes.pdf

 

The tl;dr here is that tomatoes are a fruit; are not consistently high acid throughout the season; commercial tomatoes are lower in acid.

 

Sorry for the big letters. Botulism is deadly and many of us can tomatoes. I think it's worth "shouting" so people can know this.

 

I'm glad you gave a 'shout out'. I was scrolling to the bottom of the page to post this as well. You beat me to it. But I will second your 'shout'!

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The CDC information said low acid foods and didn't list tomatoes which are high acid.

 

Actually tomatoes are not high acid.  I can mine in a pressure canner because of this, and add lemon juice in the required amounts.

 

"Tomatoes and tomato products need to be acidified for home canning. A common misconception is that tomatoes are a high acid food. With a pH of 4.6 tomatoes are right on the border between being high or low acid. The tomato variety and growing conditions (blight and diseased plants) can easily tip the acidity level to the low acid side of the scale."

 

http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/news/2012/acidify-tomatoes-before-canning

 

 

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​No. It is critical for people to know that commercially grown tomatoes and peppers are much lower in acid than traditional tomatoes, and for this reason, it is not safe to can them at home without a pressure canner or adding acid. 

 

https://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/preservation/UWEX_addacidtomatoes.pdf

 

The tl;dr here is that tomatoes are a fruit; are not consistently high acid throughout the season; commercial tomatoes are lower in acid.

 

Sorry for the big letters. Botulism is deadly and many of us can tomatoes. I think it's worth "shouting" so people can know this.

 

This doesn't pertain to home grown tomatoes thought does it?  Just wondering.  I once did can home grown tomatoes. 

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This doesn't pertain to home grown tomatoes thought does it?  Just wondering.  I once did can home grown tomatoes. 

It applies to homegrown tomatoes, too.  I don't have a link, but I did research this thoroughly before I canned my homegrown tomatoes last year.

 

I wondered about tomatoes grown with heirloom seeds, and found this:

 

 

"Other misconceptions are that yellow tomatoes are lower in acid than red tomatoes and that heirloom tomatoes are high in acid. Both are still borderline. Yellow tomatoes taste less acid because they contain more natural sugars."

http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/news/2012/acidify-tomatoes-before-canning

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It applies to homegrown tomatoes, too.  I don't have a link, but I did research this thoroughly before I canned my homegrown tomatoes last year.

 

I wondered about tomatoes grown with heirloom seeds, and found this:

 

 

"Other misconceptions are that yellow tomatoes are lower in acid than red tomatoes and that heirloom tomatoes are high in acid. Both are still borderline. Yellow tomatoes taste less acid because they contain more natural sugars."

http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/news/2012/acidify-tomatoes-before-canning

 

ah ok

 

Well I did it once many years ago and honestly I could not enjoy the tomatoes because I was too worried about it.  So I didn't do it again.  Well accept I once did can batches of green tomato relish which I am confident had plenty of acid in it. 

 

Canning is such a pain anyway. 

 

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Canning is such a pain anyway. 

 

 

Yeah, it is a lot of work.  The only reason I'm going to go through it again this year (my second season) is that the difference between home-canned and store bought tomatoes is extreme.  My home-canned ones have a very intense flavor and color in comparison.

 

Plus, I am a glutton for punishment.  And I bought all the equipment, can't let it go to waste. 

 

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Are we the only ones who choose to freeze tomatoes (after blanching) rather than canning them?  It is so much easier and they work just as well in recipes.  I'm also thinking since they are always exposed to some sort of oxygen that botulism wouldn't be a worry?  Correct me if I'm wrong on that, of course.

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This doesn't pertain to home grown tomatoes thought does it?  Just wondering.  I once did can home grown tomatoes. 

 

It's the variety that does it, and also, it's not regular throughout the season.

 

I don't understand why not just add some acid. Botulism isn't worth it.

 

Or, as creekland pointed out, just freeze it.

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Botulism comes from the soil. The risk of botulism goes down a lot if you wash your produce thoroughly and process it (according to safe guidelines) as soon as possible--preferably the same day. You should also not can produce that is starting to rot. I am a lot more fussy about which tomatoes I can now that I know about that information! I don't put rotten pieces in my batch, but I am less likely to just casually lop off a rotten spot and toss the tomato (or other veggie) into my batch to be canned. I am fussier about bruised apples as well. It's easy when you have a bushel of pears or apples to just do a quick plunge in the water, peel them, etc., but I clean my fruit much more thoroughly now--usually a thorough rinse to get most of the yuck off and then a vinegar and water bath to get the rest of the yuck off. 

 

People also need to be sure to let the pressure canner vent with a steam cloud for the appropriate amount of time before putting on the weighted gauge and starting the timer. Venting the steam brings the pressure up, and it's the pressure that brings the temperature high enough to kill the spores. If the heat is unsteady or not enough to make a steam cloud, the pressure will not get high enough to bring the temperature to it's necessary high point. If it's venting air, but not steam, you need to turn up the heat and/or vent longer until the steam escapes for the directed amount of time. I do know people sometimes skip or fudge this step.

 

 

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I feel both for the family of the victim and for whoever prepared the food.  I'm sure that whoever it was knows it was them by now:  if 20+ people got sick at a potluck for 60 people total, that probably narrows down what the source was.  Generally, when I bring food for a potluck, I'm not bringing 20+ servings of anything, unless it is something like chips and salsa.

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Are we the only ones who choose to freeze tomatoes (after blanching) rather than canning them?  It is so much easier and they work just as well in recipes

 

I used to do that, until the canning bug bit me.  In the middle of the seemingly never-ending supply of tomatoes to can, I wonder many times why I didn't stick to freezing them.

 

My biggest problem now is that I love looking at all those lovely filled jars, lined up on shelves ... so picturesque, and concrete evidence of my hard work gardening and canning.  Then I have to use them up, and it's a little bit sad, using up what took so long to create.  This year, I'm going to take a photo and hope that satisfies me, so I don't give in to the temptation of being a home-canned goods hoarder. :-)

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Are we the only ones who choose to freeze tomatoes (after blanching) rather than canning them?  It is so much easier and they work just as well in recipes.  I'm also thinking since they are always exposed to some sort of oxygen that botulism wouldn't be a worry?  Correct me if I'm wrong on that, of course.

 

I freeze everything now too.

 

I don't know the specifics of botulism except that it's still relatively rare.

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I freeze tomatoes too, as its easier for me than canning when it is only a small quantity .I am down to the last 2 , I am hoping tonight will be last feeze so I can start next years crop.

 

It's currently snowing here.  Not serious snow that will amount to anything, but what the heck.  I'm done with winter!

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It's currently snowing here.  Not serious snow that will amount to anything, but what the heck.  I'm done with winter!

 

Keep it.  We no longer want any.  ;)

 

Our new tomato plants (and other warm crops) won't go in until mid May.  Fortunately, my farm hands return from college in mid-May.  :coolgleamA:

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...it reminds me of a wedding a friend attended.

 

63 of 70 got food poisoning. From....hollandaise. Left unrefrigerated. For hours.

 

Illnesses ranged from week long hospitalizations to ER treatments to (simply) vomiting for a day or so. The worst were a pregnant woman and an elderly woman.

I just experience food poisoning from he!!. I experienced the worst pain ever in my life for hours and hours and hours as well as several other unpleasantries. Then on top of that I had multiple other attacks of pain and such over the course of several weeks related to complications from food poisoning of lactose intolerance and possible colitis. Let's just say I will be very careful from now on.

 

ETA: sorry about typos and clarified that the pain was for quite an extended period of time from 5 to 12 hours for each attack.

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I just experience food poisoning from he!!. I experienced the worst pain ever in my life for hours as well as several other unpleasantries. Then on top of that I had multiple other attacks of pain and such over the curse of several weeks related to complications of lactose intolerance and possible colitis. Let's just say I will be very careful from now on.

 

What did you get it from?

 

The only time I know for certain that a couple of family members had it we got it from meat sliced for us at a deli at a food processor's outlet store.  It was quite easy to know exactly which food it was because the only ones affected were those who ate that meat in their sandwiches and they had the exact same symptoms at the exact same time afterward (within 30 minutes anyway) - the rest of the meal was identical.

 

We tossed the rest.  In my current life I'd have reported it, but at the time, my oldest had a job there (in the factory, not the outlet store) and didn't want to jeopardize his job.  It seems like such stupid reasoning now.

 

Fortunately, it wasn't food poisoning from he!!.  It was just the puke a couple of times and be done with it variety.

 

We've never eaten anything from there again though.

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