Health Inspector's Notebook

Food Safety Alert: Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Ground Turkey in USA. Check your fridge and freezer. CDC reported that 28 sick with 2 hospitalized linked to contaminated ground turkey products (photos) dated 1/1/21 to 1/10/21 that were sold nationwide. Throw them away or return them to store. Find brand names and more information via CDC https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/hadar-04-21/index.html

Tuesday Comic: Why germs hate food handlers that wash hands... #handhygiene #foodsafety #handwashing. Happy Tuesday everyone! (Health Inspector Jim). #FoodSafetyTips https://healthinspectorsnotebook.blogspot.com//hand-hygien

Hand Hygiene and Food Safety: Health Inspectors can tell these food handlers are NOT washing hands. According to CDC, handwashing is one of the most important things to prevent food poisoning when preparing food. But check out these kitchen hand wash stations, this is how operators telling Health Inspectors that they don't wash hands. #handhygiene https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/handwashing-kitchen.html

Pet Food Safety: Dry cat food recalled due to Salmonella - USA. J. M. Smucker Co. is recalling certain Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food (photos) due to potential Salmonella contamination, which can be dangerous to pets and people who handle the food. The recalled products were sold at select Walmart stores in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Please share with your cat owner friends. Food Safety News https://www.foodsafetynews.com//meow-mix-original-choice/

Monday Comic: The new school education system - 'On-line Classroom Teaching'. #happymonday! (Health Inspector Jim). Comic via Clever Classroom https://www.facebook.com/Clever-Classroom-235761613111516/

Monday Post: Strange poster at a Raccoon Cafe in Korea. Poor Rocky Raccoon, must be a lot of customers at the cafe asking if he is pregnant? Article via BuzzFeed https://www.buzzfeed.com//theres-literally-a-raccoon-cafe-

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the United States! Reposting this Food Safety message from the Junior Health Inspectors as a reminder of safe cooking to prevent foodborne illness. #StaySafeStayHealthy #HappyThanksgiving2020

Thanksgiving feast for one... Home quarantine special menu.

Public Health: COVID-19 test kit approved and a test can be done at home - USA. U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the first home self-testing COVID-19 kit which provides results in about 30 minutes. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test-Kit is a single-use test that has a nasal swab to collect samples for people ages 14 and older. FDA Release: https://www.fda.gov//coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-autho

Wednesday #shoutout: Business helping out during the pandemic - Nova Scotia, Canada. Maritime Tartan Company in Halifax is making and selling Tartan cloth face masks and have raised $17,424 for charity. According to his Twitter post, he gets lots of "anti-masker" hate mail and threats daily and yet he continued to make over 17,000 masks by himself. Love the Cape Breton Tartan mask (Health Inspector Jim). More information: https://www.maritimetartancompany.ca/

Food Safety: Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the United States. Thanksgiving 2020 is sure to be different because of the pandemic and if you're cooking a holiday feast, make sure to practice good food safety and follow the #COVID19 safety guidelines when preparing for Thanksgiving gathering (Health Inspector's Notebook Team). #staysafe #FoodSafetyTips https://healthinspectorsnotebook.blogspot.com//food-safety

Food Safety: Thanksgiving Countdown USA - One more day. First time cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? No matter which part of the turkey you touch, remember to wash hands after touching raw meat and before handling and processing food... This kid can teach you how to tell if the turkey is a boy or girl.

Happy Thursday everyone! Today is National Cat Day 2020, ever wonder what other people can see during a ZOOM meeting when working from home? #nationalcatday #workfromhome

Updated Report: Showdown between restaurant owner and Health Inspector, By-law officers and Police in Toronto, Canada. Adamson Barbecue in Etobicoke opened for indoor dining in defiance of COVID-19 measures and the Pandemic Lockdown Order. Health Inspector (Photo via City News) posted a Red Closure Order sign and this restaurant will be prohibited to operate, including take-out orders. The owner is also investigated for operating food premises without license and may face additional fines. Media release: https://www.toronto.ca//city-of-toronto-orders-adamson-ba/

Health and Safety: Ultraviolet (UV) lights and wands falsely claiming to disinfect against COVID-19. World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against the use of UV light to disinfect hands or any part of the body due to risk of damage to skin and eyes. Be ware of products sold online such as UV lights and wands that make unproven claims to disinfect surfaces and contact areas against COVID-19 virus. Selling or advertising health products that make false or misleading claims is illegal. Fact: https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-aler//74365a-eng.php

A Public Health message from City of Toronto, Canada. #pandemic2020 #COVID19 #PublicHealthMatters #StaySafeStayHealthy

Food Trucks: Serving up street food during the pandemic - Japan. Japanese food trucks are serving traditional Japanese food such as Takoyaki (photo: octopus balls) as well as western style food such as burger and even KFC. More on food trucks in Japan via https://japancardirect.com/japan-car-/japanese-food-trucks/

Food Safety: Outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses may be linked to Romaine lettuce - USA. U.S. Food and Drug Administration announces investigation of 2 outbreaks caused by E. coli O157:H7 strains previously linked to Romaine lettuce outbreaks with 44 people sick and 1 dead. FDA Release: https://www.fda.gov//fda-brief-fda-announces-investigation

Public Health and Safety: Be Social Wise - Guidance for Social Gatherings During COVID-19 from Ottawa Public Health Unit -Canada. #staysafeandhealthy via https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca//hosting-postponing-or-c

Turning 68 today... This happens when lighting 68 candles on my birthday cake. #staysafeeveryone (Health Inspector Jim)

This looks like a Halloween 2020 story... A walking baby doll head!!

Public Health #flashbackmemories: Spanish Flu Pandemic - Masking up to reduce the risk of infection.... even for little kitties. (Photo via Twitter Dan Eskenazi News Dog).

Thursday Funday : How to identify a safety hazard during the COVID-19 pandemic? I think this officer mixed up 6 feet with 6 inches for social distancing requirement. #staysafe

Food Safety: Thinking of operating a restaurant business in your home kitchen? You can legally operate a food business from home but it is not easy navigating the public health rules, regulations, requirements and bylaws. See what Health Inspector Jim has to say in this media interview via The Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com//covid-19-has-turned-the-restauran

#DirtyDining Episode: The dirty truth about supermarkets - Hidden cameras, lab tests and how to stay safe. Health Inspector Jim did some undercover spot checks with the CBC Marketplace team inside Canada’s biggest grocery store chains. The investigation will be aired this Friday at 8 p.m. ET on CBC-TV https://www.cbc.ca//the-dirty-truth-about-supermarkets-hid

Public Health Education: Guest lecturing online classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It is a very different experience to teach students online as comparing to face-to-face lecture. Recently, I presented 'Challenges for Health Inspectors' to a Conestoga College Environmental and Public Health class, and this morning, I talked about 'Food Safety Inspection' to the University of Guelph Food Microbiology class. As universities and colleges have scraped face-to-face lectures due to the pandemic, I think educators have to continue on-line teaching for a while. (Photo from Professor Keith UofGuelph Canada)

Public Health and Safety: Teacher charged for putting over 200 students at risk to #COVID19 - Toronto, Canada. Health and Safety Inspectors conducted a complaint investigation regarding a music teacher who had contact with over 200 students tested positive for COVID-19 and not wearing a mask when teaching, leading to the weeklong shutdown of the school. The teacher has been charged under the Workplace Health and Safety Act for failing to wear a mask. The Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com//toronto-catholic-itinerant-music-

Happy #NationalBlackCatAppreciationDay! Meet Black Cat (this is her name), she is a rescued feral cat from the colony of feral cats we look after in our neighborhood.

Halloween Food Safety: Too much leftovers from your Halloween party? See what is the best way to prevent leftovers from spoiling (Comic via Bizzaro.com)

Public Health: Meet Health Inspector Phil of Windsor Health Unit - Ontario, Canada. A #ShoutOut to Inspector Phil Wong and his team in the fight against COVID-19. See how public health care officials in Windsor are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Media CBC https://www.cbc.ca//public-health-inspector-covid-19-1.577

Monday Funday: Masked intruders caught red-handed after breaking into a bank in California - USA. Raccoons break into a US bank by sneaking along air ducts before roaming the halls, sitting at desks and later appointed as the new CEOs of the bank. Media: https://inews.co.uk//raccoons-us-california-bank-break-in-

Today is Canadian Intensive Care Week, please join me to give a #shoutout to all frontline health workers who provide critical care in the fight against #COVID19. #IntensiveCare #healthcareheroes