foodborne illness outbreak simulation workshop
DESCRIPTION
FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAK SIMULATION WORKSHOP. Introductions. Expectations. Everyone will be working together in their respective groups Each group will have different issues to address and deal with Overall the goal is for the group to work together through a crisis situation. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAK SIMULATION WORKSHOP
INTRODUCTIONS
EXPECTATIONS Everyone will be working together in their respective groups Each group will have different issues to address and deal with
Overall the goal is for the group to work together through a crisis situation
YOU WILL BE WORKING TOGETHER AND ROLE PLAYING Groups:
Producers Commodity associations
Other participants: Media Regulators
PRODUCERS
PRODUCER GROUP 1: TARHEEL ACRES GROWERS Conventional, organic, transition organic
Piedmont Large packing facility Pack for neighboring farms Mainly wholesale, Carrboro Farmers’ Market Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries
PRODUCER GROUP 2: PLOTT HOUND CREEK FARMS Small-ish farmer Conventional production mainly Newton Grove Direct market foodservice, wholesale and farm stand Blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries
PRODUCER GROUP 3: RISING SUN FARMS Conventional Medium size farm Goldsboro Mainly wholesale, Raleigh Farmers’ Market Strawberries and blueberries
Chicken houses adjacent to field
PRODUCER GROUP 4: STRAWBERRIES -R- US Small farm U-pick and farmstand Along I-95 Eastern NC
Strawberries
COMMODITY ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS NC Strawberry Association NC Blueberry Council, Inc NC Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association
United Fresh Produce Association
MEDIA -- OUR JOURNALISTIC TEAM News and Observer Charlotte Observer
CNN Perez Hilton
Late night television
WRAL Twitter Google alerts
NOVEMBER 10, 2011 -- PRESS RELEASE NC Department of Health says “There are an increased number of illnesses which are linked together with a genetic fingerprint”
Hepatitis A 24 illnesses in 14 NC counties (all around state)
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been dispatched
HEPATITIS A Transmitted by fecal-oral route Human sewage
Low infectious dose
Incubation period 2-6 weeks
Permanent immunity, vaccine available
Very resistant to chemicals
Hepatitis A associated with consumption of frozen strawberries – Michigan, 1997
Hepatitis A associated with consumption of frozen strawberries – Georgia and Montana, 1990
NOVEMBER 12, 2011 -- MORE INFORMATION TRICKLES OUT Outbreak in NC, and sporadic cases in VT, OR, and WA -- all genetic matches
NC health officials have warned residents not to eat fresh strawberries because sufferers reported having eaten them
OR Department of Health says “may be associated with strawberries”
National conference call
NOVEMBER 16, 2011 HEPATITIS A -- NC HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS IT’S STRAWBERRIES What do you do? Who do you call? What kind of things do you do to assess your system?
What do you release to the media?
NOVEMBER 17, 2011 -- PRESS CONFERENCE Announced that it is strawberry-linked:
Mike Taylor, FDA food safety czar "It is always an upset to the industry when we have to put consumer advice out like this, but . . . we don't know which strawberries are causing the illnesses; and we don't want to wait until we find out and then learn that people were getting sick.”
WHAT ELSE HAPPENS? Media attention
Blogs, Twitter, and Youtube Increased testing of strawberries Buyer questions Local demand? Strawberry sales plummet
BIG TOWN CATERERS Large company Made fruit salad and berry covered desserts
Produce sourced by Rising Sun Farms Plott Hound Creek Farm
DAMAGE CONTROL Strawberries-R-Us
Increase in traffic on farm
Consumers talking about how the outbreak scares them from purchasing at large stores
Tarheel Acres Growers Contact neighboring farms to confirm they are using good agricultural practices
Increase in demand for berries at Farmer’s market – sell out of berries every weekend
INDUSTRY INVESTIGATIONS -- LOOKING FOR THE SOURCE Discuss your distribution chain How do you prove it is not your farm?
Documentation? Where has your product gone?
Traceability?
NOVEMBER 22, 2011 -- OUTBREAK HAS BEEN TRACED TO PLOTT HOUND CREEK FARMS
CLASS I RECALL Class I is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death
NOVEMBER 22, 2011 -- RECALL How do you get the product back? Where did it go? What documentation do you need ? Other groups roles in this?
FDA, CONDUCTING THE INVESTIGATION, ASKS FOR: Flow charts Lab reports HACCP/SSOP records Production records Distribution records
ON-FARM INVESTIGATION Where they might start looking on-farm
Water Worker health and hygiene Wildlife
NOVEMBER 24, 2011 -- MORE INFO ABOUT THE IMPLICATED SITE ARISES… Septic tank issues on farm Direct to store Implicated product went to consumers
WINTER 2011 -- RECOVERY Outbreak is over What’s next? Who is affected? What needs to be done to get things back on track?
SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? Be prepared for outbreaks Have a plan to manage a crisis Be available Monitor what people are saying about industry/products
Use non-print methods Take control of the story