Bacterial Pathogen Survey in Dried Herbs and Teas

April 2014 to March 2018 survey analyzed 2,680 dried herb and 1,178 dried tea samples for bacterial pathogens. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted the study, finding positive results for Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and generic E. coli in a small number of samples.

Use Cases

• Analyze prevalence rates of Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and generic E. coli across herb and tea sample categories.
• Model contamination risk factors using sample type (herb vs. tea) and pathogen detection results.
• Assess the correlation between positive pathogen findings and subsequent regulatory actions like product recalls.

Strengths

• Covers a 4-year time period from April 2014 to March 2018.
• Includes results from 4,858 total samples (2,680 herbs + 1,178 teas).
• Reports specific counts for each pathogen found (e.g., 7 Bacillus cereus positives).

Limitations

• Sample size for individual pathogen tests is smaller (e.g., 1,773 herb samples tested for Staphylococcus aureus).
• No raw column-level data or sample metadata (e.g., brand, origin) is provided in the description.
• Data is static, covering a closed historical period with no ongoing updates.

Provenance

Source

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Collection Method

Targeted laboratory survey analyzing collected product samples.

Time Range

April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018

Freshness

null

Geography

Canada (implied by the conducting agency)