 Upcoming Webinars - Please register in advance using the link below. EHFS webinars are for state and local health officials, sanitarians maintaining CEs, and partner organizations only.
2025 License Renewal Season – October 22 at 9AM: Gail Macklin, EHFS Licensing Program Officer, will go over the keys to our 2025 License Renewal season to keep it running smoothly for everyone. Please bring any questions! Pre-registration is required.
Other Opportunities
Save the Date – AFDO Inspector Bootcamp: The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) hosts free, virtual inspector bootcamps on retail and manufactured foods each January. There is also an “Advanced” track for experienced professionals. More information can be found on their website.
If you have questions related to upcoming trainings or would like to be added to the Training Announcement List, please contact Karenna at Karenna.Doctor@mt.gov.
-Karenna
 License renewal will happen on October 19th when all licenses are rolled over into a 'Renewed' status. This kicks off the license renewal season. We are hoping to have the renewal notices mailed by November 4th. As of October 19th, please start collecting the 2024 and the 2025 license fees on all new license applications to help our new licensees to avoid a late fee.
Tip: When looking up 2024 licenses after October 19th, don’t use the 'Active' drop down or 'Issued' drop down as search criteria. The EHFS licenses will be in a 'Renewed' status. eStop licenses will not get moved into the 2025 license year until the end of January.
-Gail
 September is National Food Safety Education Month!
A sanitarian’s favorite time of year! The temporary events are starting to slow down, the food trucks are thinking about hibernation, and the craziest part, there are only 3 months left of this year.
Use this month to focus back in on the importance of food safety and share some resources with the public and clients you serve.
Click here to access the FDA’s social media toolkit to help spread the word about food safety.
-Kira
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What is crunch time? Have you crunched before? Whether you’re an experienced cruncher or a first timer, Montana Crunch Time is a statewide event that celebrates National Farm to School Month by crunching into Montana grown or raised foods, including produce, lentils, chickpeas, beef and more!
The collective crunch will be held on October 8th, 2024, but participants are encouraged to crunch anytime in October that works for you! Be sure to register your crunch by October 31st to help Montana tally the most Crunches per capita and win the Mountain Plains Regional Crunch Off! Take a peek at the Montana Crunch Time Guide and flyer to learn how to spread the word or hold an event in your school, community, workplace, or home!
Farm to school is a program that encourages a connection between communities, healthy foods and local producers. From food purchasing to education, students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons and farm field trips. Implementation can vary widely but the program is based on three core elements: procurement, education, and school gardens.
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If you have any questions about the Farm to School program or the Crunch Time event, feel free to reach out for questions!
-Jenna
 As part of the recall announcement, Prophet Premium Blends, LLC indicated that the Diamond Shruumz-brand products contain muscimol. Muscimol, also known as agarin or pantherine, is one of the principal psychoactive components of the mushroom species Amanita muscaria.
Amanita muscaria pictured above.
To date, the FDA has tested 22 samples of Diamond Shrummz-brand Chocolate Bars, 10 Infused Cones, and one raw ingredient that was reportedly used in the manufacturing of some of the products. Nine (9) of the 22 Chocolate Bars, five (5) of the 10 Infused Cones, and the raw ingredient were found to contain muscimol. However, muscimol does not appear in all products and cannot explain all the symptoms reported by ill patients who consumed the Diamond Shruumz-brand products.
In addition to muscimol, FDA analyses of Diamond Shruumz-brand Chocolate Bar and Infused Cone samples identified the presence of the following compounds:
Acetylpsilocin (also known as 4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 4-acetoxy-DMT, O-acetylpsilocin or psilacetin) was found in nine (9) Chocolate Bar samples and five (5) Infused Cone samples;
Psilocin, a Schedule I-controlled substance, was found in four (4) Chocolate Bar samples and five (5) Infused Cone samples;
Pregabalin, a prescription drug, was found in three (3) Chocolate Bar samples and five (5) Infused Cone samples;
Desmethoxyyangonin, dihydrokavain, and kavain (kavalactones found in the kava plant), were all present together in 18 Chocolate Bar samples and all 10 of the Infused Cone samples;.
Ibotenic acid and muscimol were detected in the raw ingredient that was reportedly used in the manufacturing of some Diamond Shruumz-brand products.
Although these compounds individually have known effects when ingested, there is less research on the interactions between these compounds when ingested together. FDA and CDC medical officers are interpreting these test results to understand the health risks of ingesting these chemical substances and to determine the appropriate next steps.
Additional testing of these products is ongoing, and the table here will be updated as sample results, including Gummies, become available.
As a reminder, these products are under recall and were distributed nationwide. As of August 30, 2024, a total of 158 illnesses have been reported from 32 states; 63 have been hospitalized, and there are two potentially associated deaths. If you find any of this product in the field, or have a potentially related case in your county, please contact Environmental Health and Food Safety.
-Kira
 Thank you to everyone who took the time to take the Recall Announcements for Sanitarians in Montana survey, I really appreciate your feedback and suggestions! Overall, the feedback received is that the current system is working for you, but could use a few small improvements, and an explanation on some factors of the system.
With 100% positive responses to “Is the current system helpful?” and a 100% preference to emailed announcements, those two factors will remain the same going forward.
We had a 95% positive response to “Is the current alert level easy to understand?” but had a few suggestions that the alert levels be reversed in order from the current system. With a majority of respondents stating the system is easy, and with the current system being modeled after national systems, like the one here, we have decided to keep the alert levels the same.
A Level 1 Alert is Action Recommended, Level 2 is Discretionary, and Level 3 is Advisory. These alert levels are also color coded at the top and bottom of the email, with Level 1 appearing in red, Level 2 in yellow, and Level 3 uncolored.
We did have some recommendations and suggestions along different types of alerts, for example “Pathogen”, “Allergen”, or “Mislabeled”. To try and include these suggestions the recall emails will now have the type of alert in the subject line such as:
- Stanley Jr. Kids Garden Sets - Level 2 Discretionary - Lead Paint
- Hammond's Dark Chocolate Filled Mini Waffle Cones - Level 2 Discretionary - Undeclared Milk
- Perdue Foods LLC Chicken Breast Nugget & Tender Products - Level 3 Advisory - Foreign Material (Metal)
I hope this change will make it faster and more efficient for those of you in the field to read the email as it comes it, review the subject line, and be able to gauge your alert level and next steps. As a reminder, allergen and mislabeled alerts are still very important, people who have allergies or severe sensitivities are at risk of serious or life-threatening reactions if they consume products that have been recalled due to these issues.
On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being major changes needed, and 5 being no changes needed, the current system was rated 4.23 in this survey. With these numbers, and the suggestions added into the policy, I hope that the recall announcement system continues to be a helpful tool and effective alert system. I’m always here if you have any questions and thank you again for those who took the time to assist me in evaluating the recall announcement system.
-Kira
 Food allergies and other types of food hypersensitivities affect millions of Americans. For individuals with allergies, even a trace amount of an allergen can provoke life-threatening reactions. The declaration of allergens on food packaging and labeling is crucial for several reasons: health, safety, and consumer rights. Proper allergen labeling helps individuals avoid foods that may trigger mild to severe reactions, ensuring their safety, and provides equal access to safe food choices.
The U.S. Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires food, other than raw agricultural commodities, to have clear and accurate allergen statements. For manufacturers, clear allergen labeling reduces the risk of legal action and promotes trust in their products.
For all the reasons above, recalls due to undeclared allergens are just as important as the rest.
-Sadie
 I am both happy and sad to announce that I am no longer with the Environmental Health and Food Safety Section. I will now be working in the Vital Records Section as their Issuance Program Officer. I am so grateful that I was able to work with everyone involved with Environmental Health at the State and County levels and learn about all the important work you do for Montana. Thank you all for the great time here!
-Kaylie
 EHFS has developed a Variance Request Form for operators that wish to request a variance from the ARMs for their establishment. The aim of this form is to streamline the process for the operators and for us. The form goes through all requirements of a variance including the nature, duration, explanations of why the variance is needed and how it will be complied with. The form is available on the EHFS Connected Community.
As a reminder, variances need to be reviewed locally and by EHFS prior to approval. This is to help ensure consistency statewide. Please let me know if you have any questions!
-Karenna
Contact Information
EHFS Staff Listing
|
Name
|
Email
|
Phone
|
| Darryl Barton |
darryl.barton@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2089 |
| Erik Leigh |
eleigh@mt.gov |
(406) 444-5306 |
| Gail Macklin |
gmacklin@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2415 |
| Jenna Fisher |
Jenna.Fisher@mt.gov |
(406) 444-0067 |
| Karenna Doctor |
karenna.doctor@mt.gov |
(406) 444-5303 |
| Kaylie Kummer |
kaylie.kummer@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2837 |
| Kira Flagstead |
kira.flagstead@mt.gov |
(406) 417-0500 |
| Sadie Overlie |
sadie.overlie@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2823 |
| Staci Evangeline |
staci.evangeline@mt.gov |
(406) 444-5309 |
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