Recall Roundup: January 5, 2011

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

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United States

• Food Safety Recall: USDA releases retail distribution list for organic ground beef products recalled by First Class Foods, Inc. due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
• Over-The-Counter Product Safety Recall: Triad Group (Hartland, WI) recalls all lots of Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs and Alcohol SwabSticks due to concerns about contamination with Bacillus cereus. The recalled covers both Sterile-marked and non-sterile products manufactured by Triad Group and marketed under the following private label brands: Cardinal Health, PSS Select, VersaPro, Boca/Ultilet, Moore Medical, Walgreens, CVS and Conzellin. Products covered by this recall were distributed in the USA, Canada and Europe.

Canada

• Food Safety Recall: Wal-Mart Canada Corp. recalls Sprouters Northwest brand Deli Sprouts (5 oz.; UPC 0 33383 70267 4; sold up to and including January 3, 2011) because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled sprouts were sold in Wal-Mart stores in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Several illnesses have been linked to consumption of the sprouts in the USA, but there have been no associated illnesses reported in Canada.
• Over-The-Counter Product Safety Recall: Triad Group (Hartland, WI) recalls all lots of Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs and Alcohol SwabSticks due to concerns about contamination with Bacillus cereus. The recalled covers both Sterile-marked and non-sterile products manufactured by Triad Group and marketed under the following private label brands: Cardinal Health, PSS Select, VersaPro, Boca/Ultilet, Moore Medical, Walgreens, CVS and Conzellin. Products covered by this recall were distributed in the USA, Canada and Europe.

Europe

• Allergy Alert (France): Auchan recalls Auchan pork spring rolls and chicken spring rolls (Nems au Porc - Nems au Poulet; Best before 12 janvier 2011) because the product may contain undeclared shrimp, fish and crab meat.
• Allergy Alert (UK): Denar Ltd. recalls Denar golden jumbo raisins (200g; Best before 31 January 2012) and Denar dried apricots (200g; Best before 30 October 2011), because the products contain undeclared sulphur dioxide.
• Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Dalby Møkke A/S recalls organic oatmeal (Best before 29-11-2011) because the product may contain the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. Recalled products were sold under the following brands: Dalby Mill, Best, First Price, Gammelby Mill, and Dawn.
• Food Safety Withdrawal (UK): Wm. Morrison Supermarkets plc recalls all date codes of Morrisons Unsalted Pistachio Nuts in Shell, 280g because one batch of the nuts was found to contain aflatoxins at levels higher than the regulatory limits.
• Over-The-Counter Product Safety Recall: Triad Group (Hartland, WI) recalls all lots of Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs and Alcohol SwabSticks due to concerns about contamination with Bacillus cereus. The recalled covers both Sterile-marked and non-sterile products manufactured by Triad Group and marketed under the following private label brands: Cardinal Health, PSS Select, VersaPro, Boca/Ultilet, Moore Medical, Walgreens, CVS and Conzellin. Products covered by this recall were distributed in the USA, Canada and Europe.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0007): Foreign body (plum stone and peduncle) in low sweetened plum jam from Poland; distributed to the Czech Republic.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0008): Mercury in frozen sliced blue shark (Prionace glauca) from Vietnam; distributed to Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0009): High content of DINP - di-isononyl phthalate (1.4 %) in lid of jars containing roasted red peppers from Turkey; distributed to Slovenia.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0010): High content of lead in fruit yoghurt dessert for infants from the Czech Republic; distributed to Poland.

Australia and New Zealand

• Allergy Alert (Australia): Coles recalls all date codes of Coles Frozen Crumbed Fish Fillets Lemon (1kg and 425g packs), because the product may contain undeclared peanuts.

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.

• A&P
• Big Y® World Class Market®
  
• BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
  
• Bloom
  
• Brookshire's
  
• Costco Wholesale Corporation (US stores)
  
• Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
  
• EDEKA (Germany)
• Food City
  
• Food Lion
  
• Giant Food LLC
• Gros Cidac (Italy)
• Hannaford Brothers Co.
  
• Harris Teeter
• H-E-B
• The Kroger Company*
  
• Lucky Supermarkets
• Price Chopper
  
• Publix
• Raley's
• Roundy's Supermarkets, Inc.
  
• Sainsbury's
  
• ShopRite
  
• Stop & Shop
• Sweetbay Supermarkets
• Target
  
• Top Food & Drug
• Tops Friendly Markets
  
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
  
• Wegmans
  
• Whole Foods Market
  
• WinCo Foods
• Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
  

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.

Recall Roundup: December 11, 2009

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals and allergy alerts. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

United States

• Allergy Alert: Organicgirl Produce recalls 120 cartons of 5.75 oz Berries & Balsamic Salad because it may include an incorrect condiment packet that contains undeclared walnuts.
• FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Seaport Fish Company LLC that a July 2009 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility uncovered serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
• FDA Debarment Action: FDA debars Peter Xuong Lam (president of Virginia Star Seafood Corporation of Fairfax, Va.) from importing food into the United States for the next 20 years after Mr. Lam was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import catfish from Vietnam for fraudulent sale.

Canada

• Food Safety Recall: Heinz Canada recalls certain date codes of Heinz Mixed Cereal for babies because the cereal may contain elevated levels of Ochratoxin A. Ocharatoxin A is produced during growth of Aspergillus ochraceus, a common mold, and has been classified as a carcinogen.

Europe

• Food Safety Alert (France): The Ministry of Health and Sports warns consumers to avoid gathering and consuming the Equestrian Tricholoma mushroom, as eating this mushroom can cause severe muscle damage. Two cases of myopathy have been reported; one victim died.
• Food Safety Alert (Republic of Ireland): The Food Safety Authority of Ireland alerts consumers to six illnesses due to Salmonella Enteritidis PT14b – the same strain that was linked by the UK Food Standards Agency to eggs imported from Spain.
• Food Adulteration (France): Lesieur recalled, on December 3rd, walnut oil imported from the United States that was adulterated with mineral oil. The recall was later reversed at the insistence of the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud (DGCCRF)

Asia, Africa & The Pacific

• Dietary Supplement Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health warns consumers to avoid puchasing or using two slimming products called Comecoo and ZHONGCAOYAO—JIANKANGJIANFEI as they were found to contain undeclared western medicines.

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.

• A&P
• Big Y® World Class Market®
  
• BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
  
• Bloom
  
• Brookshire's
  
• Costco Wholesale Corporation (US stores)
  
• Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
  
• EDEKA (Germany)
• Food City
  
• Food Lion
  
• Giant Food LLC
• Hannaford Brothers Co.
  
• Harris Teeter
  
• Harvey's Supermarket
  
• H-E-B
• The Kroger Company*
  
• Price Chopper
  
• Raley's
• Roundy's Supermarkets, Inc.
  
• Sainsbury's
  
• ShopRite
  
• Stop & Shop
• Sweetbay Supermarkets
• Target
  
• Tops Friendly Markets
  
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
  
• Wegmans
  
• Whole Foods Market
  
• Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
  

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.

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Number of Malt-O-Meal Victims Continues To Rise

More than one month after Malt-O-Meal found Salmonella Agona in a sample of its cereal and recalled its entire production of unsweetened Puffed Wheat and unsweetened Puffed Rice, the number of Salmonella illnesses linked to Malt-O-Meal continues to grow.

CDC issued an update to its outbreak investigation report earlier this week. As of May 13th, 28 people in 15 states have been sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Agona. This is up from 21 people in 13 states as of April 22nd.

Victims of this outbreak range in age from 4 months to 95 years. Eight of the 28 – more than 25% of the victims – were hospitalized. Fortunately, there have been no deaths.

The 1998 Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Agona outbreak, which was caused by this same strain, also produced an unusually high rate of hospitalization. Forty-seven of the 209 victims of that first outbreak (22.5%) were hospitalized.

Salmonella usually causes a relatively mild gastroenteritis, which lasts for 4-7 days. Most patients do not require treatment. But the very young and the elderly are at risk of dehydration from the disease. The high percentage of hospitalized victims might be a reflection of the number of young children and of seniors who eat these cereals.

FDA has not yet published an "Enforcement Report" on the Malt-O-Meal recall, so there's no way of knowing how much of the recalled cereal is still unaccounted for. Please check your pantry. If you find any recalled cereal, please either discard it or return it to the store for a refund.

Malt-O-Meal Update From CDC

The CDC has updated its status report on the Salmonella Agona outbreak that has been linked to Malt-O-Meal puffed cereals. As of April 22nd, according to CDC, there are a total of 21 confirmed victims in 13 states. Specifically,

As of April 22, 2008, state and city health departments from 12 states have identified 21 ill persons infected with same genetic fingerprint of Salmonella Agona. Ill persons with the outbreak strain have been identified from Colorado (1), Delaware (1), Maine (3), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (1), North Dakota (1), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (4), New York (3), Pennsylvania (1), Rhode Island (1), and Vermont (1). Onset dates, which are known for 13 patients, ranged from January 22 to March 8, 2008. Patients’ ages ranged from 4 months to 95 years with a median age of 66 years. Five hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported.

There is a bit of a discrepancy between the CDC tally and an April 14th report from FDA. In its report, FDA cited 23 illnesses in 14 states. Perhaps two of those suspected illnesses turned out to be due to another microbe or from a different source.

The good news is that this outbreak appears to be contained. No new cases have been reported in the last two weeks. The bad news, for Malt-O-Meal, is that the lawsuits are only just beginning.

Salmonella Triple Crown - A Recap

The first quarter of 2008 has witnessed a trio of Salmonella outbreaks. Each one burst onto the scene, enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame, and then disappeared from public view. Here's a recap on the background and status of each outbreak.

Salmonella Litchfield in Honduran Cantaloupe
This story began with an "import alert" issued by FDA on March 22nd. The agency warned that cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower/packer, appeared to be implicated in a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak. As news of the alert was transmitted to processors and distributors, the number of recall notices grew.

The outbreak, according to CDC's most recent update (dated April 2), comprised 51 illnesses in 16 US states, plus an additional 9 illnesses in Canada. At least 16 people were hospitalized. Fortunately, there were no deaths.

FDA has sent a team of investigators to Honduras to help determine the source of the contamination. But if past history is anything to go by, they face a daunting task. At best, it will take months before their investigation is complete and the results are known.

Salmonella Contaminates Alamosa Drinking Water
Hard on the heels of the cantaloupe outbreak came the news of a Salmonella outbreak in Alamosa, CO. The contaminant, eventually identified as Salmonella Typhimurium, caused at least 380 illnesses and forced residents served by the municipal water system to rely solely on bottled water for more than two weeks while the system was flushed and disinfected.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has not yet posted – if it ever intends to do so – a final tally of illnesses on its web site. The last official news update was on March 24th.

Malt-O-Meal Breakfast Cereals Recalled
For the second time in ten years, Malt-O-Meal cereals have been implicated in an outbreak of Salmonella Agona. On April 5th, the company announced a recall of its unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals after detecting Salmonella in a sample. At the time, they were unaware (according to their press release) of any illnesses associated with the recalled products.

But that soon changed. Maine announced on April 10th that it was investigating three illness reports linked to the recalled cereals, and CDC posted its own investigation report on April 11th. The most recent tally of the scope of the outbreak, published on April 14th by FDA, is 23 illnesses in 14 states. It's too soon to tell whether that number will grow.


It can be frustrating to see these outbreaks fade from the news without anyone announcing "it's over", or giving a final tally of the number of victims – much less a summary of the results of the investigation. Anyone for a nice Honduran cantaloupe?

Malt-O-Meal: Add Illinois To The List

We can add Illinois to the list of states reporting Salmonella illness that may be tied to the Malt-O-Meal cereal recall.

The state's director of public health, Dr. Damon T. Arnold, reminded consumers today to avoid eating the recalled cereals. He also announced that Illinois is investigating one illness that could be linked to the cereal. Test results are still pending.

Once again, please check your pantry for any of the cereal brands and batches included in the list of recalled products. You can find this information at the Malt-O-Meal web site.

Malt-O-Meal: The Latest Tally

FDA has just announced that the number of victims of the Salmonella-contaminated Malt-O-Meal cereals has risen to 23 people, in 14 states. The agency is reminding consumers to check their pantries and discard all recalled unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals.

A complete list of recalled items is available on the Malt-O-Meal web site. FDA is working with CDC and state agencies to find the source of the contamination and to limit the extent of the Salmonella outbreak.

Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Outbreak - An Update

In 1998, Malt-O-Meal Toasted Oats cereal sickened more than 200 individuals in 11 US states. That cereal, which was contaminated with Salmonella Agona, was manufactured in the company's Northfield, MN plant (Omaha World - Herald. Jun 5, 1998). The source of the contamination was never found.

On April 5th, Malt-O-Meal recalled all of its unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals after finding Salmonella in a sample of product that was manufactured on March 24th. The cereals were produced in the company's Northfield, MN facility and the contaminant was Salmonella Agona. The genetic fingerprint of this strain appears to be the same as the 1998 strain.

As of yesterday, state health officials, working with CDC and FDA investigators, have identified 21 individuals in 13 states who have been infected with Salmonella Agona as a result of eating the recalled Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals. That total will almost certainly increase as the investigation continues.

This new outbreak raises some questions about Malt-O-Meal, its quality assurance programs, and FDA follow-up inspections as the Northfield plant in the years after the 1998 outbreak.

• Was Malt-O-Meal sampling its production environment regularly for Salmonella? The Malt-O-Meal recall notice stated that Salmonella was found in a sample of product. Finding Salmonella in finished product is at least as difficult as finding a needle in an entire field of hay. If the microbe has been lurking in and around the plant for 10 years, it should have been found as a result of routine sampling of the plant environment (production lines, drains, air intake vents, etc.).
• Has Malt-O-Meal ever found Salmonella in its Northfield production environment since it re-started operations after the 1998 outbreak? If so, what did management do about the finding?
• What testing methods was Malt-O-Meal using to look for Salmonella? The choice of methods and sample size makes an enormous difference to the chances of finding the microbe.
• Why has the recall been limited to just the Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat? Are these the only cereals manufactured in the Northfield plant?
• How often and how thoroughly did FDA inspect the Northfield plant in the years after the 1998 outbreak?

I'll be watching for answers to these questions as further details become available.

Breakfast Cereal Salmonella Outbreak Puffs Up

According to a news release issued late today by the Minnesota Department of Health, the number of Salmonella Agona cases linked to Malt-O-Meal's Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat has grown to 21 illnesses in 13 states – including one case in Minnesota.

In case you missed the beginning of the story, Malt-O-Meal announced a recall of its unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals on April 5th, after finding Salmonella in a product sample. At the time of their announcement, the company was unaware of any illnesses associated with the products. But that situation has changed as state health officials, together with CDC, continue their review of past reports of Salmonella illnesses.

The specific strain of Salmonella Agona that is responsible for the present outbreak has the same fingerprint as the one associated with Malt-O-Meal's 1998 Salmonella outbreak and recall. In that earlier outbreak, 209 people became ill after eating Salmonella-contaminated Toasted Oats cereal produced by Malt-O-Meal. The source of the contamination was never found.

The evolution of this story is somewhat atypical. Usually, health officials first realize that an outbreak of food-borne disease is in progress when they notice a spike in the number of cases due to a specific microbe, and they begin their search for the cause. This time, they are tracing the outbreak in the other direction – from the food to the victims.

Malt-O-Meal Déja Vu

According to a news release just issued by the Oregon Department of Human Services, Malt-O-Meal cereal has been identified as the source of a multi-state Salmonella outbreak. Most of the cases appear to be concentrated in the east.

Notwithstanding the manufacturer's earlier assurances that it had found the source of the problem and had corrected it, the Company has suspended production at its Northfield, MN facility "pending further investigation."

The Oregon news release reports that the strain of Salmonella responsible for the current outbreak appears to be very similar to the one that caused the 1998 Malt-O-Meal outbreak. Both outbreak strains are Salmonella Agona and both have the same molecular marker.

This could mean that we are in for a fairly severe outbreak. In the 1998 incident, 47 out of 209 victims were ill enough to need hospitalization. Two of the three cases being investigated so far in Maine resulted in hospital admission. On the plus side, maybe investigators will finally discover and eliminate the source of the contamination.

If you have eaten unsweetened Puffed Rice or Puffed Wheat cereal and are experiencing severe diarrhea or diarrhea with fever, please consult your doctor. And be sure that your illness is reported to the appropriate health authorities.

Malt-O-Meal Breakfast Cereals Causing Illness?

On April 5th, Malt-O-Meal Company of Minneapolis announced a recall of its unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puff Wheat breakfast cereals, due to a risk of Salmonella contamination.

The Company reported that it had detected Salmonella, had identified the source, had instituted corrective measures, and was recalling almost a full year's production of the two cereals "out of an abundance of caution." The report also stated that no illnesses had been reported.

Today, however, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced that it is investigating three cases of salmonellosis (onset dates of January 22 to March 19) that might be linked to the Malt-O-Meal recall. According to the state's press release, the Salmonella strain detected in the three patients – two of whom needed hospitalization – is similar to the Salmonella found by Malt-O-Meal in its product.

All three of the Maine victims reported eating unsweetened puffed rice or wheat cereals, but investigators haven't yet determined whether any of the victims ate cereal from one of the recalled batches of product. The state's press release adds that other states are also investigating cases of salmonellosis with the assistance of the CDC.

There is no information posted yet on the CDC web site, nor has the Company released to the public any information on the specific strain or serotype of Salmonella it has detected.

If you experienced any symptoms of Salmonella gastroenteritis since early January and you think that you might have eaten unsweetened puffed rice or wheat cereals, please contact your family doctor and your state health department to report the illness.

Malt-O-Meal produces and packages cereals under many store brand names. If you have unsweetened Puffed Rice or unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals in your pantry, please check its brand name and "Best Before" date against the full list of recalled products available at the Malt-O-Meal web site. Please do NOT eat these cereals or serve them to any family members – not even the family dog.

Malt-O-Meal Recalls Breakfast Cereals - Salmonella

Malt-O-Meal Company of Minneapolis announced on April 5th that it was recalling its unsweetened Puffed Wheat and unsweetened Puffed Rice cereals due to the potential of Salmonella contamination. No illnesses have been associated with these products to date.

Malt-O-Meal initiated this recall after finding Salmonella in a batch of cereal produced on March 24th. The recalled products carry "Best if used before" dates between April 8, 2008 (APR0808) and March 18, 2009 (MAR1809). The cereals are distributed nationally under both the Malt-O-Meal brand name and under a long list of store brands.

The complete list of recalled products is available on the Malt-O-Meal recall web site. If you have purchased a recalled product, please return it to the store for a refund.

This is not the first time that Malt-O-Meal breakfast cereals have been recalled due to Salmonella contamination. In 1998, the Company's Toasted Oats cereal was implicated in a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Agona. The contaminated cereal was responsible for more than 200 illnesses; 47 people were hospitalized.

Outbreak investigators were able to detect Salmonella Agona in unopened boxes of the cereal, and confirmed that the strain was a perfect match to the bacteria recovered from patients. While FDA never discovered how the Salmonella found its way into the cereal, the "best guess" is that it was in the vitamin supplement that was sprayed onto the Toasted Oats flakes during the manufacturing process.

It's too soon to know the source of the present contamination. And Malt-O-Meal hasn't yet reported the specific Salmonella that they detected. The company stated, though, that they have determined the "root cause" of the contamination and have taken corrective measures.