eFoodAlert.com: Recalls and Alerts: May 15, 2011

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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.

United States

Allergy Alert: Cinderella Sweets (Woodmere, NY) recalls Shabtai brand Kosher for Passover cookies with an "egg free" notation on the product label, even though the products contain egg. The ingredient label and allergy statement both indicate the presence of egg in the recalled cookies. The recall encompasses Shabtai Gourmet Daisy Cookies, Shabtai Gourmet Leaf Cookies, Shabtai Gourmet Coconut Macaroons, and Shabtai Gourmet Choc Coated Coconut Macaroons only.

Food Safety Recall: Rose & Shore Meat Co. (Vernon, CA) recalls Olympic Gold Beef Pastrami (Lot #20911; Lot code 10951), Rose and Shore N.Y. Style Pastrami (Lot #20911; Lot code 10951), Cooked Angus Roast Beef (Lot #20941; Use by 05-17-11), and Togo's Pastrami (Lot #20911; Use by 05-23-11), because the products may contain Listeria monocytogenes. Togo's Sandwiches has announced that the company has taken measures to ensure that none of the recalled pastrami is currently being used in any of its restaurants.

Food Safety Recall Update: Mann Packing reissues and expands its voluntary recall of Party Trays and Snacks on the Go items containing grape tomatoes, because one item was inadvertently omitted from a follow-up announcement. Please refer to the revised recall notice for a complete list of recalled products that were distributed in the USA and Canada.

Dietary Supplement Safety Notification: FDA warns the public about a counterfeit version of ExtenZe dietary supplements. The counterfeit products bear Lot #1110075 or Lot #F050899, and contain tadalafil or a combination of tadalafil and sildenafil, which are prescription medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Dietary Supplement Safety Notification: FDA warns consumers not to use products marketed as dietary supplements that also claim to be antimicrobial drugs.

Pet Product Safety Alert: FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine warns pet owners to be cautious when using an unapproved animal drug product, Douxo Seborrhea Shampoo (0.1% phytosphingosine), distributed by Sogeval Laboratories, Inc. (Coppell, TX), after receiving a report of the death of a woman who used the product on her dog. The woman, who had severe, preexisting asthma, had a sudden, severe asthma attack and died while bathing a dog with this product. A few days later, according to the FDA report, another asthmatic family member bathed the dog using the same product and experienced a mild asthma attack, but recovered.

Outbreak Alert Update (Worcester, MA): The gastrointestinal illness outbreak that affected some 200 people who ate Easter brunch at Luciano's Cotton Club restaurant is thought to have been caused by a norovirus, which was spread by an infected employee. Three food handlers at the restaurant had symptoms of gastroenteritis, and one of them tested positive for norovirus. The outbreak could not be traced to any single food item, making direct or indirect contact with the infected employee the most likely explanation for the illnesses.

Outbreak Alert Update (Kane County, IL): Thirteen people - 12 from Illinois and one from Minnesota - have now been confirmed as having been infected with a single strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. Nine of the 13 individuals reported eating at Portillo's restaurant in St. Charles, IL during April. Three of the victims were hospitalized, but all have been released.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Canadian Food Inspection Agency advises that Punjabi Wadi Spicy Lentil Chunks (Product of India; Asian, afc, and BANSI brands) have been recalled by the importers, due to the presence of undeclared wheat. The products may have been distributed nationally.

Food Safety Recall Update: Mann Packing reissues and expands its voluntary recall of Party Trays and Snacks on the Go items containing grape tomatoes, because one item was inadvertently omitted from a follow-up announcement. Please refer to the revised recall notice for a complete list of recalled products that were distributed in the USA and Canada.

Europe

Food Safety Recall Update: Lidl Germany recalls St. Maarten Classic Cheeses Slices, 200g packages, sold prior to May 11, 2011 in Lidl stores in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony only. The recall was undertaken after Belgomilk detected Listeria monocytogenes in batches of cheeses produced in its Moorslede facility and recalled all cheeses manufactured in that factory.

Australia and New Zealand

Outbreak Alert Update (Northland, New Zealand): Norovirus has claimed the lives of two elderly residents of Northland resthomes, and has sickened at least 298 people in five different resthomes in the region in the last month. The dead include Betty Friend (May 5th at Puriri Court Resthome) and Ian Grant (April 27th at Jane Mander Retirement Village. Mr. Grant suffered from a muscle wasting condition and was confined to his unit, raising concerns that he may have contracted the infection through a staff member.

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.