eFoodAlert.com: Recalls and Alerts: May 16, 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.

Europe

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): La Brasserie De Graal recalls certain batches and varieties of beer (33 cl bottles), because of a manufacturing defect that could result in the lip of the bottle breaking during opening, with the risk of glass fragments falling into the beer. Please see the recall notice for a list of affected beers.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Alois Müller GmbH & Co. KG recalls Müller Diät Milchreis, Sorte Pur, Müller Diät Milchreis, Sorte Zimt and Müller Diät Milchreis, Sorte Kirsch (best before 23.05 only), after receiving consumer complaints of glass particles in a few containers of the products. The recalled products were sold in stores belonging to the Cactus supermarket chain.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Dansk Supermarked A/S recalls Smoked Pork Tenderloin (Product of Poland; Best before dates from 1/1/2011 up to and including 1/5/2011), because the product is suspected to have been the source of an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium DT120.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): DB OKS recalls several turkey products (produced between 9 May and 13 May 2011), because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0636): Salmonella Veneziana in mixed salad from the United Kingdom; distributed to Ireland.

Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0637): Mold growth in blueberry fruit yoghurt from Germany; distributed to Austria, Germany and Hungary.

Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0640): Pine mouth syndrome caused by pine kernels from Norway, with raw material from China, via the Netherlands; distributed to Finland and Norway.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Chinese Herbal Medicine Recall (Hong Kong): Kwong Lung Hong recalls the Chinese medicinal herb Rhizoma Atractylodis (Batch 06010108; imported from the Mainland), because the product is contaminated with atropine and scopolamine. One illness has been reported.

Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): The Consumer Protection Commission has found that five lunchbox providers supplied elementary schools with six types of meat products containing chemicals banned by the Council of Agriculture. Four of the providers were CAS-certified companies. Of five meatball samples that were inspected, three contained chloramphenicol or enrofloxacin. A chicken sample was contaminated with doxycycline.

Outbreak Alert Update (Japan): The toll stands at four deaths, and nearly 40 hospitalized - more than 20 of them in serious condition - in the E. coli O111 outbreak that was traced to a shredded raw beef dish (yukke) consumed at outlets of the Foods Forus Co. restaurant chain. The restaurant chain and its meat wholesaler are pointing the finger of blame at each other. Police conducted searches of the restaurant chain outlets, its operator and the meat distributor in an effort to determine at what point the contamination occurred.

Outbreak Alert (India): Hospitals in Ludhiana are reporting that the seasonal increase in the number of gastroenteritis patients has begun early this year.

Outbreak Alert (Singapore): Seven teachers and 346 children from eight Pat's Schoolhouse centers have now been reported to have been stricken with food poisoning on May 10th. Mum's Kitchen - the caterer for the centers - has been fined $300 and given four demerit points following an inspection; its license also has been suspended while investigations continue. Twenty-six of the food poisoning victims are still in hospital.

Outbreak Alert (Jordan): A family of five children (ages 4-13) in Mafraq developed diarrhea and vomiting after eating a meal prepared at home.

Outbreak Alert (Cameroon): The capital city of Yaounde is experiencing an outbreak of cholera that has claimed more than 250 lives in the past two months.

Australia and New Zealand

Outbreak Alert (Australia): An increase in the popularity of reptiles as household pets has been accompanied by an increase in the number of cases of salmonellosis contracted through contact with household snakes, turtles and lizards.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Outbreak Alert (Venezuela): An outbreak of hepatitis A has spread from the Arenas parish in the municipality of Sucre State Forest to three additional parishes. Approximately 400 people have been infected.

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.