eFoodAlert.com: Recalls and Alerts: May 31, 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

Food Safety Recall: Irish Hills Meat Company of Michigan (Tipton, MI) recalls 900 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled ground beef was produced on May 23 and May 26, and shipped to restaurants in Michigan.

Food Safety Recall: Stewart's Shops (Saratoga Springs, NY) recalls 19 ice cream items manufactured in their Greenfield, NY facility since May 19, 2011, due to an equipment failure that may have resulted in the introduction of foreign material into the ice cream. The recalled products - packed in cartons or boxes bearing Plant #36-3918 -were distributed to Stewart's Shops in New York and southern Vermont.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Reed's Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) that an October/November inspection of the company's carbonated beverage and human dietary supplement manufacturing facility revealed significant violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements regulations, causing the Reed’s Nausea Relief dietary supplement products manufactured in your facility to be adulterated, in that the dietary supplements have been prepared, packed, or held under conditions that do not meet current good manufacturing practice regulations for dietary supplements.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Family Fresh Pack, LLC (Belleville, WI) that a December 2010/January 2011 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Natural Choice Distribution Company (Oakland, CA) that a February 2011 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Manolo and Son, LLC (Alexandria, VA) that a March 2011 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Contes Pasta Company, Inc. (Vineland, NJ) that a January/February 2011 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Nuvonyx, Inc. DBA Real Aloe, Inc. and U.S. Aloe (Carlsbad, CA) that October 2010 and January 2011 inspections of the company's facility revealed significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements (CGMP) regulations.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Import Food Wholesale (St. Paul, MN) that a November 2010 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Country Maid, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI) that a December 2010 inspection of the company's food processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Dawn's Foods, Inc. (Portage, WI) that a February 2011 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns ADAO, Inc. (Denver, CO) that a December 2010 inspection of the company's food manufacturing facility revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations in manufacturing, packing, or holding of human food, causing the products manufactured in the Denver facility to be adulterated, in that they were prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Tiny Greens (Urbana, IL) that a December 2010-January 2011 inspection of the company's sprouting facility revealed conditions and practices that are likely to have contaminated the products, causing the sprouts to be adulterated, in that they were packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been contaminated with filth or rendered injurious to health. Sprouts produced by Tiny Greens were responsible for an outbreak of Salmonella gastroenteritis that sickened 140 people in 26 states and the District of Columbia between November 2010 and February 2011.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Valley Wholesale Produce and Seafood (Winchester, VA) that a March 2011 inspection of the company's produce and seafood warehouse revealed serious violations of the seafood HACCP regulation.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Great Oriental Food Products Co., Ltd. (Mae Sod, Thailand) that a January 2011 inspection of the company's low-acid canned food facility revealed serious deviations from the low-acid canned food regulations.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Guangxi Jisheng Foods Inc. (Hengxian, China) that a January 2011 inspection of the company's low-acid canned food facility revealed serious deviations from the low-acid canned food regulations.

FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Franklin Foods, Inc. (Delray Beach, FL) that a September/October inspection of the company's food processing facility located in Enosburg Falls, Vermont revealed serious violations of the seafood HACCP regulation, regarding the manufacturing of smoked salmon cream cheese.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Quality Natural Foods Ltd. recalls Haldiram's Rajbhog (1-kg) due to the presence of undeclared sulphites.

Europe

Food Safety Recall (Norway): Kjøttvirksomheten Kuraas AS (Narvik) has withdrawn a number of meat products after Salmonella was detected in a sample of pork. Please see the official withdrawal notice for distribution details on the seven tons products of withdrawn pork and beef products.

Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0710): Mercury in frozen red snapper fillets from Madagascar; distributed to France.

Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0711): Dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls in frozen cooked crabs from Ireland; distributed to France.

Outbreak Alert (Russia): Twenty-six children, aged 10 to 13 years, have been hospitalized, and an additional 45 people isolated after the attendees at Sail camp (near Novgorod) were stricken by what is believed to be food poisoning.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Advisory/Recall (Hong Kong): The Centre for Food Safety is prohibiting the import and supply of Young Energy Source Co., Ltd. Speed Sports Drink and Young Energy Source Co., Ltd. Speed Lemon Flavour Sports Drink (products of Taiwan), after the cancer-causing plasticizer DEHP was found in samples of both drinks. A recall of all batches of these products has been ordered.

Food Safety Enforcement Action (Taiwan): Prosecutors have seized five accounts and three properties belonging to Lai Chun-chieh, owner of Yu Shen Chemical Co., and his wife. The company is reported to have sold additives containing the cancer-causing agent DEHP to food ingredient makers in Taiwan.

Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): More than 10% of foods sampled for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival failed to meet health standards, according to the Taipei City Government Department of Health. Most failures were due to the presence of inappropriate chemicals and preservatives.

Food Safety Alert (India): Vegetable growers in Ferozepur district are using untreated sewerage water for irrigation, according to a report in The Times of India.

Beach Closures (Israel): Gordon Beach and Charles Clore Beach in Tel Aviv have been closed due to sewage contamination until further notice.

Outbreak Alert (Nigeria): Fifteen people have died, and more than 30 hospitalized due to suspected outbreak of cholera in Abia State.

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Alert (New Zealand): The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has opened an investigation into Kaiora New Zealand International, a company that is allegedly selling and exporting Heitiki infant formula. The investigation will focus on food safety concerns, as well as possible breaches of requirements such as labeling, advertising, and claims.

Shellfish Safety Advisory (New Zealand): Upper Whangarei Harbour has been closed for gathering shellfish until July 2nd, after high levels of norovirus were found in Whangarei wastewater and the upper harbour during a May 2nd storm.

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.