Monday, March 8, 2010

Recall Roundup: March 8, 2010

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Food Safety Recall: Orval Kent Foods Company recalls Culinary Circle, Albertsons and Jewel brand Dips, because they contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein supplied by Basic Food Flavors, and may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Ventura Foods, LLC recalls seven Dean's Dip products, because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Procter & Gamble recalls Pringles Restaurant Cravers Cheeseburger potato crisps and Pringles Family Faves Taco Night potato crisps, because they contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein supplied by Basic Food Flavors and may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Publix recalls four varieties of seasoning mixes that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Nature's Variety expands earlier nationwide recall to include all raw frozen chicken diets with "Best if Used By" dates on or before 2/5/11. The company took this action to clear all outstanding inventory of product that may be contamination with Salmonella, and has implemented High Pressure Pasteurization on all of its raw products.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: Alfred's Design (d.b.a. Hidden Hollow Beads) recalls Alfred's Design brand Baby Bracelets and Pacifier Clips due to a lead hazard.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: Chandigarh Fashion Inc. recalls imported children's bracelets because the surface coating contains excessive levels of lead.


Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: Canadian Food Inspection Agency alerts consumers to recall of H.K. Anderson Pretzel Bites - Honey Mustard and President's Choice Honey Mustard flavour Pretzel Nuggets (imported from the USA) due to possible Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall: Costco Canada alerts consumers to recall of Imperial Stir Fry (Item #16914) due to possible Salmonella contamination.


Europe
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Stryhns AS recalls First Price brand Mayonnaise due to mold growth in the product.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Food Safety Recall (Singapore): The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority advises consumers not to purchase or consume McCormick French Onion Dip Mix, which has been recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination.


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.


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



Posted by Phyllis E at Monday, March 08, 2010 0 comments
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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Recall: The Domino Effect

Salmonella-contaminated ingredient triggers recall tsunami

On February 25th, Basic Food Flavors (North Las Vegas, NV) recalled every batch of hydrolyzed vegetable protein ("HVP") powder and paste that it had produced since September 17, 2009.

The ingredient recall was triggered after an unidentified customer of Basic Food Flavors found Salmonella Tennessee in a sample of HVP and reported the finding using FDA's new Reportable Food Registry. FDA and Nevada health authorities inspected the Basic Food Flavors production facility and confirmed the presence of Salmonella Tennessee in the company's processing equipment.

The strain of Salmonella Tennessee found in the production equipment and in the HVP sample has not been associated with any known illnesses either in the United States or in Canada.

HVP, also known as hydrolyzed soy protein, is a common ingredient in a wide range of processed foods – chips and dips, soups and salads, pretzels, pastas and a pot pourri of other products. At least 94 individual food items already have been recalled as a result of the Salmonella Tennessee contamination. And there are more – potentially, a lot more – recalls to come, as FDA traces the distribution of the HVP.

In addition to supplying US food processors, Basic Food Flavors also sells its HVP in Canada (through Chemroy Canada Inc.), as well as in Mexico, South America, Europe and Asia through Flavor Consultants. Both FDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have published guidance to food processors to help them evaluate whether or not they need to recall their finished products.

One possible group of affected products that has not yet been mentioned is dry pet food. There have been a flurry of recent reports on ConsumerAffairs.com about pets becoming ill after eating Nutro products. I have been contacted by a reader who reports that her two sick cats ate Nutro Max cat food before becoming ill.

This latest ingredient recall is yet another reminder that inadequate attention to microbiological safety programs on the part of just one ingredient supplier can trigger a series of recalls that spread, tsunami-like, across major sectors of the food manufacturing, distribution and retailing industries.

According to the company's website, Basic Food Flavors has an operating HACCP plan. The sole focus of the plan is to eliminate a chemical hazard (known as 3-MCPD) through pH and temperature control during hydrolysis of the soy protein. The process flow diagram for HVP lists the following control elements: pH, salt, color, refractive index, flavor & taste, foreign materials and temperature. Neither the HACCP plan summary nor the process flow diagram mention microbiological testing.

It's a truism that one cannot ensure the microbiological safety of a food through finished product testing. But it's equally true that an effective and comprehensive microbiological safety program – one that incorporates environmental and equipment sampling, raw material sampling and "test and hold" finished product sampling programs – can go a long way to avoiding expensive, wasteful and potentially hazardous ingredient recall situations. If I were a food processor, I certainly would choose to deal with ingredient suppliers who had such a comprehensive program in place!

FDA has posted a searchable database of HVP-related recalls. To assist consumers in North America and elsewhere, I shall be posting (within the next 24 hours) a separate listing of recalled foods – sorted by brand name – along with information on where the foods were sold. The list will be updated as additional recall information becomes available.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.

Posted by Phyllis E at Sunday, March 07, 2010 2 comments
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Recall Roundup: March 7, 2010

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Food Safety Recall: Estrella Family Creamery (Montesano, WA) recalls a production of Old Apple Tree Tomme cheese because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled cheese was sold at the Ballard and Seattle’s U-District farmer's markets in Seattle, Washington, and the firm’s farm store in Montesano, Washington the weekend of Feb. 27 and 28, 2010.
  • Food Safety Recall: National Pretzel Company (Lancaster, PA) recalls all Honey Mustard Onion flavored pretzels produced since December, 2009 because an ingredient used in the seasoning has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was sold through repackers and in retail stores nationwide, both in bulk and under the following brand names: HK Anderson, CVS, President's Choice, Safeway, and Sunflower Markets.

Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: President's Choice Honey Mustard Onion flavored pretzels, manufactured by National Pretzel Company (Lancaster, PA), have been recalled. The stores that carry these pretzels have been notified by National Pretzel, according to information provided by the company.


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.


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



Posted by Phyllis E at Sunday, March 07, 2010 0 comments
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Saturday, March 6, 2010

Recall Roundup: March 6, 2010

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Allergy Alert: Ed Roller, Inc. (Rochester, NY) recalls Wegmans Food You Feel Good About® Medium Seafood Sauce, 9 ounce glass jar, UPC #77890 84032, because the product may contain undeclared soy and anchovies.
  • Food Safety Recall: Mrs. Gerry's Kitchen (Albert Lea, MN) recalls Old Fashioned Spinach Dip and Old Home Spinach Dip after being advised that the hydrolyzed vegetable protein ingredient used in the dips may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were sold to retailers and distributors in MN, IA, SD, ND, NE, KS, CO, WI, MI, IL and MO.
  • Food Safety Recall: Old Home Foods, Inc. recalls Old Home Spinach Dip (UPC 7032200492) because an ingredient used to make the dip may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Fresh Food Concepts, Inc. (Buena Park, CA) recalls certain production codes of Delicioso, De la Casa, Rojo's and Fresh Food Concepts brand Spinach Dips and Fresh Food Concepts Spinach Dip with Yogurt because an ingredient used in those products has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.


Europe


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Imported Pet Food Advisory (Taiwan): The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) warns residents of Taiwan about importing pet food from abroad after inspectors from the Consumer Production Commission and the Taipei County government found pet food at a pet store in Taipei County containing U.S. beef and offal.



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.


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



Posted by Phyllis E at Saturday, March 06, 2010 0 comments
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Friday, March 5, 2010

Recall Roundup: March 5, 2010

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Food Safety Recall: USDA posts updated retail distribution list for meat products recalled by Daniele International, Inc.
  • Food Safety Recall: FDA alerts consumers to a series of recalls triggered by the recall by Basic Food Flavors Inc. (Las Vegas, NV) of hydrolyzed vegetable protein that may be contaminated with Salmonella Tennessee.
  • Food Safety Recall: Reser's Fine Foods, Inc. (Beaverton, OR) recalls several products that were manufactured using hydrolyzed vegetable protein that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Concord Foods Inc is voluntarily recalling certain production codes of Concord Foods Vegetable Dip Seasoning mix that is generally sold in the produce department of supermarkets because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Orval Kent recalls dips sold under the Culinary Circle, Albertsons and Jewel brands because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Creative Contract Packaging Corporation (Aurora, IL) is recalling specific code dates of HERB-OX® beef, vegetable, and chicken granular bouillon products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Mincing Overseas Spice Company (Dayton, NJ) is recalling black pepper Lots 3258 and 3309 because of possible contamination with Salmonella. Black pepper was not distributed at retail level and was shipped to FL, IA, IL, IN, MA, OK, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TX and WI.
  • Food Safety Recall: McCormick & Company, Incorporated is initiating a recall of products manufactured with hydrolyzed vegetable protein supplied by Basic Food Flavors of Las Vegas, Nevada, because the ingredient has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Brookshire's advises its customers that Louisiana Fish Fry Dirty Rice Mix has been recalled by the manufacturer due to the risk that an ingredient may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Oregon Oyster Farms, Inc. recalls oyster meat and oysters in the shell harvested in Yaquina Bay, Newport, Oregon from February 1–24, 2010 after oysters from Oregon were linked to cases of Norovirus gastroenteritis.
  • Food Safety Recall: OM Seafood Company recalls oyster meat and oysters in the shell harvested in Yaquina Bay, Newport, Oregon from February 1–24, 2010 after oysters from Oregon were linked to cases of Norovirus gastroenteritis.
  • Food Safety Recall: BJ's notifies its customers that I Sifol LLC is conducting a voluntary recall of its Indian Hills Brown Basmati Rice due to the presence of insects (weevils) in some of these products.


Canada
  • Allergy Alert: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency alerts consumers that several Honig brand soup products (imported from the Netherlands) contain undeclared egg or milk and have been recalled by the importers. The recalled soup products were distributed nationally.
  • Allergy Alert: Les produits de viande fumée du Québec recalls specific date codes of Salade de patates (potato salad) and Salade de macaroni (macaroni salad) that contain undeclared soy and/or egg.


Europe
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Tesco has withdrawn four varieties of its sandwiches with 'use by' dates of 5 March 2010 and 6 March 2010, because the Lollo Bionda lettuce used in the sandwiches might be contaminated with slug pellets.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Medical Device Recall (Saudi Arabia): LifeScan recalls one production lot of One Touch Sure Step test strips because the product may generate lower test results when a patient’s blood glucose value is greater than 500 mg/dL (27.8 mmol/L).
  • Cosmetic Products Safety Alert and Seizure (Philippines): The Food and Drug Administration seizes several imported cosmetic products because they contain excessive levels of mercury and are injurious to health.
  • Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): The Centre for Food Safety alerts consumers to the recall of imported 'Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips - Sweet Maui Onion' that has been recalled by the manufacturer due to possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health alerts consumers to avoid purchasing or using the slimming product "Marsha Slim Plus" as it was found to contain undeclared western drug ingredients that may cause serious side effects.


Australia and New Zealand
  • Dietary Supplement Enforcement Action (Australia): The New South Wales government issues two penalty notices to Pure Natural Health Pty Ltd for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims for its Lemon Detox product.



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.


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



Posted by Phyllis E at Friday, March 05, 2010 0 comments
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Thursday, March 4, 2010

Recall Roundup: March 4, 2010

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Food Safety Recall: The Kroger Co. advises its customers that HURST BEEF 15 BEAN SOUP, 20 OZ (available in King Sooper stores) has been recalled because it may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: The Kroger Co. advises its customers that several Reser's brand dips have been recalled due to possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Trader Joe's recalls Trader Joe’s Organic Creamy Ranch Dressing & Dip (Use By date of JUN 13 10) because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Earth Island recalls Follow Your Heart brand deli products as a precautionary measure due to possible Salmonella contamination of a natural flavor from one of its suppliers.
  • Food Safety Recall: Tim's Cascade Snacks is recalling 'HAWAIIAN® Kettle Style Potato Chips - SWEET MAUI ONION’ AND 'HAWAIIAN - SWEET MAUI ONION RINGS' because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Homemade Gourmet is voluntarily recalling approximately 320 packages of 1.96 oz Tortilla Soup Mix, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Hand Sanitizer Safety Alert: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers in Puerto Rico that two hand sanitizers – "Bee-Shield Hand Sanitizer” with Aloe Vera (10 fl. oz. or 1 gallon bottles) and “MD Quality Hand Sanitizer” with Aloe Vera (10 fl oz. bottles) – contain high levels of a bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia, that can cause serious infections in humans.


Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: Tim's Cascade Snacks is recalling 'HAWAIIAN® Kettle Style Potato Chips - SWEET MAUI ONION’ AND 'HAWAIIAN - SWEET MAUI ONION RINGS' because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Some of the recalled items may have been distributed in Canada.


Europe
  • Food Safety Recall: Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc has recalled a certain date code of its own brand Toffee & Pecan Ice Cream 950g, as it may be contaminated with pieces of black rubber.
  • Food Safety Recall: Waitrose has recalled a certain date code of its own brand Natural Roasted Peanuts as they may be contaminated with small pieces of rubber.



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.


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



Posted by Phyllis E at Thursday, March 04, 2010 0 comments
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Posts From The Past: Anatomy of an Outbreak, Part 3

The storm triggered by Salmonella-contaminated peanuts eventually passed, leaving death and disease in its wake.

February 14, 2009

One month after Peanut Corporation of America issued the first in a series of four recall notices, and three months after CDC detected the first hint that a multi-state Salmonella outbreak was underway, the fallout from this incident is still expanding in ever-widening ripples across the United States and around the world.


The Victims
As of 9PM (EST) Wednesday, February 11th, CDC reports that nine victims of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak have died.

At least 637 cases of salmonellosis have been confirmed to be part of the outbreak. The most recent victim became ill on January 28th. Twenty-three percent of the confirmed outbreak victims have been hospitalized, and the outbreak strain has been recovered from patients in 44 states. One Canadian who traveled to the United States also has been infected.

Ohio has been the hardest hit state in this outbreak with 92 victims, two of whom have died. Both of the dead victims were elderly women. California has reported the second highest total – 76 victims, all of whom have survived. Other states reporting large numbers of outbreak victims include Massachusetts (48 victims), Minnesota (39 victims; 3 deaths), Michigan (35 victims), New York (28 victims) and Virginia (21 victims; 2 deaths). Idaho and North Carolina each have reported one death linked to the outbreak.


The Recalls
Peanut Corporation of America, the source of the contamination, issued a total of three "voluntary" product recalls – on January 13th, January 18th and January 28th – after FDA and state investigators documented numerous deficiencies at the company's Blakely, Georgia production facility. PCA also was instructed by the State of Texas to recall all products that were shipped from the company's Plainview, Texas facility after numerous sanitary violations were discovered at that location.

Each recall notice that PCA issued prompted a wave of recalls on the part of the company's many customers – not to mention other companies and distributors supplied by those customers. The recalls have extended beyond the borders of the United States to include Canada, Mexico and New Zealand, as well as countries in Asia and Europe. Even pet treats have been recalled.


The Legal Fallout
At least four victims or their families already have filed lawsuits against Peanut Corporation of America. But the company won't be paying a penny. Yesterday, PCA declared itself insolvent and filed a petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Victims seeking compensation for their suffering will have to turn to PCA's insurer, Hartford Casualty Insurance Company. The insurer, however, has filed its own lawsuit in federal court seeking a Declaratory Judgement from the court as to whether or not claims arising out of this outbreak are covered under the liability and umbrella insurance policies that Hartford issued to PCA. Hartford asserts in its petition that,

"An actual controversy exists between Hartford and PCA with respect to one or more issues regarding the coverage afforded to PCA under the Policies with respect to the Salmonella Claims."

While the petition has not mentioned the specific grounds for dispute, logic dictates that Hartford will contend that PCA's own negligence was the source of the contamination and that this outbreak, therefore, is not an insurable incident.

Where can outbreak victims go for relief? The list is shrinking rapidly. The outbreak strain was isolated from samples of King Nut peanut butter and from at least one Kellogg product. Victims who consumed those products may be able to obtain compensation from King Nut or Kellogg – or their insurers. But outbreak victims who became infected as a result of eating some other contaminated peanut product will be out of luck.


The Regulatory Fallout
Certain members of Congress have been trying for many years to push for reforms of FDA, USDA and the country's food safety system. The last serious effort to reform the food safety system occurred during the Clinton era. That efforts foundered in the sea of deregulatory sentiment that prevailed in Washington during the Bush administration.

President Obama has said that food safety will be a priority in his administration, and Tom Vilsack, the new Secretary of Agriculture, has pronounced his support for a single food agency. It would be nice to see some progress in this area, but any changes must be carefully thought out.


What Next?
Further increases in the number of confirmed outbreak victims, possibly including more deaths. This outbreak is far from over.

More recalls, as a result of the mandated recall of peanut products from PCA's Plainview, Texas facility.

More calls from regulators, food safety activists – and even from the food industry – for a review of the country's food safety system.

Depressed sales of all peanut butter and peanut butter products until the memory of this outbreak fades.

More outbreaks. Summer – peak season for hamburgers and fresh salads – is around the corner.


If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.
Posted by Phyllis E at Wednesday, March 03, 2010 0 comments

Recall Roundup: March 3, 2010

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Food Safety Recall: USDA releases updated retail distribution list for meat products recalled by Daniele International, Inc.
  • Food Safety Recall: Randolph Packing Co. Inc. (Asheboro, NC) is recalling approximately 96,000 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
  • Food Safety Recall: Basic Food Flavors recalls an extensive list of hydrolyzed vegetable protein products that may be contaminated with Salmonella. These products are supplied to food processors as ingredients and flavoring agents for a wide range of processed foods.
  • Food Safety Recall: Johnny's Fine Foods is recalling French Dip Powdered Au Jus in 6oz bottles and 1.1oz foil packets, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Heartland Foods, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN) is voluntarily recalling all sizes/containers of COARSE GROUND BLACK PEPPER shipped from their facility because the pepper may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: T. Marzetti Company recalls certain production codes of T. Marzetti Veggie Dips, Oak Lake Chip Dips and Great Value Chip Dips because an ingredient used in the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: The Kroger Co. recalls Kroger Special Recipe Dill Dip sold in select Kroger retail stores because the Company has been made aware by a supplier that an ingredient in the product may have been contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: The Kroger Co. recalls Kroger Onion Soup & Dip Mix and Kroger Beefy Onion Soup & Dip Mix sold in some of its retail stores because the Company has been made aware by a supplier that an ingredient in the product may have been contaminated with Salmonella.


Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. recalls Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips - Sweet Maui Onion, because the US-made product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Priority Brands recalls two T. Marzetti brand Veggie Dips because US-made products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Europe
  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Premier Foods recalls certain batch codes of Loyd Grossman Tomato and Chilli Pasta Sauce (350 g) that may be contaminated with pieces of glass.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): CM Food A / S recalls fresh turkey breast fillets due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): LP Meat Group ApS recalls frozen pork tenderloin, imported from the Netherlands, due to Salmonella contamination.


Australia and New Zealand
  • Allergy Alert: Sunfield Australia Pty Ltd recalls certain date codes of Sunfield Carrot Bar and Sunfield Date Bar due to the presence of undeclared walnuts and almonds.
  • Food Safety Recall: Woolworths Limited recalls Woolworths label Minced Heart Smart Beef due to possible contamination with plastic pieces. The recall minced beef was sold only in the Kingston Supermarket in Kingston, Tasmania.



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.
Posted by Phyllis E at Wednesday, March 03, 2010 0 comments
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Posts From The Past: Anatomy of an Outbreak, Part 2

Part 2 of my three-part series on the Peanut Corporation of America outbreak described the outbreak investigation.

January 30, 2009

The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak began officially on September 1, 2008, when the first victim began to feel ill. Three cases were recorded in September. But the outbreak got underway in earnest in October.

According to CDC's Epidemic Curve, the number of cases began to increase during the first week of October, reaching a peak around Thanksgiving and into early December. As of January 28th, the most recent onset date for a victim's symptoms was January 16, 2009.

CDC received the first whisper of an outbreak on November 10th, when staff members received reports of 13 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium infections in 12 states. All 13 cases were caused by the identical strain. Something definitely was in the wind. But what?

By November 25th, the number of cases had grown to 35, and CDC began an epidemiological assessment of the case reports. A second cluster of 41 cases was reported on December 2nd. The two cluster strains were a genetic match. CDC compared the genetic profile of the outbreak strains to other strains in its data bank, including Salmonella Typhimurium strains isolated from cases of human and animal illnesses, and those isolated from raw meat and poultry products in the United States.

The strain of Salmonella Typhimurium responsible for this new outbreak was unique. It had never before been reported in the United States. Not from people. Not from animals. Not from food samples.

The epidemiological detective work – carried on both by CDC and by state agencies – continued. The break in the case came from Minnesota's formidable Team Diarrhea, which keyed in on small clusters of cases in two long-term care institutions and one school. Team Diarrhea determined that the only food common to all three institutions was King Nut creamy peanut butter. By January 9th, Minnesota identified outbreak cases in six additional institutions. In all cases, King Nut creamy peanut butter was served to residents.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture sampled peanut butter from an open jar of King Nut found at one of the institutions and, on January 12th, announced that the state lab had recovered the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium from the open jar.

While the Minnesota finding pointed strongly to King Nut peanut butter as a source of the outbreak – especially when combined with epidemiological data gathered by CDC and other state agencies – some significant loose ends still needed to be secured. King Nut distributed its peanut butter to a limited number of states; yet the outbreak already had spread to 43 states.

King Nut, however, did not manufacture the peanut butter. It simply distributed peanut butter manufactured for it by Peanut Corporation of America. PCA sold peanut butter, peanut paste, and other peanut products to institutions, to distributors, to food service operations and to food processors across the United States. And the company exported some products to Canada and elsewhere.

Peanut Corporation of America issued a press release on January 10th that acknowledged the outbreak, highlighted the company's cooperation with federal and state agencies in the outbreak investigation, and emphasized:

"To date, the only conclusive testing linking salmonella to PCA's product was done on an open container of the peanut butter in a large, institutional kitchen. The history of the handling of that open container is unknown at this time."

This statement was made obsolete less than one week later. Georgia's Department of Agriculture announced on January 16th that it had discovered Salmonella in a previously unopened jar of peanut butter collected from PCA's Blakely, GA processing plant. And Connecticut removed the last shred of lingering doubt on January 20th, when the state's Department of Consumer Protection announced having recovered the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium from an unopened 5-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter found in the warehouse of a West Haven distributor.

The evidence linking the outbreak to peanut butter from the Blakely plant was compelling, but it didn't account for nearly all of the reported cases. CDC initiated a further epidemiological study in mid-January. The results of that study pointed to Keebler® and Austin® brands of peanut butter sandwich crackers. The crackers contained peanut butter manufactured at PCA's Blakely facility.

Kellogg reacted with admirable haste, placing a precautionary hold on these products as soon as they came under suspicion, and initiating a full recall when that suspicion was confirmed.

PCA acted more slowly, recalling tranches of production, as additional information on the Blakely operation and history was uncovered by FDA. This piecemeal recall, doubtless, complicated the work of PCA's customers, who based their own recall decisions on PCA's announcements.

As of January 29th, CDC has received reports of 529 confirmed cases of salmonellosis caused by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. At least 116 people have been hospitalized. The outbreak may have contributed to the death of eight outbreak victims – all of them at least 59 years old. Five states have reported outbreak-associated deaths: Minnesota (3), Virginia (2), Idaho (1), North Carolina (1), and Ohio (1).

The agency believes that this outbreak is not yet over. It takes more than two weeks from the time an individual is infected until CDC has the genetic fingerprint of the Salmonella in its hands. This delay is due to the incubation period of the infection, the patient's delay in seeking treatment, and the time required to recover Salmonella from the patient's stool and perform the lab tests that confirm the genetic match.

Continued in Anatomy of a Peanut Butter Outbreak: The Aftermath


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Posted by Phyllis E at Tuesday, March 02, 2010 0 comments

Monday, March 1, 2010

Posts From The Past: Anatomy of an Outbreak, Part 1

Eighteen months after the "official" onset of the Peanut Corporation of America Salmonella outbreak is an appropriate time to revisit the events surrounding this scandalous situation. Here is Part 1 of the three-part series that I posted last year. Parts 2 and 3 will follow.

January 29, 2009

Peanut Corporation America is a privately held company, with operations in Texas, Virginia and Georgia. The Company was incorporated in 1983 as J.R. Britt Peanut Co., Inc.

The following year, J.R. Britt changed its name to Georgia Food & Nut Processors, Inc. Five years later, in 1989, the name changed again – to Casey's Food Products, Inc. In 2001, the Company renamed itself once more, and became Peanut Corporation of America.

In 2006, FDA contracted with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to inspect PCA's Blakely, GA processing facility on behalf of the federal government. One assumes that FDA paid Georgia for this service.

An inspector from the GDA visited the Blakely facility twice yearly, beginning in January 2006. The inspections could hardly be called in-depth. The longest visit lasted four hours; the shortest "routine" inspection, carried out in October 2008, lasted just one hour and 40 minutes. The state drew samples for lab analysis on one occasion only – August 29, 2007. Salmonella was not detected in those samples.

During her October 2008 visit, state inspector Donna Adams recorded only two violations:
  • Totes returned from a customer were intended for reuse by this customer. The totes appeared to have residual peanut butter and a black buildup.
  • Mildew and possible static dust buildup on ceiling of peanut butter storage room.

The first violation was corrected on-site – the intended tote refill operation was suspended. PCA was instructed to correct the mildew and dust buildup by November 5, 2008.

Between June 2007 and continuing through September 2008, PCA received Salmonella-positive lab reports from the company's independent testing lab on 12 occasions. In all cases, the company arranged for a retesting of the contaminated product. On receiving a negative result from the repeat test, PCA shipped the product to its customer(s).

The most recent Salmonella-positive result, obtained from a sample of peanut paste manufactured on September 25, 2008, was reported as Salmonella Typhimurium – the same serotype as the microbe responsible for the outbreak.

There is no indication whether or not this Salmonella Typhimurium strain was a genetic match for the outbreak strain. But, according to CDC, the first outbreak victims became ill at the beginning of September 2008.

Continued in Anatomy of a Peanut Butter Outbreak: The Outbreak Investigation


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Posted by Phyllis E at Monday, March 01, 2010 0 comments
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