Month: June 2011

Recalls and Alerts: June 30, 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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: McNeil Consumer Healthcare recalls Tylenol® Extra Strength Caplets, 225-count bottles (Manufactured in February 2009; Lot #ABA619) due to reports of an uncharacteristic musty, moldy odor that has been linked to the presence of trace amounts of 2,4,6-tribromanisole (TBA). TBA has been associated with temporary and “non-serious” gastrointestinal symptoms. The recalled product was distributed in the USA.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: Cost Plus Inc. (Oakland, CA) recalls Wooden Hexagonal Animal Drums (SKU #424857; Manufactured in China) because the paint used on the drum exceeds the maximum allowable lead level of 90ppm. The recalled toys were sold at Cost Plus World Market stores nationwide from December 2010 through May 2011.
  • FDA Enforcement Action: FDA has announced that Howard Sousa, doing business as the Artery Health Institute LLC, and DeSousa LLC, in New York, N.Y., has signed a consent decree of permanent injunction. The consent decree prohibits Sousa from distributing products with claims in the labeling to cure, treat, mitigate or prevent diseases. Prior to entry of the consent decree, Sousa distributed Advanced Formula EDTA Oral Chelation capsules on his website. Under the terms of the consent decree, Sousa will remove the drug claims from his website. He has also agreed to hire an independent expert to review the claims he makes for his product and to certify that he has omitted all violative claims. Under the decree, the FDA can order Sousa to stop making and distributing any product if he fails to comply with any provision of the consent decree, the FFDCA or other FDA regulations. Sousa is also required to pay $1,000 per violation and twice the retail value of each shipment of product in the event he fails to comply with the consent decree.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: King’s Processing Ltd. (Alberton, PEI) recalls Circle K and Sub Delicious brands of sandwiches, subs, wraps, burgers, breakfast muffins and bagels (Canada 514 legend; various sizes and Best Before dates), because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled products were distributed in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (PRC): According to the Beijing Times, some supposedly edible cooking oil on store shelves in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province has been produced from gutter oil and swill-cooked oil – waste animal oil and oil that has been used several times (usually by restaurants) for frying.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection has received reports of seven additional case of food poisoning linked to a Jordan restaurant, bringing the total number of cases to sixteen. One person has been admitted to Tseung Kwan O Hospital.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating two clusters of suspected food poisoning cases – affecting 11 people in total – among diners at a restaurant in Kowloon City.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Medical Device Recall: IGC Dorey Pty Ltd recalls Safety 1st Complete Healthcare Kits (Item #49773; Barcode Number 8439254291), because the recalled kits contain a thermometer that displays the temperature in degrees Farenheit rather than degrees Celsius. The kits were sold through Kmart, Target, Toys R Us and independent retail stores nationwide between April 2011 and June 2011.
  • Synthetic Cannabis Recall and Alert (Australia and New Zealand): New Zealand’s Director General of Health has warned retailers to remove Kronic Pineapple Express herbal smoking product from store shelves, because it has been found to contain phenazepam, a prescription medicine that is not available for use in New Zealand. Separately, New South Wales has announced a ban – effective July 2011 – of Kronic, Northern Lights, Spice, Kaos, Voodo & Mango synthetic cannabis products after the products were found to contain the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018.

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.

Double Dip Ducklings – And Chicks

The Salmonella outbreak tied to chicks and ducklings supplied by Mt. Healthy Hatcheries, Inc. and sold through a national (and still unnamed) feed store chain has turned out to be two…two…two outbreaks in one.

CDC reported earlier today that, since February 25, 2011, the infected chicks and ducklings have been responsible for 49 cases of Salmonella Altona infections in 16 states. And a second Salmonella serotype is now in the mix. Chicks and ducklings from the same hatchery also have infected 22 people in 12 states with Salmonella Johannesburg since March 19, 2011.

The geographic distribution of illnesses associated with the two Salmonella serotypes overlap, as this CDC summary table and map clearly show. The green-colored states have reported cases of both Salmonella Altona and Salmonella Johannesburg infections.

In all, 71 people – more than one-half of them 5 years old or less – in 19 states have become ill as a result of handling these infected chicks and ducklings. Eighteen people were hospitalized. All of the illnesses so far have been reported from the eastern half of the country, including the states of Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), Georgia (3), Indiana (1), Kentucky (7), Maryland (4) , Maine (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), North Carolina (11), New Hampshire (1), New York (5), Ohio (12), Pennsylvania (6), Tennessee (5), Virginia (4), Vermont (3), Wisconsin (1) and West Virginia (3).

And what does the Mt. Healthy Hatcheries have to say about their role in this outbreak? NOTHING! The company simply has posted a list of Basic Safety Practices for the Handling of Poultry on its web site. No mention whatsoever of an on-going Salmonella outbreak, or of the link to Mt. Healthy Hatcheries chicks and ducklings.

As I pointed out in The Chicken Ranch (my earlier post on this outbreak), apparently healthy chickens and other poultry can harbor and spread Salmonella, Campylobacter and other diseases. Chicks, ducklings or any other fowl are not toys.

And they most certainly are not safe pets for young children! 

Recalls and Alerts: June 29, 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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Food Safety Recall: Bavan Food Company (Sacramento, CA) recalls Bavan Brand Sugar Rewari (Santra Goli) Candy (10.5-oz plastic bag; Product of India), due to unacceptable levels of lead. The recalled product was distributed in California.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert Update (France): France orders the recall of Thompson & Morgan brand Fenugreek, Mustard and Arugula seeds for sprouting, because the seeds are implicated in an outbreak of 16 E. coli O104:H4 illnesses (8 cases of bloody diarrhea and 8 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome) in the Bordeaux region. The outbreak strain is the same strain as the German outbreak strain, which – as of June 28th – comprises 4,022 cases of HUS and EHEC in 16 countries (including 47 deaths in Germany and one death in Sweden). The European CDC and European Food Safety Authority report that traceback investigations point to fenugreek seeds from Egypt as the likely source of both outbreaks. The seeds were imported into Germany by AGA SAAT GmbH (Dusseldorf) which, in turn, supplied seeds to Thompson & Morgan. The European CDC and individual government agencies in Europe and elsewhere, are strongly urging consumers to avoid eating all uncooked sprouts.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Welfore Co. Ltd, in response to instruction from the Department of Health, recalls Welfore Senna Forte Tab 17mg, Wei Health Strong Senna Tab 17mg, Legend Senna Extra Tab 17mg, and Senna Forte Tab 17mg (Product of USA), after a sample fails the disintegration test.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating two suspected food poisoning outbreaks affecting a total of nine people. One group, consisting of two people became ill after dining at a restaurant in Jordan on June 19th. The second group, consisting of seven people became ill after dining at the same restaurant on June 25th. All of the victims complained of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever and nausea/vomiting.
  • Outbreak Alert (Taiwan): A 4-year-old boy is in intensive care in a Kaohsiung City hospital after developing symptoms of botulism. Lab tests of the boys serum sample confirmed botulinum Type A toxin; tests of food samples are in progress. This is the third case of botulism reported in Taiwan so far this year. Taiwan CDC reminds the public that any homemade pickled products or vacuum-packaged food should be boiled for 10 minutes prior to consumption in order to inactivate any botulinum toxin that may be present in the food.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Inghams Enterprise Pty Ltd. recalls Brannans Marinated Whole Chicken (All weights; Use by 27.06.11 to 05.07.11, inclusive), due to the presence of undeclared soy, oat, fish, sesame seeds and sulphite. The recalled poultry products were sold exclusively through Aldi stores in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): McCain Foods recalls McCain Family Pizza Cheese & Bacon frozen pizza (500g cardboard box; Best before Mar 2012 B 090 and Mar 2012 C 090), because the food may be contaminated with metal pieces. The recalled frozen pizzas were distributed nationally to Coles (including Coles online and BiLo), Woolworths/Safeway, Franklins and Independent stores, including IGA and Foodland.

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.