Recalls and Alerts: September 26, 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.

United States

• Food Safety Recall: Carol’s Cuts LLC  recalls fresh cut cantaloupe (5-pound trays as chunks and as an ingredient in 8-ounce mixed fruit medley), because the cantaloupe may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Carol’s Cuts Fruit Medley, packaged in 8-ounce individual serving clamshell containers (6 packages per case) and 5-pound bulk trays of cantaloupe chunks were distributed to institutional food customers, including restaurants, in Overland Park, Kansas, Kansas City and Maryland Heights, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. Institutional customers may have used the cantaloupe on salad bars and as fruit menu items. Some institutional customers may have placed the 8-ounce servings in retail venues.

Canada

• Allergy Alert: Smucker Foods of Canada Corp recalls Red River Hot Cereal (1.35kg pkgs), because the product may contain undeclared soy. The recalled cereal was distributed nationally.

Europe

• Allergy Alert (UK): Asda recalls Asda Chosen By You Coronation Coleslaw (280g; Use by 29 September 2011), because the product contains sulfites that were not declared, due to a packaging error.
• Allergy Alert (Finland): Felix Abba Oy Ab recalls Grandiosa Ground Beef and Onion Pizza (540g; Best before 05/08/2012), because the product contains undeclared soy, due to a packaging error.
• Food Recall (Finland): Felix Abba Oy Ab recalls Fun Light beverage (0.5-liter plastic bottles; Best before 22/02/2012; Batch #31330), because of incomplete labeling.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1303): Mercury in frozen headless-skinned blue shark from Spain; distributed to Greece.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1304): Mercury in frozen swordfish from Spain; distributed to Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #0211.1306): Dimethoate in valore beans from Kenya; distributed to the United Kingdom.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1307): Ochratoxin A in dried chilli from Thailand, via the Netherlands; distributed to Ireland.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1308): Enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus in risotto rice with squid from India; distributed to Italy.
• Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1309): Salmonella in lamb meat meal from the Netherlands, with raw material from New Zealand; distributed to Italy.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2011.1311): Undeclared milk in baby food from France; distributed to Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1312): Risk of mouth injury (tongue burns) as a result of the consumption of liquid apple-flavoured caramel from China, via Poland; distributed to Spain.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Food Safety News (PRC): China has detailed more than 2,000 people and closed more than 5,000 companies in a five-month crackdown on food safety infractions, according to Reuters.

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.