Month: December 2011

Recalls and Alerts: December 24, 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

  • Allergy Alert: Maribel Sweet’s Inc. of New York recalls New York Handbag Collection Gourmet Chocolate Candies (various packages sizes; distributed between November 1, 2011 and December 23, 2011), due to the presence of undeclared peanuts and pistachios. The recalled chocolates were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders.
  • Allergy Alert: Eillien’s Candies, Inc. recalls Yogurt Raisins (Royal Snacks, Nutty Bros., Eillien’s, Piggly Wiggly, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012), Granola Mix containing Yogurt Raisins (Eillien’s and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012) and Cinnamon Granola Mix contain Yogurt Raisins (Eillien’s and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012), because they may have been mixed with undeclared Yogurt Covered Peanuts. The recalled products were distributed throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado.
  • Food Safety Recall: Avon Heights Mushrooms, Inc. recalls Krisp Pak Spinach (10-oz bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), Better Brand Spinach (10-oz bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), and Avon Heights Spinach (4 x 2.5-lb bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), after one package of Better Brand Spinach tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. No retail distribution information has been provided in the recall notice.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Cosmetics Products Safety Alert (Saudi Arabia): The Saudi Food & Drug Authority warns the public that the country’s cosmetics monitoring program found three samples of facial makeup that are contaminated with a high level of lead. Please refer to the Saudi FDA web site for details of the lead-contaminated products.

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.
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.

Recalls and Alerts: December 23, 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

  • Allergy Alert: Sirocco Enterprises, Inc. (Jefferson, LA) recalls Pat O’Brien’s Blood Cocktail Mix (33.8 fl. oz./ 1-L bottles), because the product contains undeclared soy and wheat. The recalled product was distributed nationally in retail stores and over the internet.
  • Food Safety Recall: Green Valley Food Corp. recalls Let’s Grow Healthy Together Alfalfa Sprouts (5-oz containers; Product code 3440210; Code date 1/1/2012), after a random sample taken from a customer revealed Salmonella contamination. The company advises, “Till this present day there has been no related illnesses CONFIRMED because of this recall.” (emphasis in original Firm Press Release) The recalled sprouts were distributed in Texas via truck deliveries to retail chains (including Brookshire’s food & pharmacy) and food distribution centers.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: USDA releases updated retail distribution list for 10-lb chubs of Chuck Fine Ground Beef 80/20 that were recalled by Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
  • Food Safety Enforcement Action: FDA announces that Triple A Services, Inc. and its owners and operators have agreed to stop producing and distributing ready-to-eat sandwiches and produce as part of a consent decree. The consent decree followed filing of a complaint by FDA that describes Triple A’s history of operating under unsanitary conditions and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in the processing facility, and its failure to comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practice and seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point regulations.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Groupe Alimentaire Miron recalls Minos Honey (5kg; Lot code L100913;  Best before 30-09-2012), due to the presence of drug residues in the product.
  • Medical Device Safety Recall: Smiths Medical recalls Bivona® Neonatal, Pediatric and Flextend Tracheostomy Tubes (Lot #1631477 through 1923406), because some customers experienced difficulty disconnecting accessories from the connectors of the affected tubes.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): The Food Standards Agency advises that some bottles of Chapelle des Bois – 2990 Ac Fleurie Wine may contain undeclared sulfites.
  • Allergy Alert (Finland): Kraft Food Ireland Ltd. Ab withdraws certain chocolates, because the product packages lack Finnish labeling, including allergy information. Please see the EVIRA notice for details.
  • Food Recall (Denmark): Harboe Brewery A/S recalls Super Peak Soda (2-liter bottle; Best before 24.07.2102), due to an off-flavor and possible turbidity.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert Update: Red Label dried sausages from France, implicated in an unspecified and unpublicized foodborne Salmonella outbreak, was distributed to Andorra, France, French Polynesia, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Slovenia, according to updated RASFF Notification #2011.1880.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Pet Food Alert (Taiwan): The Taipei Government orders the removal of four pet food brands – Belicom’s Tuna and Beef Cat Food, Dobi’s Beef, Chicken and Potato Dog Food, Ever Red’s Beef Dog Food, and Maxwell’s Beef Dog Food – because none of the four products actually contained any beef.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health warns the public not to take an oral product named 糖人365康巽牌桑葛活胰素膠囊, as the product has been found to contain at least four undeclared western drugs, one of which – phenformin – is banned in Hong Kong.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert Update: Red Label dried sausages from France, implicated in an unspecified and unpublicized foodborne Salmonella outbreak, was distributed to Andorra, France, French Polynesia, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Slovenia, according to updated RASFF Notification #2011.1880.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert (Australia): Quality Patisserie Food Pty Ltd. recalls Pepe’s Vegetable Peas Pastizzi, Pepe’s Apple Pastizzi, and Pepe’s Pea and Bacon Pastizzi (500g plastic packet containing 12 individual pastizzis; All use by dates up to and including 10 DEC 12), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled products were distributed in grocery stores, corner stores and butcher shops in the Sydney metropolitan area.

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.
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.

Missouri Baby Dead: Is Infant Formula To Blame?

FDA, CDC, and health officials in Missouri and Illinois are investigating at least two cases of Cronobacter sakazakii (once known as Enterobacter sakazakii) – a rare, but often fatal, cause of meningitis that most often affects newborn babies.

Two Missouri infants have died – 10-day old Avery Cornett of Lebanon, and a one-month old baby girl in Granite City – and an Illinois infant is recovering from the infection.

At least one of the three infected babies is known to have been fed Enfamil Newborn Formula (12.5-oz cans; Lot #ZP1K7G), a product of Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Mead Johnson Nutrition released the following statement yesterday:

December 22, 2011

Our company recently became aware of an infant’s death in Missouri. This infant tested positive for Cronobacter, which is a microorganism commonly found in the environment and sometimes implicated in rare but serious illnesses in newborn babies. We were informed that the infant had been fed one of our products.

The product – Enfamil PREMIUM® Newborn powdered formula – has not been recalled, but is being tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with our assistance. All of our finished infant powdered products (including this batch) are tested for Cronobacter (Enterobacter sakazakii) prior to shipment. If an ingredient or a batch of powdered infant formula product is found to contain Cronobacter, it is rejected and not distributed.

The batch of the product used by the child’s family did not show the presence of the bacteria when it was produced and packaged, and that has recently been reconfirmed from our batch records. This product is not being recalled – nor is any other Mead Johnson product – but some retailers are removing it from their shelves as a precautionary measure. The product is Enfamil PREMIUM Newborn 12.5 ounce powder with number ZP1K7G on the bottom of the can.

We recognize that recent media stories may cause confusion and we apologize for that. We want to make every effort to keep our customers informed on any topics related to our products.

We are working with health authorities to support their efforts to identify the source or cause of the infant’s infection. All the employees at Mead Johnson Nutrition wish to extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family.

If you have any questions please contact us at 1-800-BABY-123.

Although the investigation is still in progress and Mead Johnson has not recalled the powdered baby formula, a number of retailers, including Walmart and Price Chopper, have removed the suspect product from store shelves until FDA and CDC complete their studies.

This is not Mead Johnson’s first brush with Cronobacter (formerly Enterobacter) sakazakii. In 2001, a hospital outbreak of Enterobacter sakazakii was traced to a contaminated batch of Portagen powdered infant formula, used to feed babies in the neonatal intensive care unit of a Tennessee hospital. The investigation into the causes of that outbreak led to changes in FDA’s recommendations for the preparation, use, and storage of reconstituted powdered infant formula.

FDA has collected – and is in the process of analyzing – several samples of the infant formula and the water used to reconstitute the formula from the Lebanon, Missouri and the Illinois cases, according to FDA Spokesperson Siobhan DeLancey.

“This is a tragic case,” DeLancey said, “and we are working as quickly as possible to investigate all the avenues by which the baby could have been infected.”

“It is important to note,” DeLancey adds, “that at this time there is no confirmation that either infant’s infection was caused by the infant formula or the water used to reconstitute it.”

FDA estimates that its test results will be completed by the middle or latter part of next week. And I’m told by CDC’s Lola Russell that genetic profiles (PFGE profiles) of the bacteria recovered from the infected babies also may be available next week. CDC expects that the complete investigation, including environmental test results, could take up to one month.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued the following recommendations to consumers who use powdered infant formula:

Clean utensils

  • Wash hands, forearms and fingernails thoroughly before handling any feeding materials or preparing formula.
  • All bottles, nipples, caps and rings should be washed in hot, soapy water with thorough rinsing.

Preparing formula

  • Before use, powdered formula should be kept dry in an airtight container with a firm cap or lid and stored in a cool, dark area. Make sure the expiration date has not passed.
  • During formula preparation, bring water to a bubbling boil for two minutes and allow the water to cool before mixing.
  • Do not use a microwave oven to warm the formula.

Storing formula

  • Formula should be prepared in small amounts immediately before feeding time to minimize the need for storing reconstituted formula.
  • Reconstituted formula should not be stored at room temperature for more than one hour or more than four hours in the refrigerator after preparation.
  • Throw out any formula left in a bottle after feeding.

Readers can find more information on Cronobacter (Enterobacter) sakazakii – including its connection with powdered infant formula and meningitis in infants – in my book, Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives, published in 2007 by ASM Press.