Recalls and Alerts: May 16, 2012

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 Alert/Recall: The Hawai’i State Department of Health, Rhode Island Department of Health, Arkansas Department of Health, and Georgia Department of Agriculture warn the public that FDA has removed all Korean certified shippers from the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List. All fresh and frozen shellfish from the Republic of Korea within the USA should be considered to be from an unapproved source and deemed to be adulterated. Consumers should discard all Korean fresh and frozen shellfish products, including clams, mussels and oysters. Canned products are not affected.
• Food Safety Alert: Massachusetts health officials warn consumers that oysters harvested from Cape Cod Bay may be contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus a pathogen that may cause watery diarrhea, cramps, nausea, fever, chills, and vomiting.
• Food Safety Recall Update: California Department of Public Health publishes a list of retail locations where recalled Organic Pastures raw milk products were sold.
• FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns American Yeast Corporation Tennessee (Memphis, TN) that a January 2012 inspection of the company’s fresh baker’s yeast manufacturing plant revealed numerous insanitary conditions, which could cause the food products manufactured at the facility to be come adulterated.
• FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns JC’s Fish and BBQ, Inc. (Knoxville, AR) that a February 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
• FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Scariano Brothers, LLC (Hammond, LA) that a January 2012 inspection of the company’s facility found serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
• FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Vaughan Foods, Inc., dba Allison’s Gourmet Kitchen (Moore, OK) that a July-August 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for Foods.

Canada

• Outbreak Alert Update: New Brunswick Public Health has confirmed 13 cases of E. coli o157:H7 illnesses out of 30 reported cases of bloody diarrhea. Most of the cases were reported in the Miramichi area, and the majority of confirmed outbreak victims reported eating at Jungle Jim’s restaurant in Miramichi in the days prior to developing symptoms. None of the food samples taken from Jungle Jim’s were found to contain E. coli o157:H7. The province, in cooperation with the Public Health Agency of Canada, is conducting a case control study in an effort to determine which food or foods may have been the source of the outbreak. Patrons of Jungle Jim’s who ate at the restaurant between April 23rd and 26, but who did not become ill, are asked to participate in this study by answering a detailed food questionnaire. Please call 1-888-246-8068.

Europe

• Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Beauvais Foods A/S recalls Glyngøre Tuna in Sunflower Oil (185g bottle; Lot code CN5IUU TLNNBJE 4JW1A MHTM 09/2016; Expiry 30/9-2016; Product of Thailand), due to high levels of histamine in a sample of the product.
• Food Safety Recall (Denmark): ARDO A/S recalls Frigodan Fine Peas, frozen (500g; Best before 21/6-2013; Lot L21.12.2011), due to contamination with rodent droppings.
• Food Safety Recall (Germany): Routhier – Weber Handelsges, Ltd. recalls Manouri brand Greek Double Cream Whey Protein Sheep Cheese (200g; Best before 09/21/2012), after Listeria monocytogenes was detected in a sample of the cheese.
• Outbreak Alert Update (Scotland): Two more victims of a norovirus outbreak at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley have died, bringing the total number of deaths to six. The latest deaths were attributed to “serious underlying medical conditions,” according to a BBC report. Norovirus was only identified as a contributory factor in one of the six deaths. Seven wards at the hospital remain closed to new admissions.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0637): Omethoate and dimethoate in eggplant from Uganda; distributed to Belgium.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0639): Ethephon in pineapples from Togo; distributed to France and Luxembourg.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0640): Salmonella Dublin in frozen been trimmings from Poland, via Germany; distributed to Sweden.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0641 & 2012.0642): Salmonella typhimurium in frozen beef trimmings from Poland, via Germany; distributed to Sweden.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0643): Mercury in frozen swordfish fillets from Spain; distributed to Italy.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0644): Undeclared celery in vegetable seasoning from Lithuania; distributed to the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0646): Undeclared celery in american potatoes from the Czech Republic; distributed to Slovakia.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0648): Undeclared peanut in ice cream coated with milk chocolate and almonds from Poland; distributed to the Czech Republic.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0649): High count of Escherichia coli in beef tenderloin from Argentina; distributed to Switzerland.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0650): Pirimicarb in scarole from the Netherlands; distributed to the Netherlands.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0651): Foreign body in ice cream from Portugal; distributed to Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0653): Histamine in anchovy fish sauce from Vietnam; distributed to the United Kingdom.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0654): Escherichia coli in clams from Greece; distributed to Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0655): Mercury in chilled mako shark from Spain; distributed to Italy.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0657): Traces of gluten in buckwheat flour from Sweden; distributed to Sweden.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0658): Ochratoxin A in liquorice sticks from Italy, via the United Kingdom; distributed to Ireland and the United Kingdom.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0659): Salmonella in ground ginger from China; distributed to Sweden.
• Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0660): DDT in dried herbs from India; distributed to Austria.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0661): Salmonella Virchow and high Escherichia coli count in basil leaves from Vietnam; distributed to Norway.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0662): Phenylbutazone in horse meat from the United Kingdom; distributed to France.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Food Safety Alert (China): Police are investigating a batch of fake pigs’ ears that were discovered in a Ganzhou city market in late March. The “ears” were found to be made from a mixture of gelatin and sodium oleate, a common ingredient in soap. Pigs’ ears are a popular delicacy in China.

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.