Recalls and Alerts: July 1, 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

• Pet Food Safety Recall: Mars Petcare US recalls PEDIGREE+® Healthy Weight Premium Ground Entree in Meaty Juices, PEDIGREE® Weight Management Meaty Ground Dinner Beef & Liver Dinner in Meaty Juices, and PEDIGREE® Weight management Meaty Ground Dinner Chicken & Rice Dinner in Meaty Juices canned dog foods (13.2-oz cans; Lot codes beginning with 209, 210, 211 or 212; Best before dates between 2/24/2014 and 3/23/2014), because the products may contain small pieces of blue plastic. The recalled canned dog foods were distributed to retail customers throughout the USA, including through Food City and Walmart stores.
• Boil Water Advisory (New Jersey): A Boil Water advisory remains in effect for 22 towns in Monmouth County following the collapse of three large water pipes at the New Jersey American Water Co. water treatment plant at Swimming River Reservoir. An outdoor water ban remains in place for all of Monmouth County.
• Outbreak Alert Update (New York State): The number of outbreak victims in Onondaga County has increased to 34, according to The Post-Standard. Twenty-one people are confirmed to have been infected with Shigella, and an additional 13 probable cases are awaiting confirmation. The source of the outbreak has not been established. About one-half of the victims are children under 10 years of age.

Canada

HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL OF OUR CANADIAN READERS!

Europe

• Outbreak Alert (UK): Thirty people contracted food poisoning after consuming a four-course meal at the Boundary Rooms suite at PROBIZ County Ground in Hove while while attending a cricket match. The Sussex County Cricket Club believes that the victims may have become ill from contaminated chicken parfait.
• Outbreak Alert (UK): Four people were hospitalized with salmonellosis after eating at the Copper Beech pub in Darlington between June 2nd and 19th. An additional 15 people also became ill, but did not require hospitalization. The pub has closed its kitchens until the source of the contamination can be identified.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Food Safety News (Japan): A nationwide ban on serving raw beef liver in restaurants takes effect today (July 1st). The ban was decided upon following an outbreak of E. coli O157 killed five people and sickened approximately 180. The outbreak victims became ill after consuming raw beef serviced at a yakiniku barbecue chain. The outbreak victims did not eat dishes that contained liver, but E. coli O157 was found in beef liver during the outbreak investigation.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Outbreak Alert (Cuba): Journalists are reporting the death of two people and the hospitalization of 50 due to an outbreak of cholera in Manzanillo. Government officials have not commented on the outbreak, but the municipality has been declared to be in “quarantine.”

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.