Month: July 2012

Outbreak of HUS and Bloody Diarrhea in France

It’s the 4th of July – Independence Day in the USA – and the national meal is burgers on the barbecue.

As they do every year, the USDA, FDA and various states have been urging the public to use meat thermometers in order to ensure that their burgers are cooked thoroughly. It’s ironic, therefore, that France has been experiencing an outbreak of E. coli O157 traced to contaminated ground beef.

On June 25th the Aquitaine Regional Health Agency (ARS Aquitaine) reported that three people were hospitalized in Bordeaux, suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The three victims were children – a 2 1/2 year old girl, an eight year old girl, and a 14-year old boy. All three of the victims had consumed ground beef produced by the Société des viandes élaborées d’Estillac. The meat was sold in stores belonging to the Intermarché and Netto supermarket chains in the southwest part of France.

A fourth child – a four-year old boy – also had been hospitalized, but had not consumed any ground beef.

The manufacturer initiated a recall of the implicated meat on June 23rd, without waiting for the results of lab analysis of the ground beef. Unfortunately, the recall was not in time to prevent additional illnesses from developing.

As of July 3rd, France’s Institut de Veille Sanitaire (Institute for Health Surveillance) has received reports of eight cases of HUS and four cases of bloody diarrhea, all located in Aquitaine) and Poitou-Charentes. All of the outbreak patients live in the region where the recalled ground beef was sold. All of the eight HUS victims are children, ranging from 2 1/2 years old to 14 years of age. All eight HUS victims consumed ground beef in the period before becoming ill.

Six of the eight HUS victims and one patient with bloody diarrhea have been confirmed to be infected with E. coli O157; lab tests are still in progress on the remaining outbreak victims.

This outbreak is a cruel reminder that the risk of contracting E. coli O157 is not restricted by nationality or geography. When grilling your burgers on the barbecue, please remember to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat has reached a safe internal temperature of 160°F (that’s 71°C).

For more information on safe food handling, check out USDA’s Barbecue and Food Safety Fact Sheet.

Recalls and Alerts: July 4, 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.

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: Fruiti Pops, Inc. recalls Fruiti Pops Classic Coconut Frozen Dessert Bars (4-oz bars; UPC 763734 000011; No lot numbers or expiration dates), due to the presence of undeclared egg yolk. The recalled bars were sold by push cart vendors and ice cream trucks in Southern California between June 25, 2012 and June 28, 2012.
  • Food Safety Recall: Andante Dairy (Petaluma, CA) recalls Andante Dairy Cheese (sizes from 5 oz to 8 oz; No code dates or variety information on packages), due to a lack of proper pasteurization. Andante Dairy cheeses, except for Musette, Tomme Dolce and Etude varieties, are under a quarantine order, as the lack of proper pasteurization could have allowed the survival of dangerous pathogens. The cheeses were sold mainly to retail markets, restaurants and cheese shops in California, with very limited distribution in Chicago and New York.
  • Animal Feed Safety  Recall: PMI Nutrition Intl., LLC (Brentwood, MO) recalls LabDiet® Guinea Pig Diet (50lb; Formula No. 5025; Lot No. APR17122), Mazuri® Maned Wolf Diet (33lb; Formula No. 5MD9; Lot #APR21122), Mazuri® Small Bird Maintenance (25lb; Formula #56A6; Lot #APR15123), and Mazuri® Primate Maintenance Biscuit (25lb; Formula #5MA2; Lot #APR22122), due to the potential for an elevated Vitamin D level in these products. The recalled products were manufactured at the company’s Richmond, IN feed plant and were distributed throughout the USA and to a few international customers.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): The Co-op recalls Co-operative Truly Irresistible Fairtrade Peruvian Dark Chocolate with Dried Sweetened Cranberries (Best before 1 February 2013 and 2 February 2013), because the products contain milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.
  • Allergy Alert (Denmark): Stella’s Bakery recalls Romkugler (300g; 5 pcs), Tree trunks (350g; 4 pcs), Butter Tart (400g), Cinnamon Tang (350g), and Day/Night Rivets (350g; 4 pcs) with production dates of 3 July 2012 or earlier, due to the presence of undeclared milk powder.
  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Britvic Soft Drinks UK recalls Robinsons Fruit Shoot and Fruit Shoot Hydro packs featuring the new Magicap (All batch codes and best before dates), because the caps may become fully or partially detached. The recalled product was not distributed directly in Ireland, but some retailers may have bought affected packs from Northern Ireland or the UK.
  • Food Safety Recall (Multiple countries): Britvic International recalls Teisseire Fruit Shoot (20 cl; Best before 02-2013 and 03-2013) due to a technical problem with the bottle caps. The product was sold in Belgium and France beginning in June 2012 in individual bottles and in multi-packs.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Dansk Supermarked Indkøb recalls ATCO Hazelnuts (200g plastic bags; Lot 2384; Best before 31/10-2012; Product of Germany), due to mold growth in individual bags of the hazelnut kernels.
  • Food Safety Recall (France): Auchan and Simply Market recall Pouce brand Sardines in tomato sauce (120g; Best before 20/01/2015, 21/01/2015 and 26/01/2015), because the products may contain histamine.
  • Outbreak Alert (France): Health authorities have received reports of eight cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and four cases of bloody diarrhea since May 28th in Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes. All eight HUS victims are children; 6 of them are confirmed to be infected with E. coli O157. Seven of the eight HUS cases are residents of Aquitaine. All of the 12 outbreak victims reported having consumed ground beef – in most cases, purchased at Intermarché or Netto stores.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0916): Benzalkonium chloride in dietary food supplement from Slovakia, via the Czech Republic; distributed to Poland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0917): Dead mouse in pizza from Italy; distributed to Italy and Japan.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0918): Mold infestation in hazelnut kernels from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0919): Unauthorized 1,3 dimethylamylamine in food supplement from the USA; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0921): Didecyldimethylammonium chloride in chilled citrus fruit from South Africa; distributed to France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0923): Salmonella in beef meat from the Netherlands; distributed to Sweden.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Coles Supermarkets recalls Coles Lite Sour Cream (300ml plastic tub; Use by 02/08/12), due to E. coli contamination. the recalled product was sold in Coles Supermarkets in Western Australia only.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert Update (Cuba): Cuba’s Health Ministry has confirmed that three people have died and 53 more are infected in a cholera outbreak in the south-east part of the country. BBC News reports that about 1,000 people have received medical attention so far – most of them from the town of Manzanillo.

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: July 3, 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.

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: ITO EN USA requests that Hawaii customers of its canned Aloha Maid Coconut Water with Pineapple (Code IHMAY0913; UPC 8-35146-00818-3; purchased since May 16, 2012) return the products to stores for a refund, due to an “off smell.”
  • Food Safety Recall Update: Mexicali Cheese Corp (Woodhaven, NY) expands its earlier recall to include additional product names, due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled product names include: Mexicali Queso Fresco Mexicano, Mexican Style Fresh Cheese; Acatlan Queso Fresco, Fresh Cheese; Mi Quesito Mexicano, Mexican Cheese; and Quesillo Ecuatoriano, Ecuadorian Style Cheese. The recalled cheeses are packaged in a 14-oz plastic tub (Plant No. 36-0128; Code 071512), and were sold in the metropolitan New York area, including Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
  • Food Safety Recall: Dairy Goddess (Lemoore, CA) recalls Cream Top Chocolate Milk (8-oz, 1-qt and half-gallon sizes; Code date 7-11-2012) due to a lack of proper pasteurization. The product also is the object of a quarantine order, as dangerous pathogens may have survived in the milk. The recalled product was marketed only at Farmers’ Markets in San Luis Obispo and Clovis.
  • Medical Device Recall: Johnson & Johnson recalls K-Y Liquibeads 6 ct (UPC 38004008795; Lot codes 0361W, 0651W, 0921W, 2591W, 0219H, 0030H, 0080H, 0090H and 0159H; Expiration dates between 5/1/11 and 7/16/13) to address the FDA’s concerns that the product should be cleared under a separate medical device application.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Taiyo Seafood Boston Inc. (Quincy, MA) that a May 2012 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.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Good Herbs Inc. (Troy, MI) that a November 2011 through January 2012 inspection of the company’s manufacturing facility revealed significant violations of the CGMP regulations for dietary supplements.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Oklahoma Respiratory Care, Inc. (Norman, OK) that an October 2011 inspection of the company’s pharmaceutical manufacturing facility identified significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for Finished Pharmaceuticals.
  • Outbreak Alert (Oregon): Three Central Oregon residents were hospitalized with symptoms of botulism, contracted at a private barbecue. Home-canned food is implicated as the source of the illnesses. The incident is under investigation by Deschutes County Health Services, and final testing results are pending.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Le Poisson Volant (La Prairie, QC) recalls Far de homard Lobster Pâté (125ml Mason jars; No label), because the product may be hazardous to consumers health if it was not kept refrigerated at all times after purchase.
  • Food Safety Recall: Phoenicia Group Inc. (St-Laurent, QC) expands its earlier tahina recall to include Alkanater brand Tahina (454g containers; UPC 6 92551 00002 0; Lot code TT3N-260112; Production code 26/01/2012; Exp 25/01/2014), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was distributed in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia Ontario and Quebec and may have been distributed nationally. This product is available in Whole Foods Markets supermarkets in Canada.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Breckland Orchard recalls Breckland Orchard Blackcurrant & Raspberry (275ml), Cloudy Lemonade (275ml), Cream Soda (275ml), Ginger Beer with Chilli (275ml), Pear & Elderflower (275ml and 750ml), and Strawberry & Rhubarb (275ml) fruit-based drinks (Best before date of Marcy 2013 or April 2013), due to the potential risk of the glass bottles breaking.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Cott Beverages Ltd. recalls Emerge Isotonic Orange Flavour Sports Drink (500ml bottle; Best before December 2012; Batch code L156), because the beverages may be contaminated with pieces of plastic.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Britvic Soft Drinks recalls Robinsons Fruit Shoot and  Robinsons Fruit Shoot Hydro flavoured mineral waters due to a packaging safety issue with the new cap design, according to BBC.  Robinsons Fruit Shoot Orange Regular (8 x 200ml; Best before Mar 13) was available at Sainsbury’s stores. Sainsbury customers should return the product to their nearest store for a full refund.
  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Carrefour recalls Carrefour brand Sardines à l’huile d’olive/Sardines in Olive Oil (120g; Lot codes between BJL001F and BJL043F), due to the presence of histamine.
  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Les Mechelse Veilingen recalls Chou rouge/Red cabbage (Bulk packaged; Registration #33748-0328; sold from June 19-27, 2012), due to unacceptably high residues of the pesticide dimethoate.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): DK Trading ApS recalls Fresh chicken breast (120-160g each, sold in 300-400g retail packs of 3 pieces or wholesale in 2.5kg packs; Lot 120618003; Expiry 03.07.2012; Product of Poland) due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Aldi K/S recalls Country Pleasure brand Whole fresh chilled chicken (1300g; Best before 27-06-2012; Product of  Germany), due to Campylobacter contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Samso Cannery recalls First Price Cucumber Salad (550g; Expiry June 2014; Batch No. staring with 1506112200 or 1506112400), after receiving a report of a piece of glass in the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Unilever recalls Du darfst Feine Teewurst (125g; Expiry 07/25/2012 and 30/07/2012; Lot #L217 802 217755 u), due to microbiological contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Abraham Ham GmbH recalls Abraham herzhafter Katenschinken gewürfelt/Abraham Chopped Savory Smoked Ham (2 x 125g; Expiration 3:08:12; Batch #40K773 09:51), due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Käserei H. Birkenstock GmbH recalls Birkenstock Mainzer Cheese due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Consumer Product Safety Alert (UK): The Food Standards Agency warns that Miracle Mineral Solution (also known as Miracle Mineral Supplement) and Chlorine Dioxide Solution should not be consumed, as they can be hazardous. Miracle Mineral Solution is a 28% sodium chlorite solution, which is equivalent to industrial strength bleach. Chlorine Dioxide is more dilute, but can still irritate the skin and gastrointestinal tract if swallowed. Other similar products also should be avoided.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0908): Listeria monocytogenes in chilled smoked salmon from Denmark; distributed to Italy.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0910): Unauthorized 1,3 dimethylamylamine in food supplement from the United States; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0912): Salmonella spp. in tea sausage spread from Germany; distributed to Germany, Italy and Luxembourg.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0913): Foodborne outbreak (histamine poisoning) caused by chilled tuna from Spain; distributed to France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0914): Salmonella Infantis in chicken breast fillets from Poland; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0915): Methiocarb in red cabbage from Belgium; distributed to Belgium, France, Germany and Netherlands.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Food Safety Enforcement Action (Argentina): El Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (Senasa) seizes and destroys 365 kg of uneviscerated frozen whole chicken and 9 kg of chicken sausage, because the poultry products were transported without any authorization or veterinary records, and in a truck that did not meet standards for food transport.

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.