Recalls and Alerts: September 14, 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

• Allergy Alert: Zatarains alerts consumers that New Orleans Style Chicken Flavored Rice Mix (UPC 7142909705; Best by dates Apr 23 14 H, Jun 10 14 H, Jul 30 14 H and Aug 31 14 H) may contain undeclared wheat. Schnucks Markets, Inc. invites customers of Schnucks, Logli and Hilander to return the product to their nearest store for a refund or exchange. Tops invites its customers to do the same.
• Food Safety Recall: The University Creamery at Penn State recalls all ice cream and frozen yogurt made between May 16, 2012 and August 11, 2012 (Best if used by date on or between Feb 10, 2013 and Aug. 11, 2013) because of isolated incidents involving reports of small plastic foreign objects in the product. The recalled ice cream was made and sold from the Berkey Creamery on the University Park campus of Penn State and also was available for purchase on the internet from the Creamery’s website. University police have begun a criminal investigation into the rreports.
• Food Safety Recall: Meca Foods recalls La Tia Tamales brand Home Style Tamales – Green Pork, Home Style Tamales – Red Pork and Home Style Tamales – Chicken (All items were produced between April 2011 and September 2012 and bear Est. 699 inside the Illinois mark of inspection), because the product was manufactured in a facility that is not state-inspected. The establishment number on the products does not belong to the firm. The recalled products were sold to brokers and restaurants in Chicago.
• Food Safety Recall: Serenade Foods, Inc. (Milford, IN) recalls Milford Valley Farms Crunchy Chicken Strips (7.5-lb cases containing 30-oz cartons; Est P-2375; UPC 0-73981-32286-7; Use by Jan 17, 2014), after two consumers reported finding plastic fragments in the product. The recalled product was packaged on Jan 17, 2012 and shipped to a distributor in Lakeland, Florida for further distribution.
• Food Safety Recall: Cut Fruit Express, Inc. (Inver Grove Heights, MN) recalls packaged fruit products containing cantaloupes (Distributed through September 5, 2012), since they contain cantaloupe recalled by DFI Marketing Inc. due to potential contamination with Salmonella. The recalled fruit products were sold in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
• Food Safety Recall: US Foods alerts its customer to the recall of cantaloupes by DFI Marketing (Fresno, CA), due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recall has triggered recalls from other distributors and further processors, including Castellini Brothers, Club Chef, Cut Fruit Express and McEntire Product, and will likely expand further.
• Food Safety Recall: Kroger alerts its customers to the recall of cantaloupes by DFI Marketing due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled cantaloupes were sold in Kroger stores located in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Knoxville, Tennessee, Greater Cincinnati, including Northern Kentucky, Dayton, OH and South Eastern Indiana, Indiana (except SW IN, -Evansville-), Illinois, Eastern Missouri, Greater Memphis, TN, Arkansas, Mississippi and Western Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana; Jay C, Dillons, Baker’s, Gerbes, Fry’s, Food4Less, FoodsCo and Smith’s.

Canada

• Allergy Alert: Valley Flax Flour recalls Valley Flax Flour Wheat Free Pancake Mix (500g; Codes PC12145, PC12199 and PC12202; UPC 52203 00051 2), due to the presence of undeclared gluten. The recalled product was sold in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Europe

• Allergy Alert (France): Société Valpiform recalls Valpiform brand Pain Soleil, Pain de Mie and Pain de Mie aux Fibres (Lot 12167, 12194, 12214, 12216, 12235 and 12236) and Allergo brand Pain aux Graines, Pain de Mie and Pain de Mie aux Fibres (Lots 12167, 12194, 12195, 12214, 12215 and 12216) due to the presence of undeclared traces of peanuts.
• Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Mega Food recalls Chtoura Garden Sesame paste/tahina (400g plastic bucket; Best before 26/7-2013; Lot #207HPT 43 0; Product of Lebanon), due to Salmonella contamination.
• Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Rieber & Son Denmark A/S recalls K-Salat brand Easy Remoulade (200g tube, Best before 14/12-2012, Lot L44 and 400g plastic bottle, Best before 11/12-2012, Lot L3028266), due to high levels of lactic acid bacteria, which can cause gas production, resulting in swelling of the packages.
• Food Safety Recall (Germany): Ostsee Fisch GmbH & Co. Produktions- und Vertriebs recalls Premium Scandinavian Baltic Fish Smoked Salmon (200g; Best before 16.09.2012; Batch/Lot 3521B), due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
• Dietary Supplement Safety Recall (Finland): Penelopa Oy recalls African Mango Extreme (60 capsules; Best before 30 APR 2015), Pure Amazon Acai Slim Atox (60 capsules; Best before 21 MAR 2015) and 4 Play for Men (10 capsules; Best before 02/15), imported from the United Kingdom. One of the supplements (4 Play for Men) contains the prescription drug tadalafil, which is not disclosed on the ingredient list. The other two products contain unauthorized novel foods, the safety of which have not been evaluated.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1318): Insect larvae in bittersweet chocolate from Austria; distributed to Austria, Germany and Slovenia.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.1319): Peanut traces in bread from France; distributed to Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.1320): Undeclared peanut in sliced bread from France; distributed to Spain.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1321): Pieces of metal wire in frozen raw brezel dough piece from Germany; distributed to Austria, Germany and Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1322): Insect larvae in noodles from China; distributed to Greece, Hungary and Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1323): Suspicion of Listeria monocytogenes in chilled ready-to-eat processed pork meat with gherkins from Belgium; distributed to France.

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.