Recalls and Alerts: December 21, 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.

• Food Safety Recall: S&M International Inc. (Bayonne, NJ) recalls Yang Sheng cooked salted duck eggs (6 eggs/12.69-oz vacuum-pkg; UPC 6949682803568; Lot code YS12-02C), because the product was not processed in a manner to prevent growth of Clostridium botulinum. The recalled eggs were distributed between August to October 2012 to stores and markets located in New York City area, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Michigan.
• Food Safety Recall/Allergy Alert: Bi-Lo advises its customers that the manufacturer has recalled Vanilla Cake Roll with Strawberry Filling (8 oz; UPC 0-10374-49983; Item code 638796; Produced from 7/26/2012 through 10/27/2012), due to ingredient mislabelling.
• Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: P&J Trading recalls Slimdia Revolution Dietary Supplement (30 capsules/bottle; All lots), because the product contains the prescription drug sibutramine, an appetite suppressant, which is not declared on the label. The recalled product was distributed nationwide in US from March 2012 to December 2012.
• FDA Enforcement Action: FDA announces that a Federal judge has signed a consent decree imposing requirements on Sunland Inc. The consent decree requires that Sunland retain an independent sanitation expert to develop a sanitation control program that the company must then implement. The requirements also include compliance with the cGMP regulations. In addition, for the peanut butter plant, the company must conduct environmental monitoring and testing to ensure that disease-causing organisms are not present in the facility or in its finished foods and must have comprehensive inspections conducted by an independent sanitation expert. The consent decree permits Sunland to receive, hold, and distribute raw, unshelled peanuts from its storage buildings because the raw, unshelled peanuts are bound for processing facilities that include a “kill step” to eliminate Salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria. Peanut butter products manufactured by Sunland were linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney that sickened 42 people in 20 states.

Canada

• Allergy Alert: 9136-4802 Quebec Inc. (Délices Al-Manar) recalls Imane Roast Beef (175g; All codes; UPC 6 81408 00017 7), due to undeclared soy. The recalled product was sold by retailers in Quebec.

Europe

• Food Safety Alert (Belgium): The Food Agency advises the public not to consume Koon Yick Wah Kee brand Tofu with sesame oil (450 glass jars; Expiry 30/12/2014) and Koon Yick Wah Kee brand Tofu with sesame oil and pepper (450 glass jars; Expiry 30/12/2014), because the products are contaminated with Bacillus cereus. The indicated products were sold in Asian specialty stores between August 2012 and December 2012.
• Food Safety Recall (Finland): Leaf Finland Oy recalls Royal Milk Chocolate bars (130g; Product of Spain; Best before 23/09/2013), because the product may contain plastic pieces.
• Outbreak Alert (Norway): Health authorities are investigating an outbreak of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli that may have sickened 300 or more people who had eaten at an unnamed hotel in Hønefoss between December 4th and 9th. Preliminary results are casting suspicion on the cold food buffet at the hotel.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1752): Excessive benzoic acid in soft drinks from the USA; distributed to the United Kingdom.
• Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.1756): Unauthorized sildenafil thiono analogue in food supplement from Estonia; distributed to Finland.
• Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.1757): Unauthorized sildenafil thiono analogue in food supplement from the Netherlands; distributed to Finland.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1760): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked salmon from Poland; distributed to Germany.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1761): Metal fragments in liver sausage from Germany; distributed to Austria and Germany.
• Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.1762): Undeclared shellfish, milk ingredient, mustard and wheat in prepacked chicken Biryani containing prawn curry instead from the United Kingdom; distributed to France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey, Spain and the United Kingdom.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1763): Prochloraz in pomegranate from Turkey; distributed to Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1764): Chloramphenicol in salted sheep casings from Pakistan; distributed to Portugal.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1765): Cadmium in poppy seeds from the Czech Republic; distributed to Poland.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1767): Plastic fragments in milk chocolate bar from Spain; distributed to Finland.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1768): Mercury in chilled swordfish from the USA; distributed to Switzerland.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1769): Oxamyl in green beans from Morocco, via France, Spain and Germany; distributed to Austria and Germany.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Food Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reminds the public not to consume puffer fish. The alert was released after CHP received a report of a suspected poisoning associated with consumption of this fish.

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.