Month: December 2012

Recalls and Alerts: December 19, 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.

For current information on international and retail distribution of peanut butter products recalled due to Salmonella Bredeney, please consult the Trader Joe’s/Sunland Peanut Butter Recalls tab.

United States

  • Food Safety Recall: True Taste, LLC (Kenosha, WI) recalls vacuum packaged Hot Smoked Rainbow Trout, Hot Smoked Whitefish, Hot Smoked Herring, Hot Smoked Mackerel, Hot Smoked Salmon Steak, Cold Smoked Mackerel, and Cold Smoked Whitefish (all production dates beginning with 01/01/2012 through current), because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. The recalled vacuum packaged smoked fish products were sold under the True Taste label in California and Illinois, and under the Lowell Foods label in Illinois. The potential for contaminated was identified when the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection found that the product did not meet the 3.5% minimum requirement for water phase salt. True Taste LLC has halted production and is cooperating with regulatory authorities.
  • OTC Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Matrixx Initiatives recalls Zicam® Extreme Congestion Relief Nasal Gel (0.5 oz spray bottle; NDC #62750-005-10; Lot #2J23; Expiration date 09/15), after Burkholderia cepacia was found in a sample of the product.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: 9136-4802 Quebec Inc., dba Délices Al-Manar (East-Angus, QC) recalls Imane Chicken Salami with Fine Herbs (450g; UPC 6 81408 00014 6) and Imane Chicken Wieners (375g; UPC 6 81408 00022 1), due to the presence of undeclared mustard, and recalls Imane Beef Wieners (450g; UPC 6 81408 00020 7), Imane Hot Beef Wieners (450g; UPC 6 81408 00021 4) and Imane Turkey Salami (450g; UPC 6 81408 00024 5), due to the presence of undeclared soy. All Best before dates are affected. The products were distributed in Ontario and Quebec.

Europe

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Jindi Cheese Pty Ltd. recalls 1-kg size of Jindi Brie, Jindi Camembert, Jindi Food Service Brie, Wattle Valley Brie, and Wattle Valley Camembert (Best before 21 December 2012), due to potential Listeria spp. contamination. The recalled cheeses were sold in independent supermarkets and delicatessens in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
  • Outbreak Alert (New Zealand): The Ministry for Primary Industries warns that people are risking their lives when they take and eat shellfish from areas where warnings are in place regarding paralytic shellfish toxins. Some people who ate shellfish from the Bay of Plenty have been admitted to intensive care. Marine biotoxins are heat stable and are not inactivated by cooking.

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: December 18, 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.

For current information on international and retail distribution of peanut butter products recalled due to Salmonella Bredeney, please consult the Trader Joe’s/Sunland Peanut Butter Recalls tab.

United States

  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Performance Plus Marketing, Inc. recalls Libigrow®, Libigrow XXXtreme®, Blue Diamond®, Blue Diamond Platinum®, Mojo Nights®, Mojo Nights Supreme®, and Casanova® because they contain undeclared Sulfoaildenafil and Thioaildenafil. Please refer to the recall notice for details on affected Lot Numbers. The recalled products were sold to distributors and retail stores nationwide and via the internet.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Basic Organics, Inc. (Columbus, OH) that a March-April 2012 inspection of the company’s facility revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations for dietary supplements.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Jing Sheng Company (Arcadia, CA) that a July 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and its implementing regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese Company LLC (Trumansburg, NY) that a June/July 2012 inspection of the company’s cheese processing facility found Listeria monocytogenes in environmental samples collected from multiple areas of the processing facility and from a finished product sample of Bianco Brie-style Cheese, in addition to serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulation for food.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Loblaw Companies Ltd. recalls President’s Choice Organics Split Green Peas (450g; Product code BB MA 2013 OC 11A; UPC 0 60383 70772 9), due to the presence of extraneous material (insect) contamination. The recalled product was distributed nationally.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Finland): Felix Abba Oy Ab recalls Felix American Dressing (240g; best before 03.26.2013, 26.04.2013 and 06.08.2013), because the product contains undeclared mustard seed.
  • Allergy Alert (UK): Musgrave GB recalls SuperValu  4 Vegetable Samosas (160g; Use by 30 December 2012), because the product contains undeclared soy. The recalled product was supplied to Budgens stores only.
  • Food Safety Recall (France): La société Tom Guyomarc’h recalls Tom Guyomarc’h Andouilles, all types (Lot 12292 and 12293; All expiry date codes), after Listeria monocytogenes was found in the product. The recalled Andouilles were sold on or after 19-10-2012 directly at the factory, and at self-serve and full-service butchers/delis, in supermarkets, and in hypermarchés in the following départmentes: Alpes-Maritimes, Côtes d’Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, Oise, and Val d’Oise. In many cases, the product no longer carries its original labeling. If in doubt, check with the place of purchase.
  • Food Safety Recall Correction (Netherlands): The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority advises consumers that oysters supplied by the firm Prince & Dingemanse are NOT contaminated with Salmonella. The earlier announced recall was the result of an error.
  • Outbreak Alert (UK): The Health Protection Agency reports 337 confirmed lab findings of norovirus in the week ending December 9, 2012 and 236 for the week ending December 2, 2012. The total number of cases confirmed so farm this season is 83% higher than during the same period last season. During the two weeks ending December 16th, there were 61 hospital outbreaks reported, versus 35 outbreaks during the same period last year.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • OTC Pharmaceutical Product Recall (Hong Kong): GlaxoSmithKline Limited recalls all Panadol Suspension 120mg/5ml (60 ml bottles) due to an error in the Chinese translation of the labeling.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Grand Bazaar Ltd. recalls Gesas brand Tahini (18 kg buckets, 1000g plastic bottles and 600g glass jars; Exp 06.2014), after Salmonella is found in the product. The recalled tahini was sold in ethnic retail supermarkets throughout New Zealand.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (New Zealand): The New Zealand Herald reports that 20 people have been poisoned since last Wednesday by eating shellfish collected from the Bay of Plenty shoreline. Ten of the victims were admitted for hospital care; four remain in hospital. A warning was issued for this area in August 2012 and remains in effect.

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.

E. coli O157:H7 ‘Déjà Vu’ In Canada

For the second time this year, ground beef products from a Canadian meat company have been linked to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses.

Earlier today (December 17th), the Public Health Agency of Canada reported that five cases of E. coli O157:H7 – three in Ontario and two in Alberta – were “confirmed to be linked” to the strain of E. coli O157:H7 that was found in certain frozen beef burgers from Cardinal Meat Specialists.

The three male and two female outbreak victims identified so far range in age from 10 years to 59 years, and became ill between early September and late November. One person was hospitalized; all five either have recovered or are recovering. Fortunately, none of the victims developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued its first Health Hazard Alert and recall notice to the Canadian public on December 12th, and continued to update its alerts as it obtained more test results. Ten product samples, representing four production date codes, of Butcher’s Choice frozen beef burgers tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. All have been recalled.

As of December 17, 2012, the following products have been recalled as a result of this outbreak investigation:

  • Butcher’s Choice Garlic Peppercorn Beef Burgers (1.13 kg pkgs; UPC 0 60383 89363 7; All product codes); distributed nationally through Loblaw Companies Ltd. banners
  • Butcher’s Choice Hickory Barbecue Beef Burgers (1.13 kg pkgs; UPC 0 60383 89364 4; All product codes); distributed nationally through Loblaw Companies Ltd. banners
  • Cardinal brand Prime Rib Beef Burgers (1.13 kg pkgs; UPC 0 63351 01561 1; Best before code 2013 JL 31 EST 752); distributed nationally

CFIA launched its investigation of Cardinal Meat Specialists on December 5th, once the Public Health Agency of Canada established that this cluster of five illnesses was potentially linked to frozen burgers produced by that company. As of today, one production day of the recalled burgers has yielded the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7; a second production day has been confirmed to be contaminated with a different strain. Genetic profiling of the microbes recovered from the other two E. coli O157:H7-contaminated production days is still in progress.

The agency is now investigating all of the ingredients – including spices, domestic beef and beef imported from Australia and New Zealand – to determine the source of the contaminants. Depending on the results of this part of the investigation, additional products may be recalled.

Advice to Consumers

  • If you have purchased frozen beef burgers, check your freezer to determine whether your burgers have been recalled. DO NOT use a recalled product; either discard it in a secure fashion or return it to the store.
  • If you have eaten a burger – especially one that was not well done – and you think that you are experiencing symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 gastroenteritis, seek immediate medical attention. Be sure to mention the suspected connection between your symptoms and the food that you ate.
  • Always cook ground meat and meat mixtures (including burgers) to an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F). Do NOT rely on appearance (color or texture) to determine whether your meat is well done.