Recalls and Alerts: March 21 – 24, 2018

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.

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United States

Outbreak Alert: CDC reports 13 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to consumption of dried coconut products. Illnesses have been reported in 8 states; 3 people hospitalized. Consumers are advised not to eat the following recalled products: International Harvest, Inc. brand Go Smile! Raw Coconut, Go Smiles Dried Coconut Raw or Natural Grocers Coconut Smiles Organic.

Allergy Alert: Weis Markets recalls Weis Quality Cole Slaw (1-lb container; Sell by dates March 21, 18 through March 24, 18) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall: Poppies International, Inc. recalls Delizza Belgian Custard Cream Mini Eclairs (30-count; L1M1018; Best Before 09/09/19) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall: King Arthur Flour Company recalls Organic Coconut Flour (16 oz; Best if used by 10/25/2018 and 12/04/2018; Lots No. CF22017E and CF22017E, respectively; UPC 0 71012 10702 5) due to potential Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Update): PDX Aromatics, DBA Kraken Kratom, Phytoextractum, and Soul Speciosa expands its earlier recall of Kratom powders due to potential Salmonella contamination to include additional products. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of recalled items.

Food Safety Recall: California Jerky Factory, Inc. recalls Beef Jerky Products due to possible underprocessing. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Taylor Farms California Foodservice, Inc. recalls Taylor Farms 3/8″ Diced Yellow Onion (4/5# bags – 20 lb, corrugated paper carton; 20 lb. box for food service distribution; Item number 1130025; Package code STF066A56; Best if used by March 24, 2018) after receiving notification from a direct customer of a confirmed positive result for Salmonella sp. following routine testing of the diced onion product. The recalled product was distributed in OK, OH, MI, MN, IA, CA, KS, WI, PA, OR, WA FL. Customers who were supplied with the recalled product were notified of the recall by letter.

Pet Food Safety Recall: The J.M. Smucker Company recalls specific production batches of Milo’s Kitchen Steak Grillers / Steak Grillers Recipe with Angus Steak dog treats and Milo’s Kitchen Grilled Burger Bites with Sweet Potato and Bacon dog treats, because the products may contain elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Marché d’alimentation coréen MTL (Montreal, QC) recalls Shanghai Bok Choy Kimchi (900 mL and 2 L; all date codes) due to undeclared wheat.

Allergy Alert: Les Traiteurs BestSimcha (Montreal, QC) recalls various pastry products due to undeclared sesame seeds, soy, sulfites and milk.

Allergy Alert (Update): Erie Meat Products Limited updates its earlier recall of Butcher’s Selection brand Stampede Chicken Burgers (undeclared egg) to include additional distribution information. Please refer to the recall notice for details.

Allergy Alert (Update): Industry recalls Lotte brand Choco Pie – Green Tea (336g; All date codes; UPC 8 801062 006205) due to undeclared almond. The recalled product was supplied to retailers in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, and may have been distributed nationally.

Food Safety Recall: D’Lys sur le pouce recalls various jerky products due to lack of instruction on the product label regarding correct storage temperature. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Viandes Lauzon recalls various ground beef products due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were supplied to hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Ontario and Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Jacques Forget Ltée recalls Les Viandes Forget Beef Trimming 85% and Les Viandes Forget Beef Trimming NC 65% (27.22 kg; Packed on 18FEB21) due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled product was not distributed beyond warehouse level.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Urkraut recalls Den Grønne Blanding brand Sauerkraut (680 mL / net wt 410g; Best before 25/07/2018) due to undeclared celery.

Allergy Alert (France): Carrefour recalls Carrefour brand Tartine croustillante de seigle complet (Lot 48004DDM; Best by 03/01/2019) due to undeclared sesame.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Nuova Jolli SRL recalls Coop Minestrone de verdure (600g; Lot #150418; Best by 15-04-2018) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): Bioplanète recalls Bioplanète Protein-Leinmehl and Frühstücksheld due to undeclared gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for complete details of the affected products.

Allergy Alert (UK): SA Wholesale recalls four flavours of Robertson Rajah Curry Powder due to undeclared celery and mustard. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (UK): Mr. Dips recalls Mr. Dips Taramasalata (all pack sizes; All date codes up to and including 01/05/18) due to undeclared soya.

Allergy Alert (UK): Confectionery World recalls Turkish Delight – Rose and Lemon Flavours (200g; Batch code 251017; Best before 25 October 2019) due to undeclared nuts.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Tadal S.A. recalls SUNTAT/BAKTAT brand Pistachio Halvah (350g plastic pkg; Lot L24 L 17; Best by 31 octobre 2019) due to aflatoxin contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Finland): SOK recalls Rainbow yogurt, unpasteurized, 0.9% fat (250g; Best before 24.3.2018, 31.3.2018, 7.4.2018 and 14.4.2018) due to possible foreign matter (metal) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Manufacturer recalls Raoul Deschildre brand Toulouse-style sausages (3 x 120g; Lot #0031987; Best by 14/03/2018) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): DMK Deutsche Milchkontor GmbH recalls various quark products due to possible foreign matter (metal) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Vegan Vital Food recalls several products due to possible foreign matter (plastic) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): L’Acquachiara SRL recalls Cozze Spagna (Lot 18-B0602) due to presence of E. coli above acceptable levels.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Roberto Azzocchi SRL recalls Salamino Piccante (Lot #48LCP) due to possible microbiological hazard.

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Recall (Australia): Washed Rind Pty Ltd recalls several varieties of cheeses due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

What has changed?

From time to time, I am asked why food safety hazards seem more prevalent now than they were two, three or more decades ago.

Why are more types of food at risk?

Where were Norovirus, Listeria monocytogenes, and other foodborne pathogens back then?

Why were we able to sample raw cake batter and raw cookie dough when we were kids without our parents worrying about Salmonella?

Much has changed in food production, processing and distribution in the last fifty years.

When I was growing up (in the 50s and 60s), most food to be found in grocery stores was still sourced locally. Produce was seasonal; we never saw fresh blueberries and strawberries in the our local grocery store in mid-winter.

The coming of large-scale food production and distribution was the harbinger of significant change to the way produce was harvested and the way food animals were raised.

Back then, large cattle feedlots for ‘finishing’ beef were the exception rather than the rule. My mother bought her meat and poultry from a neighborhood butcher shop and her bread from a local bakery. In short, if a food was contaminated, the extent of the potential outbreak was limited to the local market reach.

Amassing cattle in large feedlots under crowded conditions enhanced the potential spread of infections, resulting in the need to introduce antibiotics into the feed. At the low levels used, these antibiotics promoted ‘growth’ (ie., cattle fattened more quickly); however, they also promoted the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

The accumulated excrement from the cattle contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of the feedlots, increasing the spread of bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli into the environment, including the wild animal populations.

Where fields were being farmed in the vicinity of feedlots, there was an increased potential for irrigation water (or run-off from rains) to spread the bacteria to the growing crops.

In the 50s and 60s, there was no effective method to detect Norovirus. Illnesses that today are attributed to Norovirus infections were written off as ‘stomach flu’ instead.

Some of the bacterial pathogens common today (notably, shiga-toxin producing E. coli, including E. coli O157:H7) are relatively recent mutations. The earliest report in the literature of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak dates from 1983.

Large-scale production requires large-scale distribution networks, including transportation of liquid ingredients in tanker trucks. A Salmonella outbreak resulted from the transportation of pasteurized ice cream mix in a tanker that had previously carried liquid raw egg, and that hadn’t been sanitized between uses.

Climate change also has played a role. For example, shellfish are known to harbor Vibrio parahaemolyticus. However, this pathogen is cold-sensitive and was not a food safety hazard in the waters off the coast off Canada’s west coast in the past. With the rise in water temperatures, Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been found more frequently in shellfish harvested in those waters.

In 2007, ASM Press published my book, Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives. Although now more than eleven years old, much of its content is still current.

As technology changes, so must the old habits we grew up with. By relying on yesterday’s food preparation methods, we lay ourselves open to tomorrow’s health threats.

Recalls and Alerts: March 19 – 20, 2018

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United States

Allergy Alert: Piggie Park Enterprises Inc. recalls Gourmet Carolina Gold Honey Sauce (18-oz. clear plastic bottle; All product with expiration date before 3/12/18) due to undeclared wheat and soy.

Allergy Alert: Piggie Park Enterprises Inc. recalls Maurice’s Southern Gold Honey Sauce (18-oz. clear plastic bottle; All product with expiration date before 3/12/18) due to undeclared wheat and soy.

Allergy Alert: Vietti Foods recalls Southgate Hot Dog Chili Sauce (15-oz cans; Lot #P642 M1217 70026; 0 71846 95242 6) due to undeclared wheat and eggs.

Food Safety Recall: Mickey Brown, Inc. recalls Mickey Brown’s A Taste of Cajun 3 Beef Burritos (1-lb 2-oz pkgs; EST. 33915; produced on various dates from March 28, 2017 through March 6, 2018), produced without the benefit of federal inspection. The recalled products were shipped to distributors in Louisiana, which then distributed the product for further retail and internet sales.

Food Safety Recall: Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc. recalls National Grocers brand Coconut Smiles Organic (10 oz; All pack dates prior to 18-075; UPC 8034810) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The product was distributed to Natural Grocers stores in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming

Pet Food Safety Recall: Radagast Pet Food, Inc. recalls Rad Cat Raw Diet Free-Range Chicken (8, 16 & 24 oz; Lot 62762; Best by 10/19/18) and Rad Cat Raw Diet Free-Range Turkey Recipe (8, 16 & 24 oz; Lot 62926; Best by 05/03/19) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Canada

Food Safety Recall: Goodfood Market Corp. recalls Good Boucher brand Lean Ground Beef (285g & 510g, Lot #18-03-07, Best before 2018-03-21; and 510g, Lot #18-03-05, Best before 2018-03-19) due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled products were supplied to consumers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and possibly nationwide.

Food Safety Recall: Viandes Lauzon recalls Viandes Lauzon brand Medium Ground Beef N/O (2.5 kg; Product code 18-03-05) and Triple A brand Lean Ground Beef Triple A (8 x 454g; Packed on 18-03-05) due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled products were supplied to consumers in Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: 9369-5989 Québec Inc. recalls Dubé Loiselle Maison brand Ground Beef Lean and Dubé Loiselle Maison brand Ground Beef Medium Lean (2 x 2.5 kg; Production date 07-03-18) due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled products were supplied to hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Scott Bathgate Ltd. recalls Nutty Club brand nut products due to aflatoxin contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were supplied to retailers, hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Food Safety Recall: Le Lunch Box (Montreal, QC) recalls La Sauce du Boss bolognaise sauce (1 L glass bottles; all product sold up to 19 March 2018) because the product does not carry a warning to keep under refrigeration and, therefore, presents a health hazard.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Coop Danmark A/S recalls three varieties of salad due to undeclared groundnuts, sesame, pistachio, walnut, peanuts and almond. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Condeli GmbH recalls various sweet dumplings due to undeclared cashew nuts. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Pichler Biofleisch – Vertriebs-GmbH & Co KG recalls Bruderhahn Wurzen Klassik (Expiration date 20.03.2018) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Scandic Food A/S recalls Frozen Raspberries (300g; Best before 29/11/2018) due to Norovirus contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Midsona Danmark A/S recalls Nutana Sweet Berry Müsli (500g; Lot 17328; Best before 25/12-2018; Product of Belgium) due to foreign matter (glass splinters) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Manufacturer recalls CAILLAOU D’ESCANECRABE brand Raw Goat Milk Cheese (3 x 40g wheels/pkg; Product code/Lot No. 31/03/2018) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Four Seas Mercantile Limited recalls Lotte brand Choco Pie Banana (336 grams/11.85 ounces per box; Best before June 14, 2018 and October 23, 2018; Product of Korea) due to undeclared almonds.