Author: Phyllis Entis

Recalls and Alerts: February 7 – 8, 2017

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

Allergy Alert: Fred Meyer Stores recalls Fred Meyer 100% Whole Wheat Bread (16 oz.; Julian dates 013 through 036) due to undeclared milk. The recalled product was sold in Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Allergy Alert: Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods (Richmond, VA) recalls Ukrop’s Chili Flavored Soup with Beans and Chicken (24 oz container; Sell by 02/08/17; Est. No. 19979 or P-19979) and Ukrop’s Chili Flavored Soup with Beans and Beef (24 oz container; Sell by 02/08/17; Est. No. 19979 or P-19979) due to undeclared milk, wheat and soy.

Pet Food Safety Recall: PetSmart recalls Grreat Choice Adult Dog Food – With Chicken and Rice Classic Ground (13.2 oz.; Lot 1759338; Best by 8/5/19). No reason for the recall wsa given. This recall coincides with the announcement of the Companion brand recall, below.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Giant Food, Martin’s, and Stop&Shop recall the following Companion brand canned dog food varieties (13.2 oz.; Best by 08/05/2019) because the products may contain foreign material. The recalled items are: Companion Dog Food with Chicken and Rice, Companion Dog Food with Chicken, Lamb and Rice, and Companion Dog Food with Turkey and Bacon.

Food Safety Recall: Thomas Foods International USA recalls Royal Dutch Ground Veal (16 oz.; UPC 64708600153; All lot codes) because the products were not approved for grinding by the United States Department of Agriculture before being distributed. The recalled product was distributed to Lucky Supermarkets.

Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Kingsway Trading Inc. recalls Xanthium & Siler Combo (Bi Yan Pian) Dietary Supplement (Batch No. 130401 and 150201) because the product contains undeclared ephedra, an item banned by FDA. The recalled product was distributed in MA, NJ, NY, IL, MD, FL, MO, TX, IN, GA, DE, CO, VA, PA, CT, OR, VA, and AZ

Canada

Outbreak Alert: Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) reports that 202 clinical cases of norovirus gastrointestinal illness linked to oysters from British Columbia have been reported in British Columbia (143 cases), Alberta (35 cases) and Ontario (24 cases) as of February 7, 2017. All reported cases occured between December 2016 and January 2017. PHAC urges consumers to avoid eating raw or undercooked oysters. The outbreak investigation is ongoing.

Europe

Food Safety Recall (UK): Great Northern Sandwich Co. recalls six chicken products because of a blue discoloration on the meat. Please refer to the recall notice for details.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Allergy Alert (Israel): HaGavi’s Wafer Products Ltd. recalls Glilit Lugano, Chocolate Cream Filled Cookies (150g; Production date December 16 & 17) because some of the packages may contain halva-filled cookies. Individuals who are sensitive to sesame should not consume this product.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Cape Wholefoods recalls Maree Wilkinson brand Vanilla Pancake Mix, Chocolate Cake Mix, and Raspberry Cacao Granola due to undeclared gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for details.

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Hunter Fish (Otahuhu) recalls Pacific Oysters (whole shell and half shell) sold on or after 14 January 2017, as the products may be affected by a recent norovirus contamination event in the Mahurangi Harbour.

 

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 website.

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.

What Next For Evanger’s?

Evanger's Hunks of BeefThe pet health blogosphere is alive with questions and speculations over the February 3rd recall of five production lots of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef canned pet food. For anyone who has been in hibernation for the last several days, I’ll begin with a timeline.

June 6-13, 2016: Evanger’s produces five lots of Hunk of Beef canned food, using beef chunks furnished by a single unnamed USDA-inspected supplier.

December 31, 2016: A Washington state woman feeds Hunk of Beef to her five pugs as a special New Year’s Eve treat. Four of the dogs became severely ill within 15 minutes, and were rushed to an emergency veterinary center. One of the four dogs died; the other three required treatment in the veterinary ICU. The fifth dog, which ate the least amount of the food, did not require veterinary treatment.

January 3, 2017: The remains of the dead dog are submitted by the veterinarian to the Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsy and lab analysis.

January 4, 2017: Evanger’s posts its first comment on the reports, indicating that the Company was in touch with the pet owner and that Evanger’s had submitted the batch in question to a third-party lab for testing. Evanger’s also reported that “the entire lot went to one distributor in Washington State, and no other cans from this lot would be anywhere else in the country.” The samples were received by the laboratory on January 13th, according to the lab reports on the Evanger’s website.

January 11, 2017: Samples of the stomach contents of the dead dog and of the remainder of the opened can of dog food are received by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population & Animal Health (MSU) for toxicology testing.

January 16, 2017: Evanger’s posted an update on its investigation, including initial lab test results for Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium spp. and Enterobacteriaceae. The test results were negative.

January 17, 2017: Dr. John Buchweitz, Clinical Toxicologist at MSU reports finding pentobarbital in the stomach contents and a ‘large quantity chromatographically’ in the sample of food. In reporting this result, Dr. Buchweitz adds, “If this sample came directly from a can, this is an urgent matter and needs to be reported to the FDA Feed Safety Portal.” Click on Toxicology Report to read the full report.

January 21, 2017: Evanger’s shared another lab report on its website, stating that the sample did not contain botulinum toxin.

January 23, 2017: Evanger’s posted its final lab test, reporting that the Hunk of Beef sample was ‘Commercially Sterile’.

January 30, 2017: Evanger’s posted yet another update, disputing reports that pentobarbital had been found in their dog food, adding, “These “claims” are simply fear tactics and either unrelated or unsubstantiated claims against our company and our foods.”

February 3, 2017: At FDA’s request, Evanger’s recalled five production lots of its Hunk of Beef canned pet food.

So, what happens next?

I have reached out both to FDA and to USDA, since Evanger’s procured their beef from a USDA-inspected facility to get an answer to that question. FDA, according to its standard policy, declined to comment on an in-progress investigation. In response to my email query, I was told by a USDA-FSIS spokesperson, “FDA is currently the lead on the investigation in Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food. USDA-FSIS is working with their federal partners at FDA to determine whether more Agency action is required.“

Reading between the lines, I think it is safe to say that FDA inspectors have been, and probably still are, swarming over and through Evanger’s production facility at 221 Wheeling Road, Wheeling, IL. Based on Evanger’s history, which I summarized in yesterday’s report, I hope and expect that the investigation will be exhaustive.

 

Canadian Norovirus Outbreak Blamed on Oysters From BC

Consumers in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario have been infected with Norovirus after consuming raw or undercooked oysters from British Columbia, according to a report released today by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). In all, 202 individuals have become ill: 143 in British Columbia, 35 in Alberta and 24 in Ontario.

The outbreak of gastrointestinal illnesses was first reported on January 13, 2017 by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), with more than 70 illnesses having been reported to Island Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and First Nations Health Authority beginning early in December. According to BCCDC, affected consumers had eaten raw oysters or lightly-cooked oysters in restaurants or prepared at home.

On January 20, Alberta Health Services added its voice to the Norovirus alert, reporting ten cases in the Edmonton area between January 10th and 12th.

On Febrary 2nd, the Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ontario, Dr. David McKeown, announced that 24 cases of Norovirus illness associated with consumption of raw or undercooked oysters from British Columbia had been reported in Ontario “since January 2017.”

PHAC and all three provincial agencies are urging consumers to eat only properly cooked shellfish. Heating oysters to an internal temperature of 90° Celsius/194° Fahrenheit for a minimum of 90 seconds will ensure inactivation of Norovirus.