Author: Phyllis Entis

Recalls and Alerts: October 15, 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 retail distribution of peanut butter products recalled due to Salmonella Bredeney, please consult the Trader Joe’s/Sunland Peanut Butter Recalls tab.

For current information on retail distribution of beef products containing Canadian beef recalled due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination please consult the Canada/USA Beef Recall tab.

United States

  • Allergy Alert: Raymond-Hadley Corp. (Spencer, NY) recalls Wegmans Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mixes (17.2 oz; UPC 077890283363; Enjoy By 30 Oct 2013 – 19 Dec 2013), due to the presence of undeclared milk.
  • Allergy Alert Update: USDA releases retail distribution list for Chicken Wyngz products recalled by Tyson Foods due to the presence of undeclared allergens.
  • Food Safety Recall: Meadow Gold Dairy recalls Western Family Creamery Select Premium Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream (1.5 qt/1.42L; UPC 15400 21432; Best by dates 9/9/2011 to 10/3/2013), because the product contains a peanut butter ingredient supplied by Sunland and may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Super Store Industries (Turlock, CA) recalls Lovin’ Scoopful  Super Duper Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream (1.75 qt; UPC 898987001086; All code dates), because the product contains a peanut butter ingredient supplied by Sunland and may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was distributed at Albertsons retail stores in OR, UT, WA, ID, MT and Walmart stores in WA only.
  • Food Safety Recall: Hines Nut Company recalls Hines brand Salted Jumbo Virginia In-Shell Peanuts (8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 16oz and 24oz pkgs and 5.5-oz theme bags; Lot #S03718, S03699, S03724, S03753, S03765, S03784, S03798, S03806, S03810, S03824, S03826, S03840, S03863, S03886, S03907, S03928, S03933, S03938, S03950, S03958, S03967, S03972, S03978, S03989, S03991, S04012, S04025, S04042, S04054, S04066, S04097, S04109, S04123, S04134, S04141, S04141, S04165, S04200, S04201, S04211, S04229, S04236, and S04247) and Dollar General Clover Valley brand Salted Jumbo Virginia In-Shell Peanuts (8 oz bags; Lot #S03718, S03699, S03724, S03753, S03765, S03784, S03798, S03806, S03810, S03824, S03826, S03840, S03863, S03886, S03907, S03928, S03933, S03938, S03950, S03958, S03967, S03972, S03978, S03989, S03991, S04012, S04025, S04042, S04054, S04066, S04097, S04109, S04123, S04134, S04141, S04141, S04165, S04200, S04201, S04211, S04229, S04236, and S04247), because the peanuts were processed by Sunland and may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall: Lao Chareune Foods (Dallas, TX) recalls Pork Snack Stick (3-oz & 8-oz pkgs), Seasoned Fried Beef (3.2o-oz pkgs), Fried Pork Skins (1.76-oz pkgs) and Sliced Fried Pork Ears (1.20-oz pkgs), because the products were manufactured without the benefit of federal inspection and were misbranded. The recalled products were produced from May 22, 2012 to the present, were labeled with EST. 13479 and distributed to retail establishments in Louisiana and Texas.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: CDC reports that 35 persons in 19 states have been infected by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney that is linked to peanut butter from Sunland, Inc. Eight people have been hospitalized.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: Marler Blog reports that an outbreak of E. coli infections among attendees at the Cleveland County Fair in North Carolina has grown to 38 cases. A two-year-old boy has died. Twenty-two of the outbreak victims are children. Neighboring South Carolina has issued a Health Advisory through its Health Alert Network asking clinicians to maintain heightened surveillance for cases of E. coli O157.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Boucherie et charcuterie Amsellem (Montreal (Côte-Saint-Luc), QC) recalls Charcuterie Laost, Charcuterie Milano, Saucisson fumé and Suprême de veau (Sold up to and including October 3, 2012), because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Personal Care Product Safety Recall: Avmor Ltd. recalls Avmor Antimicrobial Foaming Hand Soap, Triclosan 0.3% (1L clear plastic cartridge (used with a foaming pump); DIN 02319144; Lot #F121392032), because the soap is contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Brasserie de Saint Omer (France) extends its earlier recall to include Biére d’Or (20 x 25cl; sold in Tesco; All best before dates up to and including 30 November 2013), and Brasserie French Lager and Brasserie Shandy (10 x 25cl; both sold in Aldi; All best before dates up to and including 30 November 2013), because the products may contain small pieces of glass.
  • Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): La Société Roland Monterrat recalls Auchan “Les tranchettes” Pate en Croute Cocktail Tranche (430g; Best before 18/11/2012) due to an incorrect expiration date. The correct date should be 18/10/2012.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Enforcement (Abu Dhabi): The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority has order the closure of City House Catering Service (Habshan, Madinat Zayet, Western Region), because the outlet did not renew its operating license in spite of an earlier violation notice (5/8/2012). The catering outlet will remain closed until its license has been renewed.

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: October 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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Food Safety Recall: Sunland, Inc. recalls raw and roasted shelled and in-shell peanuts processed in its Peanut Processing Plant after FDA finds Salmonella in raw peanuts and environmental samples from the Plant. Please consult the recall notice or the eFoodAlert Trader Joe’s/Sunland Peanut Butter Recall page for a complete list of recalled products.
  • Food Safety Recall: PureFit Inc. (Irvine, CA) recalls PureFit Peanut Butter Crunch Nutrition Bar (2 oz; UPC 812787001008; Best by 1 March 2013 and 12 July 2013) and PureFit Peanut Butter Crunch Nutrition Bar (Box of 15; UPC 812787002005; Best by 1 March 2013 and 12 July 2013), because the product contains peanut butter manufactured by Sunland, and may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were distributed throughout the United States between March and August of 2012, primarily through health food stores, grocery stores, and online retailers.

Europe

  • Outbreak Alert (Northern Ireland): BBC reports that eleven confirmed or suspected cases of E. coli O157 have been linked to Flicks restaurant at Cityside Mall on York Street, Belfast. The first case was discovered October 9th; the restaurant closed voluntarily on October 11th and is cooperating in the investigation. Four of the 11 victims were hospitalized, but all have been discharged.

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.

FDA Confirms Salmonella Outbreak Strain At Sunland Facility

FDA announced today (October 13th) that it has confirmed a genetic match between the strain of Salmonella Bredeney that has sickened 35 persons and the strain that the agency recovered from Sunland Inc.‘s nut butter production environment in Portales, New Mexico.

In addition, FDA recovered Salmonella from the environment of a separate building where peanuts are processed, and from raw peanuts sampled in that building. Yesterday, Sunland expanded its previous recalls yet again to include raw and roasted shelled and in-shell peanuts. The company has ceased production and distribution of all products from both its nut butter facility and its peanut processing facility.

CDC first reported the outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney illnesses on September 22nd. At that time, epidemiological evidence pointed to Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt as the likely source of the outbreak. Subsequent tests carried out by the Washington State Department of Agriculture recovered the outbreak strain from an opened jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Cream Peanut Butter collected from the home of an outbreak victim.Trader Joe’s peanut and other nut butter products are manufactured by Sunland, Inc.

As of October 5th, 35 outbreak illnesses were confirmed in 19 states; eight people hospitalized; no deaths. Illness onset dates range from June 14, 2012 to September 18, 2012. Illnesses were reported by Arizona (1), California (5), Connecticut (3), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), Nevada (1), New Jersey (2), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (1), Texas (5), Virginia (1), and Washington (2).

Here’s what FDA had to say today:

The FDA announced that on October 12, Sunland Inc. expanded its ongoing recall to include raw and roasted shelled and in-shell peanuts sold in quantities from 2 ounces to 50 pounds which are within their current shelf life or have no stated expiration date.

Since late September, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health officials have been investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney infections linked to a peanut butter made by Sunland Inc. As part of the continuing investigation, the FDA has been inspecting the Sunland Inc. production facilities, including a building in which peanuts are processed and a separate building in which nut butters are made. FDA testing has found the presence of Salmonella in raw peanuts from the peanut processing facility. Environmental samples taken from this building also show the presence of Salmonella. Environmental samples are samples taken from various surfaces in the production or manufacturing facility that would likely harbor bacteria.

Additionally, FDA analysis has confirmed that environmental samples showing the presence of Salmonella in Sunland’s nut butter facility have a DNA fingerprint that is the same as the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney.

Sunland Inc. reports that it has ceased the production and distribution of all products from both its nut butter facility and its peanut processing facility.

Sunland raw and roasted peanuts available to retail customers are distributed primarily under the company’s own label and were distributed primarily to produce houses and nationally to numerous large supermarket, grocery and retail chains. The products also were available for purchase on the internet.

A list of all products being recalled by Sunland Inc. can be found in the company’s recall announcement.

Consumers should not eat the recalled products. This is especially important for children under the age of 5 years, elderly adults, and people with weak immune systems.

The latest recall expansion already is triggering an additional series of secondary and tertiary recalls as Sunland’s customers scramble to pull foods containing the recalled peanuts and nut butters off the market. eFoodAlert’s Trader Joe’s/Sunland Peanut Butter Recall page will be updated to reflect the additional recalls.