Author: Phyllis Entis

Recalls and Alerts: May 29, 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

  • Counterfeit Prescription Pharmaceutical Safety Alert: FDA warns consumers and health care professionals that a counterfeit version of Adderall 30 milligram tablets is being sold on the Internet. Preliminary FDA lab tests revealed that the counterfeit version of the tablets contain the wrong active ingredients. The counterfeit Adderall tablets are round, white, and do not have any type of markings, such as letters or numbers. Authentic Adderall 30 mg tablets are round, orange/peach colored, and scored with “dp” embossed on one side and “30” on the other side of the tablet. Authentic Adderall 30 mg tablets are packaged only in a 100-count bottle with the National Drug Code 0555-0768-02 listed. Please refer to the FDA News Release for a detailed description of potential counterfeit Adderall 30 mg tablets.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Sushi Boy, Inc. (Gardena, CA) that a November/December 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns The Nut Factory, Inc. (Greenacres, WA) that a January 2012 inspection of the company’s food manufacturing facility revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food, including evidence of a lack of pest control and other violations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Seco Spice Ltd. (Berino, NM) that an October/November 2011 inspection of the company’s chili pepper and spice manufacturing facility documented serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Food (CGMP) regulation for food, including the presence of Salmonella in environmental samples taken during the inspection.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Smith Family Frosted Foods, LLC (Tiffin, OH) that a January/February 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns McNEIL-PPC, Inc. (Skillman, NJ) that a December 2011/January 2012 inspection of the company’s facility revealed that the devices manufactured in the facility are adulterated, in that the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, their manufacture, packing, storage, or installation are not in conformity with the current good manufacturing practice requirements of the Quality System regulation.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Upper 49th Imports Inc. recalls Designer Whey Protein Powder – French Vanilla (908g; Code 4111167187B; Enjoy by JUN 2013) and Designer Whey Protein Powder – Strawberry (908g; Code 4211138189B; Enjoy by MAY 2013), due to the presence of undeclared gluten. The recalled products were distributed nationally.
  • Food Safety Alert: Toronto Public Health reminds the public to wash and cook fiddleheads properly in order to avoid illness. Seven cases of illness associated with eating fiddleheads have been reported by Toronto residents since the beginning of May.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert (Turks and Caicos Islands): More than 150 people have reported symptoms of gastroenteritis and sought medical attention since the end of April 2012. The illness has affected about a dozen hotels on the island of Providenciales, according to the Turks & Caicos Sun.

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.

Ohio Identified Second Diamond Pet Foods Salmonella Problem

Routine testing carried out by the state of Ohio was responsible for the discovery of Salmonella in Diamond Pet Foods’ Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula. The finding resulted in the recall of one production code (DSL 0801) of the dry dog food earlier this month.

The contaminated product, which was recalled on May 18th, was manufactured at Diamond’s Meta, Missouri facility, and not at the Gaston (South Carolina) production plant. The Gaston facility has been the focus of a foodborne disease outbreak investigation since mid-March.

The Salmonella found by Ohio in the Missouri-made product has been identified as Salmonella Liverpool, according to Laura Alvey, Deputy Director of Communications Staff for FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. The strain is different from the Salmonella Infantis outbreak strain that was recovered from dry pet food manufactured at the Company’s Gaston facility.

According to the Company’s recall notice, the affected pet food was distributed in Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin (but not in Ohio). The company added that further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred.

This latest information underscores some important lessons:

  1. Diamond Pet Foods has “issues” in more than one of its manufacturing facilities;
  2. Routine finished product testing carried out by state agencies is an important food safety enforcement tool; and
  3. The list of states to which the recalled food was distributed is unreliable, as it does not take into account redistribution or internet-based sales.

Finally, protect yourself, your family members and your pets from becoming statistics in the Diamond Pet Foods outbreak, by taking the following precautions:

  • Check your supply of pet food to see whether it is affected by the recall. If it is on the recall list, either throw it away or return the unused portion to the retailer.
  • If you have handled one of the recalled products and you develop symptoms of Salmonella (stomach ache, diarrhea, etc), seek immediate medical attention and mention the possible link to pet food.
  • If your dog or cat was fed one of the recalled products and develops symptoms of gastrointestinal illness (vomiting or diarrhea), seek immediate veterinary attention. Ask your veterinarian to test your pet for Salmonella. If the test is positive, you or your veterinarian should contact FDA immediately.
  • Review the FDA Tips for Preventing Foodborne Illness Associated with Pet Food and Pet Treats, and follow its recommendations to keep your family and your pets safe.
  • Monitor eFoodAlert’s Diamond Pet Foods, Etc. Recalls – 2012 page. It will be updated as more information becomes available.

Above all, be aware that dogs may be infected with Salmonella – and may shed the bacteria in their stool – without showing any outward symptoms of illness. If your pet has consumed a Diamond Pet Foods dry dog food, be especially careful to wash your hands after handling the animal, and supervise closely any interaction between children and your pet.

Recalls and Alerts: May 28, 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: Chicken of the Sea International (San Diego, CA) recalls Chicken of the Sea Whole Oysters (12/8 oz cans; UPC 4800000267), Chicken of the Sea Oyster Pieces (24/8-oz cans; UPC 4800000069), Pacific Pearl Whole Oysters (12/8-oz cans; UPC 7175902112), Ace of Diamonds Whole Oysters (24/8-oz cans; UPC 7760015508), and Pacific Pearl Smoked Oyster Water (12/3.75; UPC 7175902119), based on finds by FDA of unsanitary conditions in the processing of shellfish at specified plants in Korea.
  • Food Safety Recall: Hocean, Inc. (Commerce City, CA) recalls Nitre Powder (4-oz plastic bags; UPC 0 45027 97918 2; all packages), because the product may contain dangerously high levels of sodium nitrite. The recalled product was distributed from July 2008 to February 2010 to Asian food markets and other grocery stores in California, Texas, Oregon, Nebraska, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, Oklahoma, Washington, New Mexico, Ohio, Arizona, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: The Menz Club, LLC recalls V Maxx RX Single Count (UPC 2802803561, Lot Nos. 101108, 101009, 101010, 101011), V Maxx RX, Five-count (UPC 0972859402, Lot Nos. 101108, 101109, 101110) and V Maxx RX Ten-count (UPC 0913251017, Lot Nos. 301000, 301001), after FDA lab analysis of Lot #101109 revealed the presence of undeclared sulfoaildenafil, an analog of the prescription drug sildenafil, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Pacific Blends Ltd. recalls Pacific Blends 53046 Nitricure (25kg; Lot 054226), due to the extraneous material contamination. The recalled product was distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutions in British Columbia.

Europe

  • Food Safety Withdrawal (Sweden): Coop withdraws Coop Minced beef (2000g; Use by May 28 to 31), Coop Among Loaf (500g, 1000g and 2000g; Use by May 28 to June 1), Coop Hamburgers (425g, 1130g; Use by May 29 to 30) and Coop Bacon Burgers (use by May 30), after raw material sampling revealed the presence of Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): TRS Wholesale Co. Ltd. (Southall, Middlesex, England) recalls Kurkuma Turmeric Powder (Product of India; Best before 31MAE2014; Batch code P120328), due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed in North Rhine-Westphalia.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (UK): Four adults and three children are now confirmed to have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157 that is connected to the Rose Lodge Nursery School in Aberdeenshire. Four more children are suspected to also be part of this outbreak.
  • Unauthorized Drug/Illegal Drug Recall (Spain): The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products orders the recall of Nuez de la India-Magicnuez/Nut of India-Magicnuez, which has is being illegally promoted as a drug for treating several conditions, including hemorrhoids, constipation, high cholesterol and arthritis.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0718): Salmonella spp. in paan leaves from Bangladesh; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0719): Salmonella spp. in pan leaves from India; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0720): Mold infestation in peach ice tea from Germany; distributed to Belgium.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0722): High Escherichia coli count in chilled clams from Turkey, via Greece; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0723): Mercury in frozen blue shark from Spain, manufactured in Italy; distributed to France and Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0724): Unauthorized formic acid in white sour cabbage from Poland; distributed to Slovakia.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

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.