Author: Phyllis Entis

Recalls and Alerts: December 26, 2011

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: Green Valley Food Corp. (Dallas, TX) recalls additional sprout products (Use By date range of 12/22/2011 to 1/1/2012; Received or purchased from 12/07/2011 to 1/1/2012), because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The expanded list of recalled sprouts includes Let’s Grow Healthy Together! Alfalfa Sprouts (5-oz container; UPC 714722228818), Let’s Grow Healthy Together! Spicy Sprouts (5-oz container; UPC 71472222991), Alfalfa Sprouts (4-oz clamshell; UPC 815098001088), and 100% Natural Onion Sprouts (4-oz clamshell; UPC 815098002054). The recalled items were distributed in Texas to retail grocery stores and food distribution centers. At least some of the affected products were sold in Target (as many as 33 stores), Brookshire’s food & pharmacy, and Super 1 Foods & Discount Pharmacy stores. A portion of the recalled sprouts also were supplied to a U.S. Foods distribution center.
  • Food Safety Recall: Kradjian Imp Co. (Glendale, CA) recalls Cedar Brand Tresse Firm Unripened Cheese (16-oz; delivered before November 13, 2011; UPC 78546 01000), and Cedar Brand Shinglish Firm Unripened Cheese (16-oz; delivered before November 13, 2011; UPC 78546 10000), because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled cheeses were manufactured and recalled by Fromagerie Marie Kade (Quebec, Canada), and were distributed in Southern California to Mediterranean specialty markets.

Europe

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Spain): B. Braun Medical, S.A. recalls several Nutriflex Lipid products for infusion, because needle-like microscopic particles may develop in the products before the expiration date.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (China): China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has detected excessive levels of aflatoxin in milk produced by Mengniu Dairy Group. The contaminated milk was produced at a Mengniu plant in the province of Sichuan, and was discovered before it was sold. According to Asia Pacific News, the contaminated milk never reached the retail market. Aflatoxin is produced by molds, and can be found in milk after cows consume moldy feed. Mengniu has destroyed the toxin-contaminated milk products.

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.

Profiling Cronobacter sakazakii (Enterobacter sakazakii)

Cronobacter sakazakii (formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii) is a rare, though often fatal, cause of meningitis in newborns and infants.

Some history

Cronobacter sakazakii has gone through more than one name change. It was first described as a yellow-pigmented Enterobacter cloacae, then – in 1980 – assigned the species name Enterobacter sakazakii (Farmer, J.J. III, et al. 1980. Enterobacter sakazakii: A new species of “Enterobacteriaceae” isolated from clinical specimens. Internat. J. Systemic Bacteriol. 30(3): 569-584). The pathogen was linked to cases of neonatal meningitis for the first time in 1961 in a British report (Urmenyi, AM & Franklin, AW. 1961. Neonatal death from pigmented coliform infection. Lancet 1(7172): 313-315), and for the second time in a 1965 report from Denmark (Joker, R.N., et al. 1965. A case of neonatal meningitis caused by a yellow enterobacter. Dan. Med. Bull. 12:128-130).

What is Cronobacter sakazakii, and where is its natural habitat?

Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen, affecting mainly newborns, and causes neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis and neonatal meningitis. In older infants, children and adults, it can cause sepsis and/or respiratory illness. The microbe has been found in many countries around the world, and has been recovered from Mexican fruit flies and the larvae of stable flies. It is found in food production facilities and households, and has been detected at low levels in powdered infant formulas in a number of countries.

How is Cronobacter sakazakii transmitted? What is the incubation period of the infection?

Cronobacter sakazakii infections of newborns have been traced to the use of reconstituted powdered infant formula, especially in hospital settings where formula is prepared in bulk and stored for several hours under refrigeration until needed. In neonatal intensive care units (NICU), feedings can take several hours, during which time the reconstituted formula remains at room temperature – a recipe for microbial multiplication. The incubation period for a Cronobacter sakazakii infection may be as short as one day or as long as three weeks; typically, infections show themselves within one week.

What illnesses are caused by Cronobacter sakazakii? How long does it take to develop?

Cronobacter sakazakii is a cause of necrotizing enterocolitis and meningitis in newborns. In older babies, children and adults, this opportunistic pathogen can cause respiratory infections and sepsis.

What are the symptoms of Cronobacter sakazakii infections?

Symptoms in newborns include fever, rapid heart rate, seizures and other neurological abnormalities.

What is the prognosis of Cronobacter sakazakii infections?

Cronobacter sakazakii infections are often fatal in newborns. The death rate has been reported to be as high as 40-80%.

What foods carry Cronobacter sakazakii?

Cronobacter sakazakii has been found at low levels in powdered infant formulas. It also can be found in water and the environment.

How can susceptible people protect themselves from infection?

The Illinois Department of Public Health offers the following advice:

Clean utensils

  • Wash hands, forearms and fingernails thoroughly before handling any feeding materials or preparing formula.
  • All bottles, nipples, caps and rings should be washed in hot, soapy water with thorough rinsing.

Preparing formula

  • Before use, powdered formula should be kept dry in an airtight container with a firm cap or lid and stored in a cool, dark area. Make sure the expiration date has not passed.
  • During formula preparation, bring water to a bubbling boil for two minutes and allow the water to cool before mixing.
  • Do not use a microwave oven to warm the formula.

Storing formula

  • Formula should be prepared in small amounts immediately before feeding time to minimize the need for storing reconstituted formula.
  • Reconstituted formula should not be stored at room temperature for more than one hour or more than four hours in the refrigerator after preparation.
  • Throw out any formula left in a bottle after feeding.

You can find more information on Cronobacter sakazakii and other food-borne pathogens in Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives.

Recalls and Alerts: December 24, 2011

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

  • Allergy Alert: Maribel Sweet’s Inc. of New York recalls New York Handbag Collection Gourmet Chocolate Candies (various packages sizes; distributed between November 1, 2011 and December 23, 2011), due to the presence of undeclared peanuts and pistachios. The recalled chocolates were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders.
  • Allergy Alert: Eillien’s Candies, Inc. recalls Yogurt Raisins (Royal Snacks, Nutty Bros., Eillien’s, Piggly Wiggly, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012), Granola Mix containing Yogurt Raisins (Eillien’s and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012) and Cinnamon Granola Mix contain Yogurt Raisins (Eillien’s and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012), because they may have been mixed with undeclared Yogurt Covered Peanuts. The recalled products were distributed throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado.
  • Food Safety Recall: Avon Heights Mushrooms, Inc. recalls Krisp Pak Spinach (10-oz bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), Better Brand Spinach (10-oz bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), and Avon Heights Spinach (4 x 2.5-lb bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), after one package of Better Brand Spinach tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. No retail distribution information has been provided in the recall notice.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Cosmetics Products Safety Alert (Saudi Arabia): The Saudi Food & Drug Authority warns the public that the country’s cosmetics monitoring program found three samples of facial makeup that are contaminated with a high level of lead. Please refer to the Saudi FDA web site for details of the lead-contaminated products.

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.