CooperVision Expands Toric Contact Lens Recall

More than one month after its initial recall notice, CooperVision has added more production lots to the list of recalled contact lenses.

Thanks to a recall notice posted by Spain’s Agency for Drugs and Health Products (Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, or AEMPS), we now know that the recalled lenses were manufactured in the United Kingdom by CooperVision Manufacturing Ltd.

Last month (August), we learned from the Hong Kong Department of Health that the recalled CooperVision contact lenses were sold in the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Brands affected by this recall include Avaira Toric (multiple countries), Lent Soft 4 Air Tórica (Spain), Encore 100 Toric (Costco Canada), and BioComfort XO Toric (Hong Kong). Following is a complete list of recalled lot numbers, as provided in the Spanish recall notices:

10509500015006, 10526500022008, 10442550000004, 10454500011010, 10471550002004, 10490500007016, 10510500012016, 10526500023006, 10443500004004, 10454500011018, 10471550002010, 10490500009008, 10515500012006, 10526500023014, 10444500007004, 10454500012010, 10472500007013, 10490500011016, 10516500013008, 10526550009006, 10445500006004, 10454500012022, 10472500007015, 10490500012022, 10516500018004, 10527500015012, 10445500006008, 10454500013012, 10472500007024, 10490550003008, 10517500014008, 10543500012008, 10445500007002, 10454500015016, 10472500008024, 10517500015000, 10543500012016, 10445500009008, 10454550003006, 10472500010012, 10517500024004, 10543500013004, 10445500016006, 10454550003020, 10472500013006, 10517550008008, 10543500015020, 10445550001001, 10454550005006, 10472500013012, 10518500013008, 10544500004005, 10445550002016, 10454550006008, 10472500014006, 10518500014006, 10544500004015, 10445550003010, 10455500003002, 10472550003002, 10518500017004, 10544500015000, 10446500002009, 10455500007012, 10472550003004, 10518500020004, 10544500017006, 10446500005002, 10455550001016, 10472550007014, 10518500021002, 10544500022010, 10446500005016, 10455550002010, 10473500003024, 10524500014012, 10545500016010, 10446500006006, 10458550000022, 10473500008016, 10525500016004, 10553500016000, 10446500009012, 10459500004002, 10473550000009, 10525500016008, 10553500019000, 10446550002006, 10461500003008, 10473550001012, 10525500017004, 10561500009008, 10447500004008, 10461550001016, 10474550000012, 10525500018016, 10561500010008, 10447550000002, 10462500009006, 10475500004016, 10525500020012, 10562500012000, 10447550000010, 10462550000010, 10480500002008, 10526500011024, 10562500012022, 10448500004018, 10463500008018, 10480500005000, 10526500013022, 10562500014000, 10451500004022, 10463550001006, 10481500006004, 10526500015000, 10562500015000, 10452500004002, 10463550004004, 10481500008006, 10526500016000, 10562500015004, 10453500005000, 10464500003004, 10481550002000, 10526500016004, 10562500016000, 10453500005006, 10464500005012, 10481550002012, 10526500017012, 10562500019008, 10453500007022, 10464550001008, 10481550003010, 10526500018004, 10562500021002, 10453500009004, 10470500005022, 10483500003020, 10526500019014, 10562500021012, 10453500009020, 10470500006007, 10485500004016, 10526500020004, 10562500022012, 10453550000017, 10470500010016, 10488500003008, 10526500020008, 10438550000004, 10453550002010, 10471500005008, 10489500004006, 10526500021002, 10439500004010, 10454500007004, 10471500006022, 10489500004014, 10526500021016, 10439550000004, 10454500008002, 10471500008016, 10489500005016, 10526500022006, 10439550000009, 10454500008014, 10471500008018, 10490500006000, 10443500007006, 10451550002006, 10453500011010, 10453500004022, 10463500005000, 10463500009010, 10463500008014, 10464500007006, 10469550000020, 10471500006006, 10471550001006, 10471500003008, 10471500004008, 10471500003014, 10472500007000, 10472500006004, 10472500007004, 10479500004008, 10490500007010, 10509550003010, 10524500010010, 10456500005004, 10535500013000, 10543500013006, 10543500014006, 10543500014014, and 10544500013000.

FDA is ‘aware’ of the situation (as I reported on September 22nd) but has not issued a recall notice or health alert. Neither has Health Canada.

As part of my September 22nd article, I posted a total of 14 reports of corneal abrasion, tears and eye pain caused by the recalled CooperVision lenses that I had received from readers. Later that day, I received the following:

From Court, on September 22:- Picked these up on a wednesday. Friday I tore off half my cornea in one eye and scratched the hell out of the other. I have been wearing contacts for over 10 years and i have never had this issue. Pasco, Washington is where I purchased them. Today I got a call from 1800contacts telling me about this recall. I looked up my lot # as advised and they are part of the recalled batch My new eye doctor is meeting with her associates to discuss how they plan on dealing with their patients’ needs. Has anyone heard or filed a class action law suit? I missed a day of work, ruined my labor day weekend and put me through hours/days of pain.

And this comment was just posted to eFoodAlert by Molly Martin, of CooperVision:

CooperVision initiated a voluntary recall of certain Lots of Avaira Toric. While we do not actively monitor or participate in online blogs, we were informed of this one and felt important to provide more details which can be found at CooperVision.com. We ask Avaira Toric lens wearers to call our Consumer Customer Service Department to learn more, ask any questions and allow us to help, 1-855-5-COOPER, (1-855-526-6737) or email consumercare@coopervision.com. (Consumer Care hours of operation are 9:00AM – 5:00PM ET Mon-Fri).

To find out whether your contact lenses are affected by this recall, either refer to the list of recalled lot numbers (above), contact CooperVision directly using the information provided by Molly Martin, or use the “Search” feature on CooperVision’s recall web page.

FDA’s – and Health Canada’s – lack of public comment on this recall is nothing short of scandalous. How many more people must suffer eye injury before these agencies do their jobs?

Recalls and Alerts: September 27, 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: Rich Products Corporation (Buffalo, NY) recalls SeaPak Breaded Butterfly Shrimp – Ready to Fry (Net wt. 22 oz.; Product code 10302; Best by January 25, 2013), because the product contains undeclared whey, a milk protein. The product was distributed nationally.
  • Allergy Alert: M & P Food Productions, LTD (Brooklyn, NY) recalls several varieties of Bapehuku Dupling brand Vareniki/Dumplings (Best before Sep 19 2011 through Mar 19 2012), because the products contain undeclared milk and wheat. The recalled products were distributed to retail stores in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
  • Food Safety Recall: K. Heeps, Inc. (Allentown, PA) recalls Imperial Sysco Puree Shaped Meats Country Style Pork and Binder Product (4.5-lb boxes; Production code 06/16/11; Est. 9379), because the pureed pork products may contain small metal fragments. The recalled products were distributed to California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virginia for institutional use.
  • Food Safety Recall: Publix Super Markets (Lakeland, FL) recalls Prepackaged Spinach Dip (16-oz container; Use by OCT 10 C1), because the product may contain Listeria monocytogenes. The potential contamination was discovered as a result of routine testing conducted by Publix. The recalled spinach dip was distributed in Publix stores in certain Florida counties (excluding Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee) only.
  • Food Safety Advisory/Outbreak Alert: FDA warns consumers not to eat raw oysters harvested from Growing Area 4 of Hood Canal in Washington State following an outbreak of illness in that state caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria. Raw oysters harvested from “growing area 4” in Hood Canal from August 30 to September 19 have been linked to three confirmed and two possible cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus illness.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Magic Mousse, Inc. dba Buttercream (Deephaven, MN) that a June 2011 inspection of the company’s processing facility found significant deviations from the food labeling regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Capitol Food Services d.b.a. Double A Provisions LLC (Rochester, NY) that an August 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found 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 Euphoria Fancy Food Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) that an August 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood importer establishment revealed serious violations of the seafood HACCP regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Gilman Cheese Corporation (Gilman, WI) that an April 2011 inspection of the company’s low-acid and acidified food manufacturing facility found significant deviations from the Low-Acid Canned Foods (LACF) regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Zoka Coffee Company LLC (Seattle, WA) that an April 2011 inspection of the company’s coffee roasting facility revealed serious violations of FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Forsman Farms, Inc. (Cokato, MN) That an April 2011 inspection of the company’s shell egg production facility revealed serious violations of the Prevention of Salmonella enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Dakota Pure Water, Inc. (Fargo, ND) that  a June 2011 inspection of the company’s bottled water manufacturing facility revealed violations of the Processing and Bottling of Bottled Drinking Water Regulations and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Solo Fruit Inc. expands its earlier recall of Solo Fruit brand Dark Chocolate Sorbet to include all of the following lot codes: 1111116, 1111165 or 1111040. The product was recalled because to may contain undeclared milk. The recalled product was distributed in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, and may have been distributed nationally. There have been two reported illnesses.
  • Food Safety Recall: Debro Chemicals recalls Nexsoy Low-Fat Soy Flour Non-GMO (40-lb; Code #TF112210), due to Salmonella contamination. The soy flour was distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutions in Ontario.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Notification (Israel): Israel’s Ministry of Health advises the public that certain honey products do not satisfy Israeli requirements for the official standard for honey. Please refer to the official notice for details (including photos) of the affected products.
  • Food Safety Recall (Pacific Islands): Fonterra Brands (New Zealand) Ltd. recalls several packages sizes and lot codes of Mainland Tasty Cheese Blocks & Cracked Pepper Processed Slices (please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected lot codes) after discovering a metal fragment in a single pack. The recalled cheese products were distributed in Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Norfolk Island, Western Samoa and Niue.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (New Zealand and Australia): Fonterra Brands (New Zealand) Ltd. recalls several packages sizes and lot codes ofMainland Tasty Cheese Blocks & Cracked Pepper Processed Slices (please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected lot codes) after discovering a metal fragment in a single pack. The recalled cheese products were distributed in New Zealand and Australia.
  • Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Independent Fisheries Ltd. recalls Independent Brand – Lemon Pepper Fish Fillets in a Golden Crumb (425g; Best before 26.12.12; Batch #11178), because the product may contain metal fragments.
  • Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Bluebird Foods Ltd. recalls Bluebird Ready Salted Original Cut Chips (various packages sizes, flavors and expiry dates), because the products may contain pieces of blue-green rubber.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Herbal Medicine Safety Recall (Colombia): Wing Quon Enterprises Ltd. recalls Bi Yan Pian herbal health tablets, after lab tests found excessive levels of mercury in the product. The Chinese herbal medicine was sold over the Internet.

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: September 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: Carol’s Cuts LLC  recalls fresh cut cantaloupe (5-pound trays as chunks and as an ingredient in 8-ounce mixed fruit medley), because the cantaloupe may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Carol’s Cuts Fruit Medley, packaged in 8-ounce individual serving clamshell containers (6 packages per case) and 5-pound bulk trays of cantaloupe chunks were distributed to institutional food customers, including restaurants, in Overland Park, Kansas, Kansas City and Maryland Heights, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. Institutional customers may have used the cantaloupe on salad bars and as fruit menu items. Some institutional customers may have placed the 8-ounce servings in retail venues.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Smucker Foods of Canada Corp recalls Red River Hot Cereal (1.35kg pkgs), because the product may contain undeclared soy. The recalled cereal was distributed nationally.

Europe

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.