Author: Phyllis Entis

Cargill’s Profits Up 35%

Finally, some good news for the 78 or more victims of Cargill’s Salmonella Heidelberg-contaminated ground turkey. With its annual profits up 35% from last year, the meat and poultry producer is well able to compensate outbreak victims generously.

Last week, Cargill recalled nearly 36 million pounds of ground turkey products after CDC and USDA linked the illnesses to the company’s Springdale, Arkansas production facility. The recall covers ground turkey meat labelled with “Use By” dates of February 20, 2011 onward.

The 78 confirmed outbreak victims are scattered over 26 states, including AL (1), AZ (2), CA (6), GA (2), IA (1), IL (7), IN (1), KY (2), LA (1), MA (1), MI (10), MN (1), MO (2), MS (1), NC (1), NE (2), NV (1), NY (2), OH (10), OK (1), OR (1), PA (5), SD (3), TN (2), TX (9), and WI (3). Twenty-two people were hospitalized, and one of the 78 victims died.

There does not appear to be any rhyme or reason to the distribution of illnesses, as the recalled products were sold nationwide.

Bill Tomson, writing in the Wall Street Journal, reported yesterday that USDA knew about the presence of Salmonella Heidelberg in Cargill’s Springdale plant last year. The agency “brought the findings to the attention of the facility,” Tomson reports.

USDA claims to have both hands tied behind its back when it comes to taking enforcement action on Salmonella contamination in raw meat and poultry. The agency blames a federal appeal court ruing that followed USDA’s 1999 attempt to shut down a Texas ground-beef plant. As Tomson’s article reminds us, the appeal court ruled that Salmonella was naturally occurring and didn’t present a threat as long as the meat was cooked thoroughly.

While the federal appeals court ruling is a convenient excuse for inaction on the part of USDA, the agency easily could have sidestepped the legal hurdle by declaring Salmonella an adulterant – AS IT DID WITH E. COLI O157:H7 – and as it has the power to do with any pathogen.

Or would that ruffle too many industry feathers?

Bill Marler, Fred Pritzker, and other personal injury attorneys take note. US consumers are now relying on you to enforce our food safety laws. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is impotent.

Recalls and Alerts: August 9, 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.

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United States

  • Allergy Alert: Xymogen® recalls specific lots of Omega-3, Spice, and Greens OrganiX Bars, due to the presence of undeclared peanuts.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: USDA issues expanded retail distribution list for ground turkey products recalled by Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation (Springdale, AR) due to potential contamination with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg. Cargill’s meat was linked to a 26-state outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections.
  • Food Safety Recall: Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Inc. recalls f&e™ fresh Organic Baby Spinach (5 oz. plastic bag; Enjoy by date of Aug 01) after Listeria monocytogenes was found in a sample of the product. The recalled spinach was sold in Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores in California, Nevada and Arizona.
  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Merrick Pet Care, Inc. (Amarillo, TX) recalls Doggie Wishbone Pet Treat (Item #29050; Lot 11031; Best by 30 Jan 2013), because the treats may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled Doggie Wishbone treats were shipped to distributors and retailers throughout the US.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: Oregon Public Health officials have identified strawberries from Jaquith Strawberry Farm in Newberg as the source of a cluster of 10 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections last month. An additional six people may also be part of the outbreak. Four of the confirmed victims were hospitalized and one of them – an elderly woman in Washington County – died from kidney failure as a result of her infection. All of the confirmed illnesses developed between July 10 and July 29. The strawberries were sold at farmers’ markets and roadside stands. Jaquith has recalled its products and is cooperating in the investigation.
  • Food Recall: Food City advises consumers that T. Marzetti has recalled Marzetti Blue Cheese Italian Vinaigrette, 12 oz.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: Build-A-Bear Workshop® (St. Louis, MO) recalls Love.Hugs.Peace lapel pins (Manufactured in China; sold from July 2009 through October 2010), because surface paints on the pins contain excessive levels of lead. The pins were sold across the USA and Canada in Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and over the internet.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns La Villa Tortilleria, Inc. (Franklin, TN) that an April 2011 inspection of the company’s corn tortilla manufacturing facility found significant violations of FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements for manufacturing, packing, or holding human food.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns D & D Catering, Inc. (Hialeah, FL) that February 2011 and March/April 2011 inspections of the company’s ready-to-eat sandwich manufacturing establishment revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in environmental swab and product samples, rendering the finished product to be adulterated within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In addition, the inspections revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements for manufacturing, packing, or holding human food.

Canada

  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: Build-A-Bear Workshop® (St. Louis, MO) recalls Love.Hugs.Peace lapel pins (Manufactured in China; sold from July 2009 through October 2010), because surface paints on the pins contain excessive levels of lead. The pins were sold across the USA and Canada in Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and over the internet.
  • Food Safety Recall: La Siembra Co-operative recalls Camino brand Milk Chocolate-Caramel & Peanuts (34g; Lot L1114E0219) due to microbiological spoilage.
  • Food Safety Recall: Kuo Hua Trading Company Ltd. recalls Blueberry Jelly (200g; Exp: 2012 05 21; UPC 4 712905 016319) due to contamination with phthalates.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): ALDI recalls Country Pleasure Whole Chicken (1300g; Class A; Product of Germany; Expiry 01.08.11), due to Campylobacter contamination.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (UK): The outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis Phate Type PT 14b infections in England and Wales has grown to a total of 193 cases since the beginning of 2011. The outbreak has been linked to eggs supplied from a single farm in Spain.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1067): Foreign body in eggplant caponata from Italy; distributed to Malta.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Chinese Herbal Medicine Alert (Hong K0ng): The Department of Health warns the public not to consume the Chinese herbal powder Radix Aucklandiae, imported from the Mainland by Hong Kong Premier Concentrated Chinese Herbs Limited, as the product has been found to be contaminated with atropine.
  • Food Safety Enforcement (Abu Dhabi): During a special Ramadan campaign for food safety, inspectors of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority  laid charges against three violators and issued 23 warnings to various food establishments.

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.

Doing Away With Food Safety Enforcement – A Modest Proposal

I’ve just figured out how to cut nearly 1.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR from the US budget deficit.

All we have to do is to close down USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and FDA’s Food Safety activities (including the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) and let the food industry take care of itself.

Just think. No more on-site inspectors in meat and poultry plants. No expensive government lab facilities with their high-priced staff. No mandatory HACCP. No mandated recalls. No bureaucratic nonsense about registering food facilities.

And no penny-ante fines and penalties for transgressions of food safety laws. Let the courts and the personal injury lawyers have their fun.

What’s the worst that could happen? After all, aren’t most companies ethical, and wouldn’t they bend over backwards to maintain their reputations?

So, there’d be an occasional lethal outbreak of Salmonella due to contaminated meat or poultry.

So, there’d be the odd outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 because of contaminated lettuce or melons.

So, every now and then, a company would knowingly ship Salmonella-contaminated food to its customers.

So, our raw poultry would have a 1:5 chance of being contaminated with Salmonella and would be guaranteed to contain Campylobacter.

So, a consumer couldn’t tell where a raw shell egg was produced or packaged simply by looking at the egg.

So, what’s the big deal? 

Would we be any worse off than we are under the present system?