Author: Phyllis Entis

Recalls and Alerts: July 7, 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: Warabeya U.S.A., Inc. (Honolulu, HI) recalls 7-Eleven brand convenience meals (Produced June 28, 2011; Best eaten by 06/30/11 11:30 AM), because the meals may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled products, which include 7-Eleven Fried Chicken Bento, 7-Eleven Teriyaki Chicken Bento, 7-Eleven Breakfast Scramble Bowl, 7-Eleven Big Bento and 7-Eleven Little Smokies Snack Pack, were distributed to retail stores in Hawaii.
  • Food Safety Recall: Old Home Foods (New Brighton, MA) recalls Old Home Cottage Cheese (12, 24 and 32-oz packs; Expiration date: August 1), because the cheese may spoil prior to the expiration date. The recalled cottage cheese was supplied to Rainbow stores (part of Roundy’s Supermarkets’ Inc.), and may also have been shipped elsewhere.
  • Water Safety Alert: The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the Grand River Dam Authority  have recently confirmed the presence of blue-green algae in at least four sections of Grand Lake. Exposure to blue-green algae may cause human illness.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Texas Department of State Health Services alerts residents of Maverick County to take precautions against shigellosis after more than 50 cases of Shigella-related diarrhea were confirmed during May and June. The number of confirmed cases is 25 times higher than the usual number reported during this time of year.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: As of July 5, 2011, CDC has confirmed reports of 25 cases of Salmonella Enteritis from 5 states: Idaho (3), Montana (10), New Jersey (1), North Dakota (1) and Washington (10). Epidemiological investigation linked the outbreak to consumption of alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC (Moyie Springs, ID). The company has recalled certain lots of its alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (France): Société Auchan recalls Ravioli aux 3 fromage/3-Cheese Ravioli (250g; Best before 03.07.11), because some of the packages may contain meat ravioli instead; the meat ravioli stuffing contains celery, which is not declared on the cheese ravioli label.
  • Food Safety Recall (Finland): Siam House Ky withdraws Monika Fish Sauce (Product of Philippines; Batch code 8233; Best before 05.02.2012), because the product was found to contain excessive amounts of preservative.
  • Food Recall (Greece): EFET announces that Croissant Panini dolce (150g; Expiry 16/7/11) has been recalled. Please see the EFET web site for details, as the automatic translator is not functioning.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (France – E. coli O157): Four new patients, including a 7-month-old infant, have been hospitalized in Lille, bringing the total number of hemolytic uremic syndrome cases in the Steak Country outbreak to ten.
  • Pet Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0900): Salmonella Senftenberg in dog chew from Switzerland; distributed to Austria.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.0902): Salmonella Senftenberg in soya meal from Argentina, via the Netherlands; distributed to Belgium.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection reports a confirmed case of cholera (Vibrio cholerae O1 Ogawa) in a 25-year-old man who has no history of recent travel. The man is in stable condition in the isolation ward of Princess Margaret Hospital.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: July 6, 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: Carolina Pride Foods, Inc. (Greenwood, SC) recalls Carolina Pride Smoked Diced Ham (10-oz pkg; Sell by Sept 23, 2011), Carolina Pride Diced Ham (10-pound cases containing 5 x 2-lb vacuum packages) and Hardee’s Smoked Diced Ham (12-lb cases containing 8-oz vacuum packages; Use through date of Nov 9, 2011), because the ham products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled ham was distributed throughout the southeastern US to retail outlets or for institutional use. The 10-oz Carolina Pride packages were shipped to retail locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee; the 10-lb cases of Carolina Pride were shipped to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia; the Hardee’s product was shipped to locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
  • Outbreak Alert (Cruises): Passengers and crew on four successive sailings of Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Lion suffered from an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea. The outbreak began during the May 21st sailing; 17 of the 61 passengers and 6 of the 24 crew members became ill. The ship failed to notify CDC – as they are required to do – until passengers on the three subsequent sailings of the same ship became ill. The cause of the outbreak is now under investigation.
  • Outbreak Alert (Cruise): Nearly 7% of passengers and 8 crew members on board the Sea Princess (Princess Cruises) became infected with norovirus during the ship’s May 30th to June 9th cruise.

Canada

  • Health Product Safety Recall: Health Canada advises the public that the agency’s list of unauthorized health products has been updated to include 14 additional products that contain undeclared prescription medication. The newly identified products were removed from sale at Male and Female Harmony retail stores in Richmond and Burnaby, BC and at the Happy Paradise Adult Store in Burnaby.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Chinese Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): On orders from the Department of Health, Chaisentomg Pharmaceutical Factory Limited recalls CHAISENTOMG BABY’S KAM CHIK SAN Powder (all batches), because the product was found to contain excessive lead.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert (Jamaica): The Ministry of Health reports that twenty (20) patrons of a Chinese restaurant in Mandeville developed food poisoning after consuming fried rice at the restaurant. The ill consumers suffered from diarrhea, vomiting, chills, fever, abdominal pain, dizziness, weakness and headache.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: July 5, 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.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Sun Sweet Catering recalls The Greek Chef Garlic Spread (12 oz & 32 oz) and The Greek Chef Hot & Spicy Garlic Spread (12 oz & 32 oz), because the products contain undeclared milk. The recalled garlic spreads were distributed in Ontario.
  • Allergy Alert: Quality Natural Foods Ltd. recalls Quality Super Tasty Petha Angoori – Pumpkin in Sugar Syrup (1 kg & 3.8 kg; all codes), due to the presence of undeclared sulphites. The recalled product was distributed in Ontario and British Columbia.
  • Health Product Alert: Health Canada advises the public that the unauthorized health product “Man Up Now” has been removed from sale at O! Behave retail stores in Delta and Surrey, BC after Health Canada’s testing identified undeclared sildenafil (a prescription medication) in the product.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong and Macao): EDO Trading Co recalls EDO Pack Pineapple Pie (Manufactured in Taiwan; Expiry April 6, 2012) after the plasticiser DEHP is detected in a sample of the product.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection has received reports of an additional 24 cases of suspected food poisoning among patrons of a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, bringing to 43 the total number of cases reported so far.
  • Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): Health inspectors have detected traces of the banned drugs malachite green and leuco-malachite green in four (all of them threadfin) out of 37 samples of farmed fish sold in local markets.
  • Food Safety Notification Update (EU #2011.0805): Shigatoxin-producing E. coli in frozen minced beef from France, with raw material from Germany; distributed to Belgium, Cyprus, France, Gabon, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands. See also SEB/CERF recall notice, above.

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.