Category: allergy

Recalls and Alerts: September 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.

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: Best Food Cash & Carry Inc. (Maspeth, NY) recalls Raisin Golden brand Deer Raisin Golden, 14-oz pkg, due to the presence of undeclared sulfites. The recalled raisins werer distributed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
  • Allergy Alert: US Nutrition recalls SM Balanced B-50 Tab, because the product may contain undeclared wheat. The recalled product was sold in Giant Eagle stores, and may also be carried by other retailers.
  • Cosmetic Product Safety Alert: The Texas Department of State Health Services warns the public that at least 18 mercury poisoning cases in South Texas appear to be linked to the use of Crema Aguamary, a cosmetic produced in Mexico and not approved for use in the USA.
  • Food Safety News: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has discontinued the testing of E. coli O157:H7 in certain ready-to-eat products. Sampling resources previously directed to the ready-to-eat product testing will be diverted to increase testing for E. coli O157:H7 in raw products.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Uncle T Food Ltd. (Richmond, BC) recalls Sweet Potato Shape Snack (200g and 55g) and Turbinate Shape Snack (200g and 50g), because the products contain undeclared peanuts. The recalled snacks were imported from Korea and distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. One illness has been reported.
  • Allergy Alert: Uncle T Food Ltd. (Richmond, BC) recalls Korean Snack (Gosoa), 55g, because the product contains undeclared peanuts. The recalled snack was imported from Korea and distributed in BC, Alberta and Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: Johnvince Foods (Downsview, ON) expands its earlier recall of bulk walnuts, prepackaged nuts and snack products to include additional items. The recalled nut products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. For a complete list of recalled brands and products, please navigate to the CFIA recall notices dated 2011-09-01, 2011-09-06, 2011-09-07, and 2011-09-08, and to the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food notice dated 7 sept. 2011.

Europe

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert (Australia): Woolworths Supermarkets Ltd. recalls Macro Whole Foods Markets Gluten Free Choc Brownie Mix (400g cardboard box; All best before dates up to and including 20 DEC 12 B), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled brownie mix was sold in Woolworths, Safeway and Thomas Dux supermarkets throughout Australia.
  • Herbal Supplement Safety Advisory (Australia): The Therapeutic Goods Administration warns Australian consumers that Maxidus capsules, sold over the internet, have been found to contain sulfohydroxyhomosildenafil, a derivative of Sildenafil, the active ingredient in the approved Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd product Viagra, which is indicated for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction.

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 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

  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns GIB, LLC dba Brazilian Blowout (North Hollywood, CA) that Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution is an adulterated cosmetic, because it contains a deleterious substance, methylene glycol, that may render it injurious to users under conditions of use prescribed in the labelling.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns River Valley Ranch Ltd. (Burlington, WI) that an April/May 2011 inspection of the company’s facility revealed that the firms failure to fulfill the mandatory requirements for acidified foods renders the following products adulterated: River Valley Ranch brand Key Lime Mango Salsa, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Portabella Salsa with Key Lime Juice, Shroomschetta Mushroom Bruschetta, Portabella Pasta and Dipping Sauce, Spicy Shrooms, Dill and Garlic Pickled Mushrooms, and Wild Mushroom Burgundy Pasta and Dipping Sauce.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns King Juice Company, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI) that an April 2011 inspection of the company’s juice processing facility revealed serious violations of the juice Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Farm and Wild Fresh Paradise Gourmet Foods (Portland, OR) that an April 2011 inspection of the company’s produce repacking operation revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulation in manufacturing, packing, or holding human food.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Kimriv Restaurant Group, LLC (San Diego, CA) that an April 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 Hickory Smokehouse Miami, Inc. (Hialeah, FL) that an April 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 National Bakery, Inc. (Scranton, PA) that a February 2011 inspection of the company’s food manufacturing facility revealed violations that cause several of your products to be misbranded within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Guenther’s Bakery Ltd. recalls Guenther’s Multigrain Cookies (425g; Best before up to and including Tue, 20 September 2011), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled product was sold in Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: Marchese Import Co. Ltd. recalls Cutolo Rionero Limoni in Acqua Minerale Lemonade (1.5L) and Cutolo Rionero Kinotto in Acqua Minerale (350 mL and 1.5L), due to the presence of unspecified chemical additives. The recalled products were sold in Ontario.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert (France): La Ruche (Cavaillon, Vaucluse) recalls all Les Délices de Marie Claire preserves and has suspended operations after a production batch of its Tapenade verte aux amandes was linked to eight cases of botulism. L’Institut Pasteur reports finding botulinum toxin type A in a sample of the implicated batch of tapenade.
  • Food Safety Alert (Belgium): Consumers are advised that Les Délices de Marie Claire brand Tapenade aux amandes (Lot #112005; Best before 16-12-2012) has been recalled by the manufacturer because it has been implicated in an outbreak of botulism in France. A trace-forward investigation is in progress in France; it is possible that the product may have been introduced into Belgium by summer tourists.
  • Food Safety Alert (Denmark): Consumers are advised that Les Délices de Marie Claire brand Tapenade aux amandes (Lot #112005; Best before 16-12-2012) has been recalled by the manufacturer because it has been implicated in an outbreak of botulism in France. A trace-forward investigation is in progress in France; it is possible that the product may have been introduced into Denmark by summer tourists.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): DB OKS, A/S  recalls Minced Beef, 10% (Item #2251; Production date 30-08-2011), after Listeria monocytogenes is found in the product.
  • Food Recall (Denmark): Beauvais Foods A/S recalls Beauvais Organic Oatmeal with spelt, banana and strawberries (200g) and Beauvais Organic 7-Grain porridge (200g), because micro-holes have been found in the foil pouches in some packages.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1186): Insect larvae in wheat flour from Malta; distributed to Malta.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1188): Unauthorized formic acid in sour cabbage from Poland; distributed to the Czech Republic.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1189): Listeria monocytogenes in salmon from Latvia; distributed to Austria.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1190): Dioxins in copper sulphite from Israel; distributed to Belgium.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1191): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked salmon from Poland; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1192): Mold in various nut and fruit bars from the Czech Republic; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1193): Excess cyclamate in lemon-flavored drink from Turkey, via the Czech Republic and via Slovakia; distributed to Slovakia.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2011.1194): Undeclared gluten, milk ingredient and wheat in roast potatoes from the United Kingdom; distributed to Ireland and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1195): Insect infestation in jasmine flavored rice from Thailand; distributed to Greece and Italy.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1197): Salmonella Senftenberg in soybean meal pellets from Brazil; distributed to Sweden.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1198): Salmonella Senftenberg in rape seed meal from Germany; distributed to Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1199): Glass fragments in frozen blueberries from Romania; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1200): Excessive benzoic acid in guarana soft drink from Portugal; distributed to Italy.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2011.1201): Unauthorized sildenafil thiono analogue in food supplement from Portugal; distributed to Spain.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Global Medical Solutions Hong Kong Ltd recalls Neurolite for Inj with Buffer Vial (Lot No. 0200U and 0200U1), as the drug’s US manufacturer (Ben Venue Laboratories Inc) has initiated an international recall after finding particulate matter – likely stainless steel – in the product.
  • Outbreak Alert (India): Thirty-six children were hospitalized in Hyderabad with food poisoning symptoms after consuming food purchased from a roadside vendor in Miyapur.
  • Outbreak Alert (India): More than 100 people – most of them students – were hospitalized in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts with food poisoning symptoms.
  • Outbreak Alert (Thailand): One woman is dead and 42 others in Sa Kaew’s Khao Chakan district have been hospitalized with food poisoning after consuming improperly cooked pork at a funeral.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Alert (New Zealand): High levels of norovirus have been found in shellfish in Canterbury river mouths, according to a report published in the New Zealand Herald online.

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 3, 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: Quaker Oats Company (Chicago, IL) recalls Quaker Chewy Smashbar Graham Pretzel snack bars (8-count; UPC bar code ending 31108; Best before Oct 29 11 RB, Oct 30 11 MM, Oct 30 11 RB, Nov 22 11 RB, Nov 23 11 RB, Nov 24 11 RB, Nov 27 11 RB, Dec 22 11 RB, Dec 22 11 MM, Dec 23 11 RB, Dec 23 11 MM, Dec 24 11 RB, Dec 24 11 MM), because the product contains undeclared milk.
  • Food Safety Recall: Ludwig Dairy Products, Inc. (Dixon, IL) recalls all Ludwig brand milk, cheese and other dairy products and Nuestro Queso brand drinkable yogurt product, after a routine inspection by the Illinois Department of Public Health found pasteurizing equipment operating improperly, potentially allowing raw milk to be mixed with pasteurized milk and sold in dairy products. The recalled Ludwig and Nuestro Queso milk and dairy products were sold mostly in northern Illinois (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties), as well as in Indiana, New Jersey and New York.
  • Food Recall: Food City recalls Food Club Roasted Red Pepper Dip. No details given.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment alerts the public to a sharp increase in the number of Listeria monocytogenes infections reported in the state since the beginning of August. Seven new cases were reported since August 29th, for a total of nine during the month of August – nearly equal to Colorado’s typical annual total of 10 cases. The source of the outbreak is under investigation.
  • Animal Vaccine Device Safety Alert: FDA warns veterinarians and pet owners, particularly cat owners, of the possible risk of fractures with the Vet Jet™ transdermal vaccination system device. The device, made by Bioject, Inc., is sold exclusively as the delivery system for the Merial product, PUREVAX® Recombinant Feline Leukemia Vaccine. The device delivers the leukemia vaccine through the skin to cats. FDA is aware of three recent adverse event reports involving the use of the Vet Jet™ device in kittens. FDA is aware of three recent adverse event reports.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Indianlife Food Corporation expands its earlier recall to include the following Indianlife brand Papadums (120g packages; Product of India; Codes up to and including 11238), which may contain undeclared gluten: Black pepper, Cumin, Green Chili and Plain. The recalled products were distributed in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec and may have been distributed nationally, including in Whole Foods Market stores.
  • Allergy Alert: Double Food Trading recalls Tapioca Starch Pearls (3kg; Mfg 10.12.26; Exp 11.12.26), due to the presence of undeclared sulphites.
  • Allergy Alert: Possmei Canada Inc. (Markham, ON) recalls various Possmei brand tea flavour mix powder products (Product of Taiwan; 1000g/35.27oz pkgs; all lot codes), because the packages include a non-dairy creamer that contains undeclared milk ingredient. The recalled products were distributed in Ontario. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.
  • Food Recall: Lilydale recalls Lilydale Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Costco item #44845; Best before September 4th to September 6th, 2011, inclusive), due to early spoilage issues. The recalled chicken thighs were sold at Costco Wholesale in British Columbia between August 27 and August 31, 2011.
  • Natural Health Product Safety Recall: Wing Quon Enterprises Ltd. recalls Bi Yan Plan (NPN# 80023876; all lots) after the product was found to contain an excessive amount of mercury.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): Marks & Spencer withdraws Marks & Spencer Roast Potatoes, 400g (Use by 6 September 2011 and 7 September 2011), because the product contains undeclared gluten, wheat and milk.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): EcoProtein recalls BetterBar Raw Brazilian Nuts & Cocoa, Raw Vanilla & Almonds, and Raw Coconut & Barley Grass organic energy bars (44g; Shelf life of 15/2-2012, 12/2-2012 and 15/2-2012, respectively), due to mold growth on the bars.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1183): Insect infestation in risotto rice from Italy, via the United Kingdom; distributed to Ireland.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1184): Adulteration of feed additives from Brazil, via China; distributed to Slovenia.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1185): Salmonella in meat and bone meal from Sweden; distributed to Denmark, Hungary, Latvia and Sweden.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Chinese Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Wah Shun Medicine Limited recalls ChuFengT’ouKu Wan, a licensed proprietary Chinese medicine imported from the Mainland, after the Department of Health found traces of paracetamol, a western drug, in the product. Wah Shun also has suspended the sale of a related product, Kong Kwood Sun Wan, which has the identical herbal formula and is from the same Mainland manufacturer.

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.