Category: botulism

Recalls and Alerts: November 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: Giant Eagle recalls Cut Out Cookies, 10-ct (UPC 28968500000; All Lots; All Date codes), due to the presence of undeclared milk.
  • Food Recall: Hawaii Candy recalls Hawaii Candy Fortune Cookies (UPC 073366-12950), Petite Wafers (UPC 073366-12952), Sesame Wafers (UPC 073366-12954) and Ginger Wafers (UPC 073366-12955), because the products contain undeclared Yellow #6 as an ingredient.
  • Outbreak Alert: More than 175 children at the Pittsburgh Montessori PreK-8 in Friendship school (Pittsburgh, PA) became ill last week with suspected norovirus gastroenteritis. Seven teachers (nearly one-fourth of the staff) also were absent due to the same illness. The school building was closed on Friday for disinfection. Lab tests are under way to confirm the cause of the illness.
  • Outbreak Alert: Three cases of E. coli infection have been confirmed in Boone County, Missouri. Two more cases are under investigation. County public health officials say that there is no connection to the St. Louis outbreak. Two of the Boone County victims were hospitalized.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Boucherie Fairmount (Montréal, QC) recalls Csabai sausages, because the sausages were not stored in a manner to ensure their safety. The public is advised not to consume this product.
  • Food Safety Recall: CFIA announces the recall of Jones Hot Air Popcorn (2kg; Manufactured by Jones Popcorn), due to the insect contamination.
  • Cosmetic Product Safety Recall: ITN Food Corporation recalls Black Henna Cone and Red Henna Cone (Manufactured in Pakistan; all lots), because the products contain phenol and other phenolic compounds, which can produce chemical burns to the skin. The recalled products were sold at various ethnic stores in Ontario and Quebec from December 2010 to May 2011.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: Colgate-Palmolive recalls Colgate Motion Electric Toothbrush (battery-operated), after receiving several reports that the toothbrushes had “exploded.” The company is no longer manufacturing this toothbrush.

Europe

  • Food Safety Alert (UK): The Food Standards Agency (FSA) warns the public that, since August, a high proportion of consignments of paan leaves – also known as betel leaves – imported from Bangladesh and India have been found to be contaminated with Salmonella. As paan leaves typically are chewed raw, this represents a risk of Salmonella food poisoning. At the request of FSA, local port authorities are sampling and testing all consignments of paan leaves presented for import.
  • Food Recall (Belgium): Colruyt and OKay recall several lots of Everyday U.H.T. milk, 1L boxes, including whole milk, part-skim milk and skim milk, following customer complaints concerning taste and odor. Please refer to the recall notice for details of the affected production lots.
  • Food Recall (Belgium): Carrefour recalls Carrefour Discount brand Whole Milk (1L carton; Lot #111678, 111724 and 111732), due to off-taste or unusual odor.
  • Food Advisory: Delhaize advises its customers that certain boxes of the following milk may, in time, develop an altered taste or odor, due to a sporadic technical malfunction at the manufacturer: Delhaize 365 Ecrémé lait (Lot 111891 and 111892; Expiry 28/01/2012).

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Singapore): The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore advises the public that Società cooperativa agricola G.M.G F. ar.l. dei F.lli Gaudiano, Italy, has, as a precautionary measure, initiated a market recall of all batches and sizes of olives stuffed with almonds dated from 2010 and 2011. This was because two cases of botulism found in Finland has been linked to the consumption of the olives. There is no import of the affected products into Singapore. Nevertheless, AVA advises consumers who have bought the implicated products, whilst overseas, to discard the products and not to consume them.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert (New Zealand): Bon-Soy recalls Bon-Soy Phyto-Nutraceutical soy milk powder (500g; all batches) and Bon-Rice Phyto-Nutraceutical rice milk powder (450g; all batches), due to the presence of undeclared casein, a milk protein. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of stores where the products were sold.
  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Charlie’s Group Australia Pty Ltd. recalls Phoenix Ginger Beer (330ml; Best Before 22/08/12), Phoenix Creaming Soda (330ml; Best Before 22/08/12), Phoenix Cola Cluster Pack (4 x330ml; Best Before 22/08/12), Phoenix Orange Fizz (330ml; Best Before 23/08/12), Phoenix Sparkling Apple (300ml; Best Before 23/08/12), and Phoenix Sparkling Blood Orange (300ml; Best Before 23/08/12), because some of the bottles were inadequately pasteurized. As a result, the contents of some bottles may ferment, increasing the risk of shattering.
  • OTC Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Australia): Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd recalls Savacol Antiseptic Mouth & Throat Rinse Alcohol Free chlorhexidine gluconate 2 mg/mL mouthwash bottle (manufactured by Gaba International AG Active, Switzerland; All unexpired batch numbers), due to microbial contamination.

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 Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin so deadly that it could be used as a biological weapon.

Some history

Sausage poisoning, one of the earliest recognized forms of food poisoning, was first described in the 18th and early 19th centuries and was likely due to Clostridium botulinum. Infant botulism, a different form of illness, was described for the first time in California in 1976.

What is Clostridium botulinum, and where is its natural habitat?

Clostridium botulinum is a spore-forming bacterium that is only able to grow in the complete absence of molecular oxygen (anaerobic conditions), such as conditions found inside a hermetically sealed, processed can or jar of food. The spores are able to withstand normal cooking temperatures, but not the very high temperatures reached during the processing of most canned foods. Spores of Clostridium botulinum are found in soil and water around the world.

How is Clostridium botulinum transmitted? What is the incubation period of the infection?

Clostridium botulinum food poisoning results when an individual eats food in which the microbe has germinated, grown and produced its lethal toxin. In the case of infant botulism, the infant (one year old or less) ingests the spores that are in a food – honey is a typical vehicle – and the toxin is formed when the spores germinate and grow in the baby’s intestine. The incubation period for infant botulism is 3 to 10 days; for the more typical form of botulism, it is 12 to 72 hours.

What is botulism? How long does it take to develop?

Botulism is the syndrome produced by the action of Clostridium botulinum toxin on the body’s nervous system.

What are the symptoms of botulism?

Initial symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing, blurred vision and muscle weakness. Early symptoms of infant botulism include lethargy, weakness, poor muscle tone, constipation, difficulty feeding and a poor gag reflex. As the action of the toxin progresses, breathing becomes more difficult.

What is the prognosis of botulism?

Botulism can be fatal in 10 to 60% of cases, usually due to respiratory failure. Infant botulism, if treated appropriately, has a survival rate nearing 100%.

What foods carry Clostridium botulinum and its toxin?

Clostridium botulinum is associated with foods where molecular oxygen is absent – typically, processed low-acid canned foods. Because the microbe cannot grow in a very acid environment or in the presence of high levels of salt or sugar, botulism is not a risk in most canned tomato products or in jams or jellies containing sugar. Cases of botulism have been traced to a variety of foods, including home-canned vegetables, improperly stored foil-wrapped baked potatoes, and garlic packed in oil. Approximately 20% of infant botulism cases are traced back to honey that contains Clostridium botulinum spores.

How can people protect themselves from botulism poisoning?

The toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is inactivated by boiling. Home-canned vegetables should be heated to a boil and simmered for 10 minutes before being served. Leftovers – especially thick sauces and stews that probably contain little or no oxygen – also should be heated to a boil and simmered for 10 minutes before serving.

Never taste a food to see whether it is “off”; Clostridium botulinum can grow and produce its toxin without altering the appearance, taste, or odor of a food, and even a minuscule quantity of toxin is enough to make a person very ill.

Always cool leftovers promptly in the refrigerator or freezer. Do not let food stand at room temperature for extended periods of time. When thawing a frozen dish, do so in the refrigerator – not at room temperature.

Always pay attention to recall notices, and return any recalled item to the store, or discard it in a sealed bag.

For more information on Clostridium botulinum and other food-borne pathogens, visit the CDC website or read Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives.

Recalls and Alerts: October 31, 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

  • Outbreak Alert Update: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is testing 34 specimens from the Saint Louis County outbreak of E. coli illnesses. Twenty-four of the specimens have been confirmed to contain shiga toxin; toxin testing of the remaining 10 specimens is in progress. All 34 of the specimens are being tested to determine the identity of the E. coli strain. Investigators from the local, state and federal CDC are working to determine the source of the outbreak. In addition, the Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a case of shiga toxin-producing E. coli illness in St. Clair County that may be linked to the Missouri outbreak.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: The E. coli outbreak linked to the North Carolina State Fair now comprises 24 cases – 8 confirmed and 16 under investigation – in seven counties: Wake (11), Sampson (7), Cleveland (1), Durham (1), Johnston (1), Orange (1) and Wilson (2). Investigations are still underway to determine how the victims became infected.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Deep Canada Inc. recalls Deep Methia Mango Pickle in Oil (740g; Mfg 06/11; Batch #11168; Best before 05/2013) due to the presence of glass particles. The recalled product was distributed in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.

Europe

  • Food Safety Withdrawal (Ireland): All batches and container sizes of Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed With Almonds have been withdrawn from sale after a jar of these olives was found to contain botulinum toxin by Finnish health authorities. Russell Gallery (Co. Clare) imported 90 jars of Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed With Almonds in 2010. All remaining jars have been removed from sale. No cases of botulism linked to the withdrawn product have been reported in Ireland.
  • Food Safety Withdrawal (UK): All batches of Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds have been withdrawn from sale across Europe.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): No. Søby Meat Wholesale A/S recalls Boiled salted meat (Package date 7/10-2011; Best before dates 21/11-2011 and 12/12-2011), after Listeria is found in a sample of the meat. The recalled meat was sold to Hotel kitchens, caterers, restaurants and catering businesses west of the Great Belt.
  • Food Safety Recall (Italy): Società Cooperativa Agricola G.M.G. a r.l. dei F.lli Gaudiano recalls all batch codes and jar sizes of Olive Bio Con Mandorle Bio Gaudiano/Bio Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed With Almonds after Finnish authorities found botulinum toxin in a jar of these olives following the hospitalization of two people and the death of one of them. Italian health authorities have mandated the suspension of operations at the company, and have seized all existing inventory of processed vegetables. Further investigations are underway.
  • Food Safety Withdrawal (Denmark): Uhrenholt A/S withdraws Emborg Havarti aged cheese (200g; Best before 21-12-2011), after microscopic cracks were observed in the overwrap on the package. The fractured packaging could result in mold growth.
  • Food Withdrawal (Finland): Mars Ireland recalls Twix® Xtra Chocolate Biscuit Bars, 75g (several batch codes – please refer to recall notice for details), because the products were not labeled in Finnish and Swedish. The withdrawn products will be relabelled with Finnish and Swedish language labels and returned to retailers for sale.
  • Outbreak Alert (Norway): Norway Public Health and Norway Food Safety Authority are investigating an outbreak of 45 confirmed cases of shigellosis – 42 in Tromsø and 3 in Østfold. Thirty-six of the patients reported having consumed pesto, and an additional three patients consumed fresh basil, which is one of the ingredients in pesto. Several new cases have been reported since last Friday and are under investigation. Among the pesto ingredients being tested by the Food Safety Authority is basil from Israel.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1526): Listeria monocytogenes in salted smoked trout from Spain; distributed to France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1527): Mercury in chilled scorpion fish from Algeria; distributed to France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1528): Mercury in vacuum packed swordfish from France; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1529): Salmonella spp. in paan leaves from Bangladesh; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1532): Sulfathiazole in honey from Bulgaria; distributed to Italy.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall: Charlie’s Trading Co. Ltd recalls 330 ml bottles of Phoenix Organics Ginger Beer (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Creaming Soda (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Cola Cluster 4-pack (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Cola (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Lemonade (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Orange Fizz (best before 23/08/12; batch PR08230811), Sparkling Apple (best before 23/08/12; batch PR08230811) and Sparkling Blood Orange (best before 23/08/12; batch PR08230811), due to inadequate pasteurization of some bottles, causing fermentation and an increased risk of product shattering. The recalled non-alcoholic beverages were sold in cafés, supermarkets, petrol stations and corner stores throughout New Zealand, and were exported to Australia, Korea, Japan and the Pacific Islands.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): ChiTree (VIC) recalls ChiTree Apricot Kernels (1kg vacuum-sealed clear plastic bag; all packages), because of potentially toxic levels of naturally occurring hydrocyanic acid. The recalled product was sold in Health Food stores across Australia, and through the company website.
  • Food Safety Recall (New Zealand and Australia): Charlie’s Trading Co. Ltd recalls 330 ml bottles of Phoenix Organics Ginger Beer (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Creaming Soda (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Cola Cluster 4-pack (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Cola (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Lemonade (best before 22/08/12; batch PR08220811), Orange Fizz (best before 23/08/12; batch PR08230811), Sparkling Apple (best before 23/08/12; batch PR08230811) and Sparkling Blood Orange (best before 23/08/12; batch PR08230811), due to inadequate pasteurization of some bottles, causing fermentation and an increased risk of product shattering. The recalled non-alcoholic beverages were sold in cafés, supermarkets, petrol stations and corner stores throughout New Zealand, and were exported to Australia, Korea, Japan 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.