Category: Campylobacter

Recalls and Alerts: July 30, 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: Curly’s Custom Meats (Jackson Center, OH) recalls Curly’s Meats Beef Jerky Hickory Smoked-Teriyaki Flavor (4, 8 and 16-oz pkgs; Code 11077 or 1182; Produced March 17, 2011 and June 30, 2011) due to the presence of undeclared wheat from a spice blend. The recalled jerky products were sold directly over the internet or at the company’s adjacent retail store.
  • Allergy Alert: Shata Trading Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Three Rivers Brand Golden Raisins (uncoded 400g clear plastic bag), due to the presence of undeclared sulphites. The recalled raisins were distributed in New York State.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: USDA releases retail distribution list for ready-to-eat chicken products recalled by Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall: SHSCO Manufacturing LLC (Phoenix, AZ) recalls an undetermined amount of meat products sold to consumers under the Stanley’s Home Made Sausage Company, Banat, Stanley’s Home Made Polish Sausage Company, and Stanley’s Jerky Company, and several products prepared especially for institutional use, because the products were manufactured without federal inspection. The recalled meats are labelled with Est. 34532 or Est. 44139 and were distributed to retailers and institutional users in Arizona and Nevada.
  • Food Safety Recall: H-E-B recalls H-E-B Brand cottage cheese, dips, yogurt, and sour cream (8-oz, 16-oz, 24-oz and 32-oz sizes; sold between June 18 and July 27), due to the possible presence of foreign material. The recalled dairy products were sold at H-E-B, Central Market, Mi Tienda, and Joe V’s stores.
  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Nestle Purina PetCare Company recalls Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food (3.5 lb & 7 lb. bags; Best by May 2012; Production codes 03341084 and 03351084), because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled cat food was distributed to customers – including Walmart and Kroger – located in California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin, who may have further distributed the product to other states.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Finemost Corporation dba Qualiherb (Cerritos, CA) recalls certain Qualiherb dietary supplements after FDA’s lab analysis detects the presence of ephedrine alkaloids. Please see the recall notice for details of the recalled products.
  • Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Product Alert: FDA warns US consumers not to use the emergency birth control medicine labeled EVITAL, as these product may be counterfeit versions of the “morning after pill” and may not be safe or effective in preventing pregnancy. The package label of the suspect counterfeit product reads, “Evital Anticonceptivo de emergencia, 1.5 mg, 1 tablet”, by Fluter Domull.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Agriculture and the Allegheny County Health Department are reporting that five individuals – including three children – have developed diarrhea and other symptoms due to infection with Yersinia enterocolitica after consuming glass-bottled pasteurized milk from Brunton Dairy in Aliquippa, Beaver County. The Secretary of Health is advising consumers to discard any glass-bottled milk from the dairy. Brunton Dairy is certified by Pennsylvania to pasteurize milk at the farm. It is cooperating with the investigation and has stopped producing milk using its on-site pasteurization facility.
  • Outbreak Alert: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) alerts the public to an outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections that may be associated with the use and consumption of ground turkey meat. Seventy-seven outbreak-related illnesses have been reported to CDC from 26 states.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: Alaska’s Campylobacter jejuni outbreak associated with the consumption of raw milk from a farm in Mat-Su Valley has expanded to seven lab-confirmed cases. An additional 11 people reported suffering acute gastrointestinal illness after consumption of raw milk from the same dairy farm, but were not lab-confirmed. The outbreak strain of C. jejuni was recovered from manure samples from the dairy’s grazing field and calf barn. Seven other strains of C. jejuni also were found in various environmental samples from the farm. Campylobacter was not found in the farms bulk milk samples, collected on June 22 and 27th, but the samples were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Both the outbreak and the investigation are ongoing.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall Expanded: Primeridge Pure (Markdale, ON) expands its earlier recall of Primeridge Pure brand Pure Cheese Curds to include an additional lot code (random weight packages; Packed on 15.07.11), because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The cheese was sold at Owen Sound Farmers’ Market, Collingwood Farmers’ Market and at the company’s own location on July 16, 2011.
  • Food Safety Recall: R. Fiedler Meat Products Ltd. recalls Fiedler’s Beef Pastrami (Batch code 15221B; Best before 2011/AI/08) and Fiedler’s Cajun Chicken Breast Roast (Batch code 14511C; Best before 2011/SE/01) because the products contain an unspecified chemical additive. The recalled products were sold to retail consumers in Ontario.
  • Food Recall: Bick’s Pickles recalls Bick’s Pickled Cubed Beets (2L; BB 2012 DE 07) due to microbiological spoilage. The product was sold nationally by retailers.
  • Outbreak Alert: Over the last four months, Saskatchewan has recorded 13 cases of Shigella, mostly in children, and only one that is linked to overseas travel. Many of the cases of Shigella are due to a similar strain, suggesting an ongoing person-to-person and household-to-household spread. Most years, Saskatchewan records a total of 10 and 13 cases, mostly due to foreign travel.

Europe

  • Consumer Product Safety Recall (Denmark): GUMLO INT. Ltd. recalls Gumlo baby bottles (125 ml and 250 ml; Made in Thailand; Sold after 1 July 2010), because there is evidence of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the polycarbonate baby bottles.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Gert Nielsen A/S recalls several meat products (Batch No. 17078 and 16721; Produced 22/07/2011 and 24/07/2011), after Salmonella is found in raw material used to prepare the products. The recalled items were sold to catering companies.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): COOP Denmark A/S recalls Coop Hazelnuts (Best before 22.11.2011 and 21.03.2011) due to mold contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Medical Device Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Coloplast (Hong Kong) Ltd. recalls Alterna R Sterile Post-Operative Ostomy Bags (Models 12808, 12810 and 12818, all with expiry date on 1 January 2013 or later) after one lot of the product fails a routine product sterility test.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Outbreak Alert (New Zealand): Ward 15 at Whangarei Hospital has been closed to new admissions and four patients isolated after an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis suspected to be due to Norovirus. Two staff members also are ill.

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.

Raw Milk – The Inconvenient Truth

Our next door neighbor, on learning yesterday that I’m a food safety microbiologist, asked me whether there were any foods I avoided. “I don’t eat raw sprouts,” I replied,”And I don’t drink raw milk.

One month ago today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported that raw milk supplied to a school event by a local farm infected 16 people with Campylobacter jejuni. The identical strain of Campylobacter was recovered from stool samples obtained from the 16 victims and from milk samples collected from the farm’s bulk milk tank.

According to a July 15th report in Food Safety News, a parent of one of the Wisconsin school children went to a relative’s farm and collected raw milk from the farm’s bulk milk tank to bring to the event. The farm does not sell raw milk to consumers; it supplies milk to a licensed dairy for pasteurization.

On June 27th, the Alaska Division of Public Health reported on a cluster of 4 cases of Campylobacter; all four victims were infected with the same strain of Campylobacter jejuni. All four people reported drinking raw milk from the same cow-share farm in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley – the only common element. Two of the 4 victims reported that a total of three family members also had experienced symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, but had not sought medical treatment. The three unreported victims also had consumed raw milk from the same farm.

Yesterday, FDA announced that it was investigating – in conjunction with officials in North Carolina and South Carolina – three confirmed cases and an additional five probable cases of campylobacteriosis in people who drank raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy in York, SC. One of the three confirmed victims was hospitalized. The eight confirmed and probable victims all report having consumed raw milk obtained from the dairy on June 14, 2011. The victims come from three different households.

Most Campylobacter infections are relatively mild and short-lived. Nevertheless, Campylobacter, which is one of the most common causes of diarrhea in the USA, sometims produces severe illness – including bloody diarrhea – and is estimated to cause approximately 124 deaths annually in the United States. Campylobacter also is responsible for as many as 40% of the cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome reported annually in the US. Guillain-Barré is an autoimmune disease typified by paralysis that lasts for several weeks, and usually requiring intensive care.

FDA is urging consumers not to drink raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy. In my opinion, that warning doesn’t go far enough. To understand the risks, please check out Real Raw Milk Facts.

When you’re done, perhaps you will appreciate why I don’t drink raw milk.

Recalls and Alerts: July 15, 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 Update: Bruce Foods Corporation (New Iberia, LA) recalls mislabeled cans of Food Club Red Enchilada Sauce, 10-oz cans (Code ECH 451244; Best Before 5/13/2015), that may contain Green Enchilada Sauce instead of Red. The mislabeled cans contain undeclared wheat and soy, which is present in the Green Enchilada Sauce. The recalled product was sold in retail stores between 5/31/2011 and 7/02/2011 in Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, Alabama, and Ohio.
  • Food Safety Recall (Ohio): Valley Farm Meats (dba Strasburg Provision, Inc.) recalls beef products due to possible contamination with prohibited materials (spinal cord and vertebral column). The recall includes all beef products slaughtered and processed by or purchased from Valley Farm Meats retail store in Strasburg, OH, or from Ed Lind Livestock and Poultry in Medina, OH. The recalled products were produced between 01/28/2011 and 07/05/2011 and offered for sale from 01/28/2011 through 07/11/2011.
  • Food Safety Recall: Sid Wainer & Son, Inc. (New Bedford, MA) recalls imported ready-to-eat Magret de Canard Fumé Seche/Dried Smoked Duck Breast (Product of Canada; Lot No. 111217; Package code 11JN20; Best before 11DE17), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were distributed for institutional use in Connecticut, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania.
  • Food Safety Recall: Palmex, Inc. (Champlain, NY) recalls imported ready-to-eat Magret de Canard Fumé Seche/Dried Smoked Duck Breast (Product of Canada; Lot No. 111217; Package code 11JN20; Best before 11DE17), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were sent to distribution centers in California and exported to the Dominican Republic.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall Expanded: Global Wellness LLC (Hollywood, FL) recalls Via Xtreme Ultimate Sexual Enhancer Dietary Supplement for Men (Lot No. A032111 03/13), because the product contains sulfoaildenafil methanesulfonate, sulfosildenafil and dimethylsildenafil, which are not approved for use due to safety concerns.
  • Outbreak Alert: Teton County (Wyoming) public health officials have confirmed several cases of norovirus in northwest Wyoming in the past few weeks. Illness reports have been logged in Jackson, Teton Village, and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Separately, the Wyoming Department of Health is tracking a sharp increase in reported cases of Campylobacter across the state.
  • Outbreak Alert: Wicomico County (Maryland) Health Department is investigating a cluster of reported foodborne illnesses that officials believe is linked to a fish fry held in Salisbury on July 1st. At least some of the illnesses involve Salmonella.
  • Outbreak Alert: The CDC is investigating an increase in cases of Campylobacter gastroenteritis in Yuma County (Arizona) and San Luis Rio Colorado (Sonora, Mexico) over the past three months, accompanied by an increase in cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome – a known secondary complication associated with Campylobacter infections.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Federal Bureau of Prisons has confirmed that a Salmonella outbreak occurred at the U.S. Penitentiary-Canaan (Waymart, PA), a high-security federal prison. More than 300 inmates and staff developed salmonellosis after consuming tainted chicken served in fajitas on June 25th, according to the Associated Press report. The food was all cooked and prepared on site.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Rhode Island Department of Health has received a report of a laboratory-confirmed case of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in a male in his 70s who ate raw clams earlier this month. The Department is not certain where the clams were harvested. The man was treated and is recovering.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Dai Jung Distributing recalls Lee brand Lemon Grass from Fresh Stems (200g; SLM MFG:28AUG2010BB:31AUG2012), due to the presence of undeclared sulphites. The recalled product was distributed through retailers in Ontario and Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: Palmex Inc (Marieville, QC) recalls Dried Smoked Duck Breast, (Prepared for Palmex Inc. by Charcuterie Parisienne Inc.; Canada 377; Code Lot 111217; Pkgd on 11JN20), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled ready-to-eat product was distributed in Quebec and Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: Sol Cuisine Inc. recalls Sol Cuisine brand Spicy Bean Burger (364g frozen pkg; Lot code 06711), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was distributed nationally.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Vita Green Health Products Co. Ltd recalls Doctor’s Choice – Evening Primrose Oil (Manufactured in the USA by Captek Softgel Int’l Inc.; Best before July 28, 2013; Batch No. OEO82OA), because the product contains the plasticizers DEHP and DBP.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall (Philippines): Procter and Gamble Distributing Phils. recalls Oral-B Tooth and Gum Care Alcohol Free Mouth Rinse (500ml, 350ml, and 60 ml; Manufactured in Columbia), after detecting out-of specification microbial levels in some products produced at the manufacturing site.
  • Health Alert (PRC): A duck processor in central China has been dumping duck excrement and dead animals directly into a river, killing fish and polluting the water. As many as 100,000 people may have been sickened as a result of the actions of the processor.
  • Outbreak Alert (Taiwan): The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed a new case of zoonotic brucellosis in a 60-year-old woman who visited Malaysia in April.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a suspected outbreak of food poisoning involving 13 people who participated in an office lunch party on July 11th. Eleven of the 13 victims consulted a medical practitioner, and one person was hospitalized.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Consumer Product Safety Recall (Australia): Procter & Gamble Australia Pty Ltd. recalls Oral-B Tooth & Gum Care Mouth Rinse (All flavors, sizes and batches), because the product contains out-of-specification microbial levels. The recalled Mouth Rinse was sold nationwide.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Food Safety Recall: Palmex, Inc. (Champlain, NY) recalls imported ready-to-eat Magret de Canard Fumé Seche/Dried Smoked Duck Breast (Product of Canada; Lot No. 111217; Package code 11JN20; Best before 11DE17), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were sent to distribution centers in California and exported to the Dominican Republic.
  • Outbreak Alert: The CDC is investigating an increase in cases of Campylobacter gastroenteritis in Yuma County (Arizona) and San Luis Rio Colorado (Sonora, Mexico) over the past three months, accompanied by an increase in cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome – a known secondary complication associated with Campylobacter infections.

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.