Category: Campylobacter

Recalls and Alerts: May 20, 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

  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: The Arizona Department of Health has mandated a mass recall of Lazy Cakes relaxation brownies after a 2-year old child was rushed to hospital. The toddler fell into a deep sleep after biting into one of the brownies, which contains 8mg of melatonin, a naturally occuring compound that helps to regulate sleep cycles. A typical adult dose of melatonin is 1-3mg.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Phoenix Import & Distribution LLC recalls Pentrexyl Forte Natural (Exp. 04/14; Lot #102050 and all lots distributed between November 1, 2010 and May 1, 2011), because the packaging is believed to be misleading, causing the product to be confused with an antibiotic.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: American Regent (Shirley, NY) recalls Sterile Water for Injection, USP, 50 mL single-dose vial (Lot 0092; Exp. February 2014), because some of the vials may contain rust-like particulate matter.
  • Food/Water Safety Alert (Alaska): The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reminds the public that all locally harvested shellfish may contain paralytic shellfish poison (PSP). Alaska does not have a PSP testing program for recreational or subsistence harvested shellfish, and does not certify beaches as PSP-free.
  • Recreational Water Alert (Ohio): Water warnings have been posted at Grand Lake St. Mary, due to an algae bloom. People should not swim or wade in the lake, or touch any of the algae in the lake.
  • Outbreak Alert (California): San Joaquin County has noticed a sharp increase in the number of cases of Campylobacter gastroenteritis – about twice the usual number so far this year. The County Public Health Services has not yet found a common source or specific explanation for this increase. The rise began in 2010, with 233 cases reported, versus 135 cases in 2009.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Health Canada cautions the public that cereal grains such as oats or barley may contain low levels of wheat, because of the way the grains are grown and harvested. Individuals who are allergic to wheat should review package labels carefully to determine whether the product may contain traces of wheat.
  • Allergy Alert: Pâtisserie St-Martin (Laval, QC) recalls Pâté au poulet (chicken pâté), Pâté au saumon (salmon pâté) and Tourtière maison (meat pie), because the products contain undeclared egg and soy.
  • Food Safety Recall: The Tree of Life Canada (Surrey, BC) recalls King James brand Blue Stilton Cheese (Product of England; Lot/Batch numbers between 019 and 034, inclusive), because the cheese may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The cheese was sold to retailers in 2 kg bulk round packages, but may have been cut and sold at retail and deli counters in random weight packages between April 14, 2011 and May 19, 2011. The product was distributed in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland; however it may have been sold nationally.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (France): Magasins U recalls Magasins U brand Pain de Mie extra moelleux (Extra-chewy sandwich bread; Lot 3 256 224 034 261; Best before 27/05/2011), because the bread may contain glass fragments. The recalled bread was sold in Hyper U, Super U, Marché U, U Express, and Utile stores.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Lantmännen Danpo A/S recalls Chicky Cuts, plucked chicken (Product of Belgium; Danpo Batch No. 20110104), because the product contains elevated bacteria levels, which may be due to defective bag seals.
  • Dog Food Safety Recall Update (Finland): VIP Vescor Oy recalls additional batches of Nutritional Balance Dog Food. The recalled batches include 1kg packs (Batch #OW 320, OW 246 and OW 321), 3kg packs (Batch #OW 221, OW 320, OW 321, OX 039 and OX 040) and 15 kg packs (Batch #OW 222, OW 291, OW 312, OW 356, OW 249, OW 336, OX 025 and OX 055). Lab results suggest that rice protein used in the product contains an extraordinary amount of nitrogen.
  • Shellfish Alert (France): Due to the presence of toxic algae in the water, the harvest, sale and consumption of shellfish is prohibited over a large part of the Seine-maritime coastline.
  • Outbreak Alert (UK): Redfield Edge School in Oldland Common has shut two classes after an outbreak of E. coli diarrhea, suspected to be E. coli O157. One child has been hospitalized, two others have received medical treatment, and 25 others have called in sick with diarrhea. The source of the outbreak has not yet been determined.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Australia and New Zealand

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: April 19, 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: Cinderella Sweets recalls Cindy’s Scrumptious Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, 16 oz., due to the presence of undeclared egg. Due to a labeling error, the product packaging indicates “Egg Free” but eggs are listed on the ingredient statement.
  • Allergy Alert: S&M (USA) Enterprise Corp recalls Rain Swiss Roll, Banana Flavor (160g uncoded cardboard box; Product of China), because the product contains undeclared eggs. The recalled product was distributed nationwide.
  • Food Safety Recall: Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel (Montreal, Canada) recalls all Summersweet seafood mousses and dips after samples from two lot codes of Salmon & Spinach Mouse were found to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled mousses and dips (see FDA recall notice for product list) were sold in retail outlets in New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, California and Texas, including in Ralphs supermarkets. The manufacturer has suspended production pending the outcome of an investigation into the source of the contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall: Royal Sweet Bakery, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Herring in Vegetable Oil Filling, after the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets determined that the fish was improperly eviscerated prior to processing and may, therefore, be contaminated with spores of Clostridium botulinum.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Investigation Update: As of April 18th, The Rhode Island Department of Health has identified 79 confirmed and suspect cases of salmonellosis linked to baked goods from De Fusco’s Bakery in Johnston, RI. Forty-eight cases were lab-confirmed; 30 people were hospitalized, and there have been two Salmonella-associated deaths.
  • Salmonella Outbreak Investigation Update: During the past two years (beginning April 9, 2009), 216 Salmonella illnesses have been confirmed in 41 states as a result of contact with water frogs, especially African dwarf frogs. The outbreak victims were infected with a strain of Salmonella Typhimurium that has been traced to a single African dwarf frog breeding facility in California. The outbreak strain also was recovered from a water sample collected in March 2011 from an aquarium containing African dwarf frogs in the household of a sick infant. Approximately 30% of the outbreak victims were hospitalized as a result of the infection.
  • Food Safety Alert: A retail-level survey of 100 samples of raw chicken (including whole fryers and packages of chicken parts) sold in Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC, Whole Foods, Costco, Sam’s Club, Albertsons, Thriftway, PCC Natural Markets and Ken’s Market stores in the Seattle area from March 1st to April 4th revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus (42 samples), Campylobacter (65 samples), Salmonella (19 samples), Listeria (1 sample) and E. coli O126 (1 sample). Ten of the samples were contaminated with a methicillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus.
  • Recreational Water Advisory Update (Oregon): A heath advisory for contact with marine water at Seaside Beach in Clatsop County, Oregon was lifted after further testing showed that fecal bacteria levels have subsided at the beach.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Brinkman Turkey Farms, Inc. (Findlay, OH) that a January/February 2011 inspection of the company’s low-acid canned food manufacturing facility revealed significant deviations from the Low-Acid Canned Food regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Schindler’s Broad Run Cheese House, Inc. (Dover, OH) that a series of inspections carried out between September 2010 and December 2010 revealed serious deviations from Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Hocean Food Corporation (Los Angeles,  CA) that a November/December 2010 inspection of the company’s rice noodle processing establishment 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 Delta Airlines, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) that an inspection of a Delta aircraft in Atlanta uncovered the presence of rodent excreta pellets and mammalian urine at various locations the aircraft.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Omega Nutriton U.S.A., Inc. (Bellingham, WA) that a December 2010 inspection of the company’s dietary supplement manufacturing facility revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for Dietary Supplements.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Aliments Trigone Inc. recalls Les Moissonneries du Pays brand Green Buckwheat Flour Stone Ground Finely Milled (1 kg., Code 349642), due to the presence of undeclared gluten. The recalled product was distributed in the province of Québec.
  • Allergy Alert: Armstrong Food Service recalls Roast Beef (Product code 123790; Best Before dates up to and including 21/04/11), Shaved Roast Beef (Product code 124804; Best Before dates up to and including 21/04/11), and Thin Sliced Shaved Roast Beef (Product code 124802; Best Before dates up to and including 21/04/11) due to the presence of undeclared soy. The recalled products were distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Nova Scotia., Shaved
  • Health Product Recall: Mary Ginseng House recalls Mary Ginseng House 100% Pure High Calibre Pow Sum Ontario Genseng after Health Canada’s testing revealed the presence of Klebsiella oxytoca, Pantoea sp. and Enterobacter cloacae in product samples. These bacteria can cause serious infection in an individual whose immune system has been weakened by another illness or chronic condition.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Galati Cheese Company Ltd. (Windsor, ON) that a January 2011 inspection of the company’s cheese manufacturing facility revealed a serious violation of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food, in that the company failed to store and transport finished food under conditions that will protect the food against physical, chemical, and microbial contamination.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC recalls Morrisons Fresh Ideas Mini Chicken Roast, 411g (Use by 22 April 2011), Morrisons 6 Carrot Cake Slices (Best before 11 May 2011), and Morrisons The Best Prawn & Smoked Salmon Cocktail, 140g (Use by 20 April 2011), due to the presence of undeclared allergens.
  • Petting Farm Outbreak Investigation (Wales, UK): Public Health Wales is investigating an outbreak of Cryptosporidium in an unspecified number of people who fell ill over the past twelve months following farm and “lamb petting” events at Erddig Hall.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Enforcement Action (Abu Dhabi): Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority has ordered the closure of Al Tazaj Fakieh Grilled Chicken (License No. 1043939), a restaurant at the Hamdan Centre building on Hamdan Bin Mohamed Street, for repeated violation of food safety rules.
  • Food Safety Enforcement Action (China): Food quality inspectors raided steamed bun producers in Zhejiang Province, and found tens of thousands of buns containing banned dyes and other chemicals sold to local schools.
  • Chinese Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Lai Sing Medicine Factory Limited recalls Prolonged Man Power Essence, as its lead level exceeds the permitted limit.
  • Chinese Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Lee Sze Trading Co. recalls Lee Sze Texiao Houtong Wan, as its arsenic level exceeds the permitted limit.

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 Raw Milk Debate: Is There A Third Option?

Raw versus pasteurized versus . . . . .

We were reminded again last Friday of the risks that consumers face when they opt to drink raw milk.

The Michigan Department of Community Health issued a public health alert on March 19th, after eight confirmed cases of Campylobacter infections were reported among residents of three counties in the state. The victims of this outbreak had consumed raw milk obtained from the Family Farms Cooperative in Vandalia, Michigan. through a cow-share program.

Cow share programs are used in many US states and Canadian provinces as a means to sidestep prohibitions against the retail sale of raw milk for human consumption. Instead of purchasing raw milk directly, consumers “buy” part ownership in a cow’s – or a dairy herd’s – output.

Although some states – California, for example – have legalized and regulated the retail sale of raw milk, FDA does not permit interstate shipment for human consumption of unpasteurized milk for retail sale. As far as FDA is concerned, consuming raw milk is a risky business. These risks include Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter.

Why do some individuals insist on drinking raw milk – and serving it to their children – in spite of the microbiological risk? Mainly because of a concern that pasteurization, which requires heating the milk, destroys key nutrients present in raw milk and degrades the flavor of the fresh product.

What if there was a way to make raw milk microbiologically safe without heating it?

I’m not talking about irradiation. I’m not talking about adding chemicals. I’m not talking about adding “good” bacteria or bacteriophages to the milk.

I am referring to a process known as High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP). This technology is already in use in several sectors of the food industry. It has been applied to deli meats, fruit juices, deli salads, and produce. Recently, Nature’s Variety – a manufacturer of “raw” pet foods – announced that it had decided to incorporate HPP treatment into its manufacturing process in order to ensure the microbiological safety of its pet foods.

As far as I am aware, no dairies have adopted HPP as an alternative to conventional heat pasteurization for fluid milk. But a literature search turned up a smattering of tantalizing research studies. I would be surprised if the manufacturers of HPP equipment were not funding research into this application of their technology.

Perhaps, some day the raw milk versus pasteurized milk debate will become history – made obsolete by a new technology that doesn’t rely on either heat or irradiation.