Recalls and Alerts: July 5, 2012

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 Update (California): California Department of Public Health advises that Cream Top Chocolate Milk (8-oz, 1-qt and half-gallon; Code date 7-11-2012), which was recalled by Dairy Goddess (Lemoore, CA) due to lack of proper pasteurization, was sold at the San Luis Obispo Downtown Farmers’ Market, the Cambria Farmers’ Market, the Sunset Strip Farmers’ Market – West Hollywood, and the Clovis Farmers’ Market.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Bedford Laboratories recalls Bedford Leucovorin Calcium Injection, 500mg SDV (Lot #/Expiration date 2017620‐1/31/2013 and 2038374‐2/28/2013) and NOVA PLUS® Leucovorin Calcium Injection, 500mg SDV (Lot #/Expiration date 2038374A-2/28/2013), due to the discovery of visible crystalline particulate matter in a small number of vials.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Alert: FDA has issued instructions to companies to stop manufacturing and distributing certain unapproved drugs containing oxycodone.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert (Re-release): The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warns people with allergies to wheat and sensitivities to gluten not to consume Healthy Times brand Brown Rice Cereal for Baby (Product of USA; 6-oz/170g pkgs; UPC 0 48685 02188 0; Lot 14211 & 17011; Use by 01 MAY 2013 and 30 MAY 2013, respectively, because this product contains undeclared wheat or gluten. This alert was first issued on July 26, 2011; however, affected product may still be in the marketplace.
  • Food Safety Recall: Fromagerie St-Fidèle Inc. (La Malbaie, QC) recalls St-Fidèle brand Cheddar Cheese (variable weight pkg containing cheese curds; Code 3959, made on 12JUN19 or 12JUN20; Best before 12JUL19 or 12JUL20), Cheddar Cheese (variable weight pkg containing BBQ-flavoured cheese curds; Code 3959; Made on 12JUN19 or 12JUN20; Best before 12JUL19 or 12JUL20), and Cheddar Cheese Curd (85g, 200g, 400g, and 2.5kg; Code 3959, made on 12JUN20; Best before 12JUL20), because the products may be contaminated with Staphylococcus toxin. The recalled products were distributed in Quebec.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Dille & Kamille recalls Breckland Orchard brand Pear & Elderflower Lemonade and Breckland Orchard brand Blackcurrant & Raspberry Lemonade, because the pressure inside the bottles is too strong and may result in spontaneous breakage.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Lactalis Denmark recalls Cheese Factory White Cheddar Cheese (400g; Best before 06-11-2012; Product of England), due to mold growth on some of the cheeses.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Mammen Dairy A/S recalls Urtekram brand Danbo 45+ Cheese, Danbo Middle Aged 45+ Cheese and Samso 30+ Cheese (net wt 550g; Best before dates 19-08-2012 and 20-08-2012), due to mold growth on some of the cheeses.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Arla Foods amba, Braband Dairy recalls Mejse Yoghurt, 1.5% fat with peach melba (1 liter; Best before 25.07.2012), due to the presence of undesirable bacteria in the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Aschara Meat Market GmbH recalls Teewurst sausage (100g, unpackaged and unlabeled, with ends tied with silver and blue metal clips), after Salmonella Derby is found in an official sample. The recalled product was sold from June 22nd to July 2nd.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): H. Birkenstock Dairy GmbH recalls Birkenstock Mainzer Cheese (200g; Best before 08/03/2012), because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Supplement Safety Alert (Ireland): Food Safety Authority of Ireland warns the public that food supplements containing the illegal stimulant DMAA have been imported into Ireland from the USA and are being sold online. Products containing DMAA are unauthorized medicines and are prohibited in Ireland.
  • Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): Nutricia Baby Food recalls Bambix Bears Biscuits for Babies six months and older, due to a choking hazard, as the biscuits do not soften quickly enough in a baby’s mouth.
  • Food Safety Alert (UK): The UK Food Standards Agency advises the public to consider avoiding drinking bottled water described or labelled as Zam Zam water, because tests have shown that Zam Zam water sold in the UK may contain high levels of arsenic or nitrates.
  • Topical Product Safety Recall (Spain): The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products alerts the public that Clear N Smooth Skin Toning Cream has been recalled, because it contains the unauthorized active pharmaceutical agent hydroquinone, 2%.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0924): Unauthorized 1,3 dimethylamylamine in food supplement from Canada; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0925): Defective packaging of fruit juice from the United Kingdom; distributed to Netherlands.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0926): Excessive propylene glycol in muffins from Spain; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0927): Aflatoxins in groundnuts from Nicaragua; distributed to Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0928): Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 in chilled beef from Belgium; distributed to Belgium and Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0929): Salmonella Oranienburg in galacto oligosaccharide from South Korea via the USA; distributed to Belgium, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0930): Campylobacter jejuni in fresh whole chicken from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0932): Salmonella anatum in roasted soy beans from Belgium; distributed to Belgium and Netherlands.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0933): Mold infestation in cheddar cheese from the United Kingdom; distributed to Denmark.

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: July 3, 2012

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: ITO EN USA requests that Hawaii customers of its canned Aloha Maid Coconut Water with Pineapple (Code IHMAY0913; UPC 8-35146-00818-3; purchased since May 16, 2012) return the products to stores for a refund, due to an “off smell.”
  • Food Safety Recall Update: Mexicali Cheese Corp (Woodhaven, NY) expands its earlier recall to include additional product names, due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled product names include: Mexicali Queso Fresco Mexicano, Mexican Style Fresh Cheese; Acatlan Queso Fresco, Fresh Cheese; Mi Quesito Mexicano, Mexican Cheese; and Quesillo Ecuatoriano, Ecuadorian Style Cheese. The recalled cheeses are packaged in a 14-oz plastic tub (Plant No. 36-0128; Code 071512), and were sold in the metropolitan New York area, including Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
  • Food Safety Recall: Dairy Goddess (Lemoore, CA) recalls Cream Top Chocolate Milk (8-oz, 1-qt and half-gallon sizes; Code date 7-11-2012) due to a lack of proper pasteurization. The product also is the object of a quarantine order, as dangerous pathogens may have survived in the milk. The recalled product was marketed only at Farmers’ Markets in San Luis Obispo and Clovis.
  • Medical Device Recall: Johnson & Johnson recalls K-Y Liquibeads 6 ct (UPC 38004008795; Lot codes 0361W, 0651W, 0921W, 2591W, 0219H, 0030H, 0080H, 0090H and 0159H; Expiration dates between 5/1/11 and 7/16/13) to address the FDA’s concerns that the product should be cleared under a separate medical device application.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Taiyo Seafood Boston Inc. (Quincy, MA) that a May 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found 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 Good Herbs Inc. (Troy, MI) that a November 2011 through January 2012 inspection of the company’s manufacturing facility revealed significant violations of the CGMP regulations for dietary supplements.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Oklahoma Respiratory Care, Inc. (Norman, OK) that an October 2011 inspection of the company’s pharmaceutical manufacturing facility identified significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for Finished Pharmaceuticals.
  • Outbreak Alert (Oregon): Three Central Oregon residents were hospitalized with symptoms of botulism, contracted at a private barbecue. Home-canned food is implicated as the source of the illnesses. The incident is under investigation by Deschutes County Health Services, and final testing results are pending.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Le Poisson Volant (La Prairie, QC) recalls Far de homard Lobster Pâté (125ml Mason jars; No label), because the product may be hazardous to consumers health if it was not kept refrigerated at all times after purchase.
  • Food Safety Recall: Phoenicia Group Inc. (St-Laurent, QC) expands its earlier tahina recall to include Alkanater brand Tahina (454g containers; UPC 6 92551 00002 0; Lot code TT3N-260112; Production code 26/01/2012; Exp 25/01/2014), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was distributed in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia Ontario and Quebec and may have been distributed nationally. This product is available in Whole Foods Markets supermarkets in Canada.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Breckland Orchard recalls Breckland Orchard Blackcurrant & Raspberry (275ml), Cloudy Lemonade (275ml), Cream Soda (275ml), Ginger Beer with Chilli (275ml), Pear & Elderflower (275ml and 750ml), and Strawberry & Rhubarb (275ml) fruit-based drinks (Best before date of Marcy 2013 or April 2013), due to the potential risk of the glass bottles breaking.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Cott Beverages Ltd. recalls Emerge Isotonic Orange Flavour Sports Drink (500ml bottle; Best before December 2012; Batch code L156), because the beverages may be contaminated with pieces of plastic.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Britvic Soft Drinks recalls Robinsons Fruit Shoot and  Robinsons Fruit Shoot Hydro flavoured mineral waters due to a packaging safety issue with the new cap design, according to BBC.  Robinsons Fruit Shoot Orange Regular (8 x 200ml; Best before Mar 13) was available at Sainsbury’s stores. Sainsbury customers should return the product to their nearest store for a full refund.
  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Carrefour recalls Carrefour brand Sardines à l’huile d’olive/Sardines in Olive Oil (120g; Lot codes between BJL001F and BJL043F), due to the presence of histamine.
  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Les Mechelse Veilingen recalls Chou rouge/Red cabbage (Bulk packaged; Registration #33748-0328; sold from June 19-27, 2012), due to unacceptably high residues of the pesticide dimethoate.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): DK Trading ApS recalls Fresh chicken breast (120-160g each, sold in 300-400g retail packs of 3 pieces or wholesale in 2.5kg packs; Lot 120618003; Expiry 03.07.2012; Product of Poland) due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Aldi K/S recalls Country Pleasure brand Whole fresh chilled chicken (1300g; Best before 27-06-2012; Product of  Germany), due to Campylobacter contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Samso Cannery recalls First Price Cucumber Salad (550g; Expiry June 2014; Batch No. staring with 1506112200 or 1506112400), after receiving a report of a piece of glass in the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Unilever recalls Du darfst Feine Teewurst (125g; Expiry 07/25/2012 and 30/07/2012; Lot #L217 802 217755 u), due to microbiological contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Abraham Ham GmbH recalls Abraham herzhafter Katenschinken gewürfelt/Abraham Chopped Savory Smoked Ham (2 x 125g; Expiration 3:08:12; Batch #40K773 09:51), due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Käserei H. Birkenstock GmbH recalls Birkenstock Mainzer Cheese due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Consumer Product Safety Alert (UK): The Food Standards Agency warns that Miracle Mineral Solution (also known as Miracle Mineral Supplement) and Chlorine Dioxide Solution should not be consumed, as they can be hazardous. Miracle Mineral Solution is a 28% sodium chlorite solution, which is equivalent to industrial strength bleach. Chlorine Dioxide is more dilute, but can still irritate the skin and gastrointestinal tract if swallowed. Other similar products also should be avoided.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0908): Listeria monocytogenes in chilled smoked salmon from Denmark; distributed to Italy.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0910): Unauthorized 1,3 dimethylamylamine in food supplement from the United States; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0912): Salmonella spp. in tea sausage spread from Germany; distributed to Germany, Italy and Luxembourg.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0913): Foodborne outbreak (histamine poisoning) caused by chilled tuna from Spain; distributed to France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0914): Salmonella Infantis in chicken breast fillets from Poland; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0915): Methiocarb in red cabbage from Belgium; distributed to Belgium, France, Germany and Netherlands.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Food Safety Enforcement Action (Argentina): El Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (Senasa) seizes and destroys 365 kg of uneviscerated frozen whole chicken and 9 kg of chicken sausage, because the poultry products were transported without any authorization or veterinary records, and in a truck that did not meet standards for food transport.

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: June 25, 2012

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 Update (Retail Distribution): On June 22, 2012, Dole Fresh Vegetables recalled Kroger Fresh Selections Leafy Romaine Salad (10-oz bag; Code N158 111B; Use by June 19), Kroger Fresh Selections Greener Supreme Salad (12-oz bag; Code N158 211B 1613 KR04; Use by June 19) and Wal Mart Marketside Leafy Romaine (Code N158 111B; Use by June 19), after a sample of the Marketside Leafy Romaine tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The Marketside salad was distributed in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, and was sold in Walmart stores (perhaps in states additional to the six states mentioned. The Kroger Fresh Selections salads were sold in Kroger stores located in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Knoxville, Tennessee, Greater Memphis, TN, Arkansas, Mississippi and Western Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Eastern WV, Eastern Kentucky, and SE Ohio.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Medical Device Safety Alert (Saudi Arabia): Saudi Food and Drug Authority warns healthcare practitioners and the public that Clever Chek Model TD-4232 Blood Glucose Meter (Manufactured by TaiDoc Technology, Taiwan) may not sound an alarm if insufficient blood is applied to the test strip. There is a potential for both falsely low and falsely high blood glucose results with this device. The Clever Chek Blood Glucose Meter has not obtained market authorization from the Saudi FDA.
  • Outbreak Alert (Philippines): A family of four was hospitalized in Cagayan province after eating contaminated salted eggs. The eggs had been sold at a reduced price, because they had cracks.

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.