Category: Clostridium

Recalls and Alerts: June 20, 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: Euphoria Fancy Food Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Dried Bream (Product of Russia; 7.5-oz vacuum-packed plastic bag; No code; UPC 7 930042 250954), because the product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. The recalled Dried Bream was sold nationwide.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Scholtens Inc. recalls Granny Appleton Flavoured Pineapple Wedges (225g; All codes; UPC 6 79079 64330 4), due to the presence of sulphites. The recalled product was sold in Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: Loblaw Companies Ltd. recalls Kettle Cheddar & Sour Cream Krinkle Cut Potato Chips (220g; Code 2012 NO 15; UPC 0 84114 11902 5), due to contamination with harmful extraneous material (metal). The recalled product was sold nationwide.
  • Food Safety Recall: Itwal Ltd. recalls Popchips Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (85g; 13MA08; UPC 0 82666 71240 4), due to contamination with harmful extraneous material (metal). The recalled product was sold in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
  • Food Recall: Shah Trading Co. recalls Suraj Light Red Kidney Beans (2kg; All codes; UPC 0 57197 33133 2), due to contamination with “non-harmful” extraneous material (insects) and microbes. The recalled product was sold nationwide.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (France): La société Chevallier recalls Chevallier brand Neufchâtel cheese (All lots available for sale since 17/05/12 in départements 27, 60, 62, 76 and 80), due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of stores where the recalled cheese was sold.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Kattegat Seafood A/S recalls Capella smoked mackerel fillet with pepper (100g; Production date 08.06.2012; Best before 06.07.2012), due to mold growth on some of the smoked fish.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0845): Parasitic infestation with Anisakis of fresh hake from Denmark; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0846): Dioxins in organic eggs from Germany; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0847): Monoethylene glycol in wine from Italy; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0848): Unauthorized dichlorvos in fresh mint from Israel; distributed to Belgium.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0849): Excessive sulphite in sun dried tomatoes from Turkey; distributed to Greece.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0850): Salmonella Tennessee in rape seed meal from Germany; distributed to Finland and Switzerland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0851): Undeclared citric acid in frozen pangasius fillets from Vietnam; distributed to Italy.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (India): An outbreak of Hepatitis E has killed at least 12 people and sickened 4089 others in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, according to a BBC report. The outbreak is blamed on contaminated water from the Panchganga River.
  • Outbreak Alert (India): Sixty tribal students at the Chayanpur primary school in West Bengal fell ill after eating their mid-day meal, according to The Times of India. The meal was provided by the school.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Australia): Sanofi-Aventis Australia Pty Ltd. recalls Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) 1.5 mg powder for injection; multidose vial with diluent vial (Lot C3787AA/Expiry Aug 2012; Lot C3787AC/Expiry Dec 2012; Lot C3787AE/Expiry Feb 2013; Lot C3787AG/Expiry Feb 2013), because the product’s sterility cannot be assured due to an environmental monitoring excursion during the manufacturing process.

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.

From The Mailbag: Botulism and Vacuum-Packed Fish

I received an email a couple of weeks ago from Pamela in Canada, who asked the following question:

“I live in Canada, in Toronto, and I’ve noticed that there have been two or maybe even three separate and apparently unrelated incidents here involving botulism in vacuum-packed fish in gourmet grocery stores. I think that at least in some cases, this is fish from other suppliers that the stores have simply repackaged. From my limited knowledge I also understand that botulism can flourish in an anaerobic environment – like that of a vacuum bag?? Which leads me to wonder….. Are vacuum bags safe? What’s going on here?”

I was reminded of Pamela’s question yesterday, courtesy of the latest food safety alert from FDA. Euphoria Fancy Food Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) is recalling Dried Bream (7.5-oz vacuum packed plastic bags; Product of Russia; No batch or date codes; UPC 7 930042 250954), which was found by the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets to not have been properly eviscerated prior to processing.

Several US states – including New York – have banned the sale of uneviscerated preserved fish, because the spores of Clostridium botulinum are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than in any other part of the fish. New York State monitors for this hazard on a routine basis and issues an alert whenever it finds that uneviscerated or incompletely eviscerated fish are offered for sale. The state has posted three such alerts so far this year.

The hazard is not just academic. In April 2012, three people in the Greater Toronto (Ontario, Canada) area developed botulism after eating a traditional uneviscerated, salted and cured fish (fesikh) at a catered event. The fesikh was supplied by Lotus Catering and Fine Food in Toronto.

Fesikh is a traditional dish served as part of Egypt’s spring celebration, according to an article in the Egypt Independent. “The best fesikh,” the owner of a fish shop in Old Cairo told the reporter, “is made of grey mullet fish from either Bardawil Lake, or from Kafr al-Sheikh Governorate, and then left out in containers until distended. When it is sufficiently putrefied, salt is added and the fish are left to pickle for at least 40 days.”

Not all dried, smoked or preserved foods are encouraged to putrefy as part of their recipe. But, allowing the contents of the intestinal tract to remain inside the fish during its drying, salting, smoking or pickling steps is not a safe practice, even without the putrefaction step.

In addition to the fesikh health hazard alert, there have been two recalls of vacuum packaged fish in Canada in 2012 – both in Toronto. McEwan Gourmet Grocery Store recalled two brands of Smoked Salmon in April, and Pusateri’s Fine Foods recalled several different products in June. Unfortunately, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not explain why it thought that these products were potentially contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.

Pamela is correct – Clostridium botulinum loves a vacuum. Manufacturers who use vacuum-packaging as a means of extending the shelf life of a product must pay special attention to the processing and to the ingredients used to prevent this pathogen from growing. Nevertheless, the risk of contracting botulism from a correctly preserved and processed vacuum-packaged food is extremely low. Nor must a food be vacuum-packed in order to be the source of a botulism incident.

In 1978, a Colorado restaurant wrapped potatoes in foil, baked them, and allowed them to cool – still foil-wrapped – overnight without refrigeration. The next day, the potatoes were cut up to make potato salad. Twelve people developed botulism symptoms; seven of them were hospitalized. The temperature/time combination used to bake the potatoes was not enough to kill the Clostridium botulinum spores, and the ambient temperature cooling period allowed the microbe to germinate, grow, and produce its toxin in the tightly wrapped potatoes.

The bottom line is that food must be processed, stored and handled in a safe manner regardless of whether or not it is vacuum-packed. Or, as I recently told Food Safety News

Food safety is a farm-to-table responsibility, whether the table is in a family’s kitchen, a seniors’ residence dining hall, a school cafeteria or a five-star restaurant.

Recalls and Alerts: June 12, 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

  • Allergy Alert: Unilever recalls Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Nougat Crunch Ice Cream: Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Fudge Covered Wafer Cookies & a Chocolate Nougat Swirl (1-pt containers; UPC 7684020899; Date codes JUL1113BJ1, JUL1213BJ1, AUG0113BJ1, AUG0213BJ1, AUG2313BJ1, AUG2413BJ1, AUG2513BJ1, SEP2013BJ1, SEP2113BJ1, and OCT2313BJ1), because the containers are missing an allergen advisory statement and may contain traces of peanuts or tree nuts. The recalled product was distributed nationwide in retail stores.
  • Allergy Alert: CB Foods, Inc. (El Monte, CA) recalls Pork Shaomai Dumpling (12.5-lb cases or trays; Case code 002; Est 39932; Produced June 2011 to June 5, 2012), due to the presence of undeclared monosodium glutamate (MSG). The recalled products were shipped to hotels and restaurants in California and Nevada.
  • Food Safety Recall: Lowes Foods advises its customers that Snyder’s – Lance has recalled Hot Buffalo Wing Pieces (12-oz and 2.25-oz) due to possible metallic contamination in the products. No date code or lot code information was included in the advisory.
  • Food Safety Alert: Consumers in and around Chautauqua County, New York are warned not to consume unpasteurized raw farm milk from Castle Farms, after a routine sample of the milk was discovered to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The producer suspended raw milk sales on June 7, 2012 on being notified of a preliminary positive result. Now that the result has been confirmed, Castle Farms is prohibited from selling raw milk until subsequent sampling indicates that the product is free of harmful pathogens.
  • Food Safety Alert: California Department of Public Health (CDPH) warns consumers not to eat soups from One Gun Ranch (sold at Pacific Palisades Farmers Market on May 13, 2012 and June 3, 2012) and Organic Soup Kitchen (sold between June 6, 2011 and May 6, 2012 at Calabasas Farmers Market and Studio City Farmers Market), because they may have been improperly produced, making them susceptible to Clostridium botulinum. Please refer to the CDPH Alert for a list of the affected varieties of soups.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Woolery Enterprises, Inc., dba Will’s Fresh Foods (San Leandro, CA) that an April/May 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns R & L, Inc. (Lima, OH) that a March/April 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Caribe Natural, LLC (Miami, FL) that a September to November 2011 inspection revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulation for Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Amor Nino Foods Inc. (Honolulu, HI) that a February/March 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: William Dunne & Associates recalls Burger King Onion Rings Flavoured Snacks (57g and 185g; Codes 2013MA22 and 2013MA23, respectively), due to metal contamination. The recalled product was sold nationally.
  • Food Safety Recall: Metro Ontario Inc., Planet Foods Inc. and Loblaw Companies Ltd. recall Popchips Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (85g; Codes 13MA23TM (Metro and Planet Foods only) or 13MA08 (all three companies); UPC 0 82666 71240 4), due to metal contamination. The recalled products were sold nationally by Loblaw, in Ontario by Metro, and in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Yukon by Planet Foods.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (UK): R&R Ice Cream Ltd. recalls Chokablok The Chocolate Extremist, Peanut Butter Nutter, and Billionaires Dynamite ice cream varieties (3 x 80ml multipack; All best before end dates up to and including October 2012), because a production fault may have resulted in the products containing pieces of broken lolly stick. The recalled ice cream products were sold at Tesco and One Stop stores.
  • Food Enforcement Action (UK): A judge has found Elmkirk Limited (an Essex slaughterhouse) guilty under the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations on eight charges of delivering over-temperature meat. The company was find £12,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of nearly £26,000.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Singapore): The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority alerts Singapore consumers to the recall in Australia of Casa brand Marinated Feta, due to a risk of E. coli contamination. The retail packs were not imported into Singapore; the 1.5kg trade pack consignment that reached Singapore was not distributed for sale and will be destroyed. Consumers who purchased the affected products overseas should discard them.

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.