Category: E. coli O157:H7

Recalls and Alerts: June 29, 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: Bi-Lo alerts its customers to the recall of Southern Home Pasta Salad Creamy Parmesan (UPC 6-07880-02892; Lot 042013CA85/04/20/2013 and 052113CA85/05/21/2013) and Southern Home Pasta Salad Ranch/Bacon (7.5 oz; UPC 6-07880-02891; Lot 051713CB85/05/17/2013, 051813CA85/05/18/2013, and 051813CB85/05/18/2013) due to potential contamination with small metal fragments.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: CDC reports that six separate multistate outbreaks of human Salmonella infections have been associated with exposure to small turtles. Twenty-eight states have reported a total of 149 confirmed illnesses caused by Salmonella Sandiego, Salmonella Pomona and Salmonella Poona. Sixty-four percent (64%) of the victims are children of 10 years of age or younger; 28% are children less than 1 year old. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized. Epidemiological and environmental studies indicate that exposure to turtles or their environments (e.g., water from a turtle habitat) is the cause of these outbreak.s

Canada

  • Dietary Supplement Safety Alert/Recall: Floyd Nutrition LLC recalls ZXT Gold Bee Pollen Capsules, a weight loss product, because the capsules have been found to contain the pharmaceutical ingredients sibutramine and phenolphthalein, which may pose serious health risks. The product is not authorized for sale in Canada.

Europe

  • Pharmaceutical Product Recall (France): Merck Serono recalls Ovitrelle® (choriogonadotropine alfa) 250 microgram injectable solution in prefilled syringes (Lot BA008998; Expiry September 2013), after receiving complaints about missing needles.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall (Finland): EVIRA announces that last week’s recall of Jack3D food supplement due to the presence of 1,3 dimethylamylamine (DMAA) has been expanded to include additional products. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected products and manufacturers.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0892): Mold infestation in wafers with fresh eggs from Germany; distributed to Czech Republic.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0893): Listeria monocytogenes in chilled bio salad from Italy; distributed to Greece.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0894): Suspected shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 in spicy minced meat from Belgium; distributed to Belgium, Germany and Netherlands.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0895 & 2012.0896): Chloramphenicol in frozen shrimps from Vietnam; distributed to Denmark and Sweden.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0897): Salmonella Adozi in wheat bran from Côte d’Ivoire; distributed to Norway.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0898): Salmonella spp. and excessive Enterobacteriaceae in meat and bone meal from Poland; distributed to Hungary, Italy, Netherlands and Poland.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0899): Aflatoxins in corn grain from Madagascar; distributed to France.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0900): Salmonella coein in sunflower cake from Italy; notified by Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0901): Metal pieces in lollipop from Spain; distributed to Greece.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0902): Salmonella Tennessee in rapeseed meal from Switzerland; notified by Sweden.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Abrate & Sons Limited recalls Vino Spumante Brut Rosé (750 ml or 1.5 litres; Product of Italy; Lot 1/2009), because the product may have been contaminated with monoethylene glycol.
  • Food Safety Alert (India): The Government of India has extended its ban on the import of dairy products from China for six months from 24 December 2011 (see advisory No. 8/FSSAI/2011). This notice was posted on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India website on 29 June 2012.

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 15, 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 Update: USDA releases updated retail distribution list for Trader Joe’s Cranberry Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast products, recalled by Antonelli’s and Sons due to the presence of undeclared milk, soy and MSG. The recalled products were supplied to Trader Joe’s retail locations in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
  • Food Safety Alert: FDA urges food distributors, retailers, and food service operators to remove from sale or service all fresh, frozen, canned, and processed oysters, clams, mussels, and whole and roe-on scallops (molluscan shellfish) from Korea that have entered the United States. This includes molluscan shellfish from Korea that entered the United States prior to May 1, 2012, when the FDA removed such products from the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL), and that which may have inadvertently entered the country after that date. These products and any products made with them may have been exposed to human fecal waste and are potentially contaminated with norovirus.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Saladexpress (1995) Inc. recalls Saladexpress Garden Salad (340g; Best before 18 JUN 12) and Saladexpress American Blend (340g; Best before 18 JUN 12), due to extraneous material (metal) contamination. The recalled product was distributed to the warehouse level in Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: Erie Meat Products Limited recalls Golden Maple Extra Lean Ground Chicken (454g; Best before FEB 15/13) and Erie Meat Extra Lean Ground Chicken (454g; Best before FEB 15/13), due to extraneous material contamination. The recalled products were sold nationally.
  • Food Safety Recall: Distagro (Division of Metro Inc.) and Sobeys Inc. recall Popchips Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (85g; Code 13MA08), due to extraneous material (metal) contamination. The recalled products were sold in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec by Distagro and in British Columbia and Ontario by Sobeys.
  • Food Recall: Pepsico Beverages Canada recalls Gatorade Perform G Thirst Quencher – Orange (6 x 591 mL; code 1221TT1), due to a labeling issue. The recalled products were sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Denmark): Beauvais Foods A/S recalls Beauvais Beef Stroganoff (560g tin cans; Produced 18-11-2011/Best before October 2016, produced 14-12-2012/Best before October 2016, and produced 21-03-2012/Best before January 2017) and Beauvais Luxury Cocktail Sausages with skins (420g cans; Produced 26th October 2011 and 25th November 2011; Best before October 2016), due to the presence of undeclared soy in the cocktail sausages that are present in both recalled products.
  • Outbreak Alert (Belgium): Nineteen cases of E. coli O157 illnesses are reported in Limbourg. Three people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). All 19 illnesses are linked to the consumption of filet américain, a raw meat dish that is similar to steak tartare. Initial test results on samples of the filet américain and of sirloin from which it was prepared revealed the presence of E. coli O157. The contaminated meat was traced back to the cow from which it originated and the remaining meat was seized and will be destroyed.
  • Food Safety Alert (Italy): The Ministry of Health has extended for another 12 months a prohibition against the sale of eels from Lake Garda, due to contamination concerns.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0788): Aflatoxins in peanut paste from Côte d’Ivoire; distributed to Belgium.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0789): Salmonella Othmarschen in cumin powder from the United Kingdom; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0794): Atropine and scopolamine in buckwheat flour from Slovenia; distributed to Slovenia.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0795): Salmonella enteritidis in broiler leg meat from Lithuania; distributed to France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0796): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in razor clams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Spain and the United Kingdom.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0797): Salmonella Agona in soybean meal from Italy, via Switzerland; distributed to Austria.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0798): Unauthorized 1,3-dimethylamylamine in food supplement from the USA, via the Netherlands; distributed to Finland and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0799): Aflatoxins in spice mix from India; distributed to Ireland.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0800): Undeclared soya in chocolate biscuits from Italy; distributed to Iceland.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0801): Salmonella Agona in soybean meal from Italy; distributed to Austria.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0802): Undeclared mustard in curry sauce powder from Germany; distributed to Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0803): Mold infestation in yoghurt from Germany; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0804): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in razor clams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0805): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked bacon from Poland; distributed to Poland and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0806): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked halibut from France; distributed to France, Germany and Luxembourg.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0807): Campylobacter jejuni in whole fresh chicken from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0810): Unauthorized phenylbutazone in horse meat from the United Kingdom; distributed to France and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0813): Pieces of wood in ice creams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Ireland and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0814): Parasitic infestation with Anisakis of Atlantic mackerel from France; distributed to Italy.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0815): Salmonella Mbandaka in soy bean meal from Germany and Switzerland; distributed to Finland.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0817): Salmonella Group E in rape cake from Germany; distributed to Denmark and Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0820): Excessive Escherichia coli in chilled oysters from France; distributed to Belgium and France.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0804): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in razor clams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
  • Outbreak Alert (Zimbabwe): A total of 4,185 suspected cases of typhoid fever have been identified in Harare between October 25, 2011 and May 2, 2012. Fifty-two of the suspected cases were confirmed by blood or stool culture. Forty-three percent of the victims were hospitalized, and two people died. The outbreak is thought to be due to contaminated municipal drinking water.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection has received six reports of bacillary dystentery so far this month (June 1-14, 2012). Five of the six cases were determined to have been caused by Shigella sonnei infections. All five victims lived in Tuen Mun; three were hospitalized.
  • Food Safety Alert (Japan): The health ministry has decided to ban restaurants from serving raw beef liver, due to food poisoning concerns, according to a report in The Yomiuri Shimbun. The ban will go into effect on July 1st. Restaurant operators who ignore the ban could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined up to 2 million yen.
  • Food Safety Alert (China): The Beijing Food Safety Administration has accused a Beijing Wal-Mart store of selling sesame oil and squid with dangerous amounts of cancer-causing chemicals, according to a BBC report.
  • Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): Forty-seven percent (47%) of dried daikon slivers used in rick dumplings contain excessive levels of benzoic acid (a preservative), based on tests conducted by the New Taipei City health authorities, according to a report in The China Post.

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 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.