Category: E. coli O157:H7

Recalls and Alerts: December 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: Rising Moon Organics® recalls Rising Moon Organics Mediterranean Garlic & Herb Ravioli (8-oz pkg; Sell by Apr 05 2012) due to the presence of undeclared soy. The recall was initiated as a result of a labeling error on the part of the copacker. The recalled product was distributed through retail stores nationwide.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Metro Plus (435, montée Paiement, Gatineau, QC) recalls Sandwich Smoke Meat (all products sold on or before 14 décembre 2011), due to the presence of undeclared egg.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Japan): Japan’s Ministry of Health reports that it has detected E. coli O157 within beef liver for the first time. Until now, it has only found surface contamination of beef livers with the pathogen. The findings may soon result in the government issuing a ban on the sale of raw liver by butchers and restaurants.

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.

Missouri Outbreak Mystery Solved

Romaine lettuce grown on an unnamed farm has been blamed for an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses that sickened 60 people in 10 states between October 10th and December 4th. CDC believes that the outbreak is now over.

Missouri reported the largest number of illnesses (37), but outbreak cases also occurred in Arizona (1), Arkansas (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (9), Indiana (2), Kansas (3), Kentucky (1), Minnesota (3) and Nebraska (1). Approximately two-thirds of the outbreak victims were hospitalized, and two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. Most of the illnesses occurred during the second half of October 2011.

The outbreak puzzled Missouri public health authorities for weeks. Illnesses appeared to be linked epidemiologically to salad bars located in supermarkets – mainly in the St. Louis area. Schnucks, the supermarket chain that appeared to be linked to the outbreak, acted quickly to remove any potentially offending produce items from its salad bars.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services analyzed 55 food samples in connection with the St. Louis area outbreak cases, but was unable to find a single E. coli-positive sample. Patient interviews and a comparison of eating patterns with those of healthy individuals in Missouri and other affected states pointed to romaine lettuce as a probable source of the illnesses.

Traceback studies determined that the romaine lettuce served at all of the Schnucks stores came from a single lettuce processing facility via a single distributor. Lettuce from the same farm also was supplied to university campuses in Minnesota and Missouri during the time of the outbreak illnesses.

An investigation was carried out at the implicated farm (identified by CDC simply as “Farm A”), but preliminary findings did not point to a source for the contamination. The farm was not in production during the investigation.

CDC considers this outbreak to be over, and has not issued outbreak-specific advice to consumers.

Recalls and Alerts: November 21, 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: Diamond Crystal Brands Inc. (Savannah, GA) recalls GFS® Sugar (12-oz; Lot G293 B), because the containers were inadvertently filled with non-dairy coffee creamer. The items were shipped in 24-can cases labeled GFS® non-dairy coffee creamer.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: California Department of Public Health posts list of retailers in California who were supplied with Romaine lettuce recalled by Ready Pac Foods, Inc. due to potential contamination with E. coli O157:H7. California supermarkets selling the recalled lettuce include Safeway, Boney’s, Harvest Ranch, Jonathan’s La Jolla, Stater Brothers, Vons/Pavillions and Supervalu/Albertsons.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Cuisine Pasta Casareccia inc (Montreal, QC) recalls Pesto Rosso al Pomodoro, because it contains undeclared parmesan cheese.
  • Allergy Alert: Fresh Direct Foods Ltd. recalls Get Fresh Veggie Cup (185g; All best before dates up to and including 11NO23), due to the presence of undeclared egg and milk.
  • Food Safety Recall: Cuisine Pasta Casareccia inc. (Montreal, QC ) recalls Pesto Classico Genovese (glass jars sold up to and including November 16th), because the pesto may not be safe for human consumption.
  • Food Safety Recall: Ginger Beef Choice Ltd. (Calgary, AB) expands its earlier recall of ready-to-eat products, because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Some of the products were distributed in bulk and sold from clerk-service counters at grocery stores. The recalled products (please refer to the recall notice for a detailed list) were distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (India): Six infants who live at the Shishu Gruha orphanage in Hanamkonda have been admitted to hospital for symptoms of food poisoning. Shishu Gruha is the only government-run children’s home for 0-6 year old orphans and abandoned children in Warangal, and is run directly by the district woman and child development agency.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating two suspected food poisoning incidents involving a total of seven patrons of a restaurant in Yau Tsim Mong district. The patients developed abdominal pain and diarrhea about three to 10 hours after dining at the restaurant. All seven people are in stable condition.
  • Contact Lens Safety Recall Update (Hong Kong and Singapore): Oculus Optical (H.K.) Co., Ltd recalls FreshKon Airis 1-Month contact lenses, imported into Hong Kong from Singapore. These CooperVision lenses are reported to have the same defect – a silicone oil residue – as the Avaira contact lenses that have been recalled by the manufacturer.

Latin America and the Caribbean

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.