Category: E. coli O157:H7

Recalls and Alerts: January 31, 2013

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: Isabella Foods (El Paso, TX) recalls Isabella Foods of El Paso Green Chicken Tamales (36-oz pkgs of 12 tamales; Est P-13389; Produced through Jan 18, 2013) and Isabella Foods of El Paso Red Pork Tamales (36-oz pkgs of 12 tamales; Est 1960; Produced through Jan 18, 2013), due to undeclared wheat or soy. The recalled products were supplied to institutions and retail stores in the El Paso, Texas area.
  • Food Safety Recall: San José Valley Veal (Santa Clara, CA) recalls San Jose Valley Veal and Beef Inc. boneless veal trimmings (60-lb cardboard box cases; Est 2828; Case codes L-1 11112, L-1 11212, L-1 11512, L-1 11612, L-1 11712, L-1 11812 or L-1 11912; Produced between November 1st and November 9th, 2012), because the trimmings may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled products were transported to a federal facility for further distribution.
  • OTC Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. (Parsippany, NJ) recalls Theraflu ® Warming Relief Flu and Sore Throat (8.3 oz. UPC 300436265081; Lot 10108935, 10096570, 10121298, 10123035, 10106483, & 10126716), Theraflu® Daytime Warming Relief Severe Cold and Cough (8.3 oz.; UPC 300430461083; Lot 10096571, 10117845, 10102070, 10118134, 10118135, 10126586, & 10126729), Theraflu® Daytime/Nighttime Severe Cold & Cough Value Pack (UPC 300436412164; Lot 10120065, 10116591A, 10116591, 10116593, 10106487, 10108285, 10116594, 10116597, 10116598, 10116600, 10116601, & 10116602), Theraflu® Nighttime Warming Relief Severe Cold and Cough (8.3 oz.; UPC 300430460086; Lot 10104954, 10104955, 10107018, 10118113, 10123039, 10104956, & 10126861), Theraflu® Warming Relief Cold and Chest Congestion (8.3 oz.; UPC 300436296085; Lot 10106482, 10102071, 10113497, 10122891, 10123274, 10126440, & 10128457), Theraflu® Warming Relief Sinus and Cold (8.3 oz.; UPC 300436407085; Lot 10095358 & 10104966), Triaminic® Chest and Nasal Congestion (4 oz; UPC 300436347046; Lot 10092515, 10095554, 10098503, 10106046, & 10106233), Triaminic® Cold and Allergy (4 oz.; UPC 300436346049; Lot 10092519, 10096507, 10092518, 10102344, 10102052, 10098505, 10106511, 10099191, 10122929, & 10125956), and Triaminic® Cough and Sore Throat (4 oz.; UPC 300436348043; Lot 10104678, 10107025, 10107026, 10117681, 10118052, & 10126850) because the child-resistant feature of the bottle cap may not function properly, enabling the cap to be removed with the tamper-evident seal still in place. The recalled syrups were manufactured in the company’s Lincoln, NE facility prior to December 2011 and were distributed nationwide.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: FoodState Inc. (Derry, NH) recalls MegaFood One Daily Tablets (60, 90, and 180 tablets/bottle; Lot #10613, 10724 through 10728, 11246 and 12191) because the packaging is not child-resistant as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. The recalled products were sold at  Sprouts Farmers Market, Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods Market and other natural food stores nationwide from June 2012 to October 2012.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: CDC reports that a total of 20 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium as a result of contact with pet hedgehogs purchased from multiple breeders in different states have been reported from eight states: Alabama (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), Ohio (3), Oregon (1), and Washington (7). Four of the 20 victims were hospitalized. One death associated with this outbreak was reported in Washington state.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Boucherie Mimmo inc (Montreal, QC) recalls a number of meat products due to undeclared milk, wheat, soy, nuts, and/or sesame seeds. Please refer to the recall notice for a detailed list of affected products.
  • Food Safety Recall: GNG Food Service Inc. recalls GNG Food Service Inc. Hummous (5kg and 11kg; Production date 15.January 2013; Expiry Date 30. January 2013), due to Listeria contamination. The recalled product was supplied to hotels, restaurants and/or institutions in Ontario.
  • OTC Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Novartis Consumer Health Canada Inc. recalls the following products, due to defective child-resistant bottle caps: Jack & Jill Cough Syrup (100mL; DIN 00622036), Jack & Jill Children’s Formula Cough Liquid (100mL; DIN 00823023), Jack & Jill Cough & Cold (100mL; DIN 02242588), Jack & Jill Bedtime (100mL; DIN 02241167), Jack & Jill Expectorant (100mL; DIN 02350084), Triaminic Cough and Cold (100mL; DIN 02243739), Triaminic Cold & Nightime Cough (100 mL; DIN 00896179), Triaminic Cough, Cold & Fever (100 mL; DIN 02239666), Triaminic Cough & Sore Throat (100 mL; DIN 02130564), Triaminic Chest & Nasal Congestion (100 mL; DIN 02278308), Triaminic Long Acting Cough (100 mL; DIN 02277972), Neo Citran Extra Strength Nightime Total Cold and Flu (245 mL; DIN 02275961), Neo Citran Extra Strength Daytime Total Cold and Flu (245 mL; DIN 02275988), Neo Citran Extra Strength Chest Congestion, Cold and Mucous Relief (245 mL; DIN 02304740), Buckley’s Complete (150 mL and 250 mL; DIN 02279703), Buckley’s Complete with Mucous Relief Extra Strength (150 mL and 250 mL; DIN 02357232, and Buckley’s Complete PM Nightime (150 mL; DIN 02356457).

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Denmark): Lantmännen Danpo A / S recalls Chicky World Fried Hot Wings, frozen (1kg bags; All expiry dates up to and including January 2014), due to undeclared celery.
  • Allergy Alert (UK): Tesco withdraws Tesco Mini Chocolate Crispies (49g; Batch #2292, 2295, 2303, 2319, 3021; All Best before dates between and including 19 May 2013 and 30 June 2013), due to undeclared soya.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2013.0103): Defective packaging of food supplements from the Netherlands; distributed to the Netherlands and Taiwan.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2013.0104): Undeclared milk ingredients in chilled mortadella from Italy; distributed to Denmark.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2013.0105): Undeclared celery in hot chicken wings from Denmark; distributed to Denmark, Germany, Malta and Norway.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

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 website.
*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: January 28, 2013

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: Advance Pierre Foods (Enid, OK) recalls Fast Classics Chicken Fried Chicken Breasts (22.75-oz pouches and cases containing 6 x 22.75-oz pouches; Est P-2260Y; Best by Jan 22, 2014; Lot #1522960202; UPC 75901-33100), because the product may contain small pieces of metal. The recalled product was supplied to Walmart stores  in Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
  • Food Safety Recall: Whole Foods Market recalls Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon cold smoked salmon (4 oz; Lot code 7425A2298B; UPC 0 99482 40880 0), after a sample of the product tests positive for Listeria. The recalled product was sold in Whole Foods Market stores in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah.
  • Food Safety Recall: Sprouters Northwest (Kent, WA) recalls Sprouters Northwest brand Clover Sprouts (4-oz container, 5-oz container, 1-lb bag & 2-lb tray; Best by 1/26/2013), Brocco Sandwich Sprouts (4-oz container; Best by 1/26/2013), Spicy Sprouts (4-oz container; Best by 1/26/2013) and Alfalfa Sprouts (3-oz container & 4-oz container; Best by 1/31/2013), after two samples collected at retail locations by the Washington State Department of Agriculture were found to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled sprouts were supplied from 1/10/13 to 1/18/13 in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia (Canada) through retail stores and food service distribution.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: D&S Herbals, LLC, dba Freedom Trading (Woodbridge, NJ) recalls Super Power capsules (2-count blister pack; Batch Lot #L08108; Expiration date 06/2015), after tests conducted by an independent lab detected trace amounts of sildenafil in the product.
  • Personal Care Product Withdrawal: Topco Associates expands its earlier Market Withdrawal of Top Care Foaming Antibacterial Hand Soap Complete to include all lot codes, due to the presence of white floating particles throughout the product.
  • Personal Care Product Withdrawal: Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. withdraws K-Y® TINGLING® Jelly, K-Y® Sensitive Jelly and K-Y® SILK-E® Vaginal Moisturizer and Personal Lubricant after a review process determined that these items may require submission of new data to support a new medical device clearance (510(k)) application.

Canada

  • Outbreak Alert Final Update: The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have concluded their investigation into an outbreak of five cases of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses (three in Ontario and two in Alberta) associated with the consumption of frozen beef burgers. The source of the outbreak was Butcher’s Choice Garlic Peppercorn frozen beef burgers, manufactured by Cardinal Meat Specialists Limited. The implicated beef was recalled in December 2012.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Nutrition & Santé Benelux recalls Céréal Gaufrettes Choco / Chocowafels (90g; Lot 2L0755; Expiry 13.08.2013), due to the possible presence of traces of rodenticide in the milk powder ingredient.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): The Co-operative recalls The Co-operative Breaded Chicken Nuggets (425g; Best before end October 2013; Batch codes L2288 6B and L2288 6C), because plastic has been found in some of the packets.
  • Contact Lens Safety Recall (France): Johnson & Johnson Vision Care recalls 1-Day ACUVUE MOIST Contact Lenses (Lot #2054895620) and ACUVUE ADVANCE with HYDRACLEAR Contact Lenses (Lot #B00DJPQ), because incomplete package seals may compromise the sterility of the contact lenses.
  • Pet Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0093): Salmonella typhimurium in dog chew from Argentina; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0095): Ochratoxin A in coffee from Belgium; distributed to Belgium and France.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2013.0096 & 2013.0097): Undeclared milk ingredient in frozen breaded prefried fish with improper packaging from Sweden; distributed to Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0098): Glass fragments in jarred cherries from Germany; distributed to Germany.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Saudi Arabia): The Saudi Food and Drug Authority alerts the population that 250-ml, 2-liter, 1-gallon and 5-liter containers of potable water bottled by Naqa Al Shallal Factory (Makkah) exceeds the maximum concentration of bromate permitted in bottled water. The company has been instructed to withdraw the product from the market and cease manufacturing until it is in compliance.

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 website.

*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.

Adulteration – In The Eyes Of The Beholden?

“Salmonella on a raw uncooked product is not, in and of itself, a public health risk … Salmonella on a raw uncooked hamburger does not make it adulterated. It does not mean that the plant is not operating in an unsanitary way.”

– Patrick Boyle, CEO of the American Meat Institute, in a 2002 Frontline interview

E. coli O157:H7 is a human pathogen that can be found in the intestines of cattle and other ruminants. In 2009-2010, this single serotype of shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC) was responsible for thirteen multistate disease outbreaks. USDA recognizes E. coli O157:H7 and six other STEC serotypes as adulterants in raw beef.

Salmonella is a human pathogen that can be found in the intestines of cattle and many other animals. In 2009-2010, Salmonella was behind twenty-one multistate disease outbreaks. Yet, as far as USDA is concerned, Salmonella is NOT an adulterant in raw beef.

According to the Federal Meat Inspection Act, meat is considered “adulterated” if  “…it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health…“ A USDA training program explains that, “… E. coli O157:H7 is considered to be an added substance because it is introduced to the product during processing. For example, it is spread from the hide or digestive tract of the animals during slaughter or processing. It is injurious to health because one of the normal ways of cooking this product includes “rare” which is not sufficient to destroy the pathogen.”

In case anyone at USDA hasn’t noticed, Salmonella also is ” … spread from the hide or digestive tract of the animals during slaughter or processing.“ And Salmonella, likewise, is not destroyed by “rare” cooking of meat.

Since October 2011, the CDC has reported three multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections that were linked to consumption of contaminated ground beef.

  • Between October 8th and December 17th, 2011, twenty persons in seven states were infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. Victims included a child less than one year of age, and a 79-year-old individual. Eight people were hospitalized. The illnesses were traced to ground beef purchased from Hannaford supermarkets.
  • Between June 6th and July 27th, 2012, forty-six persons in nine states were infected with Salmonella Enteritidis. The youngest outbreak victim was three years old; the eldest was 101. Twelve people were hospitalized. The outbreak was traced to ground beef produced on a single date at a Cargill Meat Solutions production facility.
  • On January 25, 2013, CDC announced a new outbreak. Sixteen people in five states have been infected with the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak strain so far. Seven of the outbreak victims reported eating raw ground beef kibbeh at a restaurant in Michigan. Seven of the 16 outbreak victims were hospitalized. CDC considers that ground beef produced by two companies – Jouni Meats, Inc., and Gab Halal Foods – is the likely source of the outbreak.

In 2001, a Texas-based meat processor (Supreme Beef) successfully fought USDA’s efforts to set limits on Salmonella in raw meat, after the Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling in the company’s favor. USDA chose NOT to take the battle to the US Supreme Court. The following year, an effort by the Senator Tom Harkin, the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, to introduce legislation to clarify USDA’s authority was opposed – successfully – by the American Meat Institute.

In short, more than ten years ago, USDA tucked its collective head back into its tortoise shell, even though Salmonella is, BY DEFINITION OF THE FEDERAL MEAT INSPECTION ACT, an adulterant.

Are USDA and Congress waiting for raw beef to be the source of a FATAL Salmonella outbreak before scraping together the courage to oppose the American Meat Institute lobby? Are those responsible for food safety so beholden to – or frightened of – the meat lobby that nothing else will embolden them to take action?

Someone explain this to me. Please!