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.

United States

• Allergy Alert: Giant Eagle recalls Cut Out Cookies, 10-ct (UPC 28968500000; All Lots; All Date codes), due to the presence of undeclared milk.
• Food Recall: Hawaii Candy recalls Hawaii Candy Fortune Cookies (UPC 073366-12950), Petite Wafers (UPC 073366-12952), Sesame Wafers (UPC 073366-12954) and Ginger Wafers (UPC 073366-12955), because the products contain undeclared Yellow #6 as an ingredient.
• Outbreak Alert: More than 175 children at the Pittsburgh Montessori PreK-8 in Friendship school (Pittsburgh, PA) became ill last week with suspected norovirus gastroenteritis. Seven teachers (nearly one-fourth of the staff) also were absent due to the same illness. The school building was closed on Friday for disinfection. Lab tests are under way to confirm the cause of the illness.
• Outbreak Alert: Three cases of E. coli infection have been confirmed in Boone County, Missouri. Two more cases are under investigation. County public health officials say that there is no connection to the St. Louis outbreak. Two of the Boone County victims were hospitalized.

Canada

• Food Safety Recall: Boucherie Fairmount (Montréal, QC) recalls Csabai sausages, because the sausages were not stored in a manner to ensure their safety. The public is advised not to consume this product.
• Food Safety Recall: CFIA announces the recall of Jones Hot Air Popcorn (2kg; Manufactured by Jones Popcorn), due to the insect contamination.
• Cosmetic Product Safety Recall: ITN Food Corporation recalls Black Henna Cone and Red Henna Cone (Manufactured in Pakistan; all lots), because the products contain phenol and other phenolic compounds, which can produce chemical burns to the skin. The recalled products were sold at various ethnic stores in Ontario and Quebec from December 2010 to May 2011.
• Consumer Product Safety Recall: Colgate-Palmolive recalls Colgate Motion Electric Toothbrush (battery-operated), after receiving several reports that the toothbrushes had “exploded.” The company is no longer manufacturing this toothbrush.

Europe

• Food Safety Alert (UK): The Food Standards Agency (FSA) warns the public that, since August, a high proportion of consignments of paan leaves – also known as betel leaves – imported from Bangladesh and India have been found to be contaminated with Salmonella. As paan leaves typically are chewed raw, this represents a risk of Salmonella food poisoning. At the request of FSA, local port authorities are sampling and testing all consignments of paan leaves presented for import.
• Food Recall (Belgium): Colruyt and OKay recall several lots of Everyday U.H.T. milk, 1L boxes, including whole milk, part-skim milk and skim milk, following customer complaints concerning taste and odor. Please refer to the recall notice for details of the affected production lots.
• Food Recall (Belgium): Carrefour recalls Carrefour Discount brand Whole Milk (1L carton; Lot #111678, 111724 and 111732), due to off-taste or unusual odor.
• Food Advisory: Delhaize advises its customers that certain boxes of the following milk may, in time, develop an altered taste or odor, due to a sporadic technical malfunction at the manufacturer: Delhaize 365 Ecrémé lait (Lot 111891 and 111892; Expiry 28/01/2012).

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Food Safety Alert (Singapore): The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore advises the public that Società cooperativa agricola G.M.G F. ar.l. dei F.lli Gaudiano, Italy, has, as a precautionary measure, initiated a market recall of all batches and sizes of olives stuffed with almonds dated from 2010 and 2011. This was because two cases of botulism found in Finland has been linked to the consumption of the olives. There is no import of the affected products into Singapore. Nevertheless, AVA advises consumers who have bought the implicated products, whilst overseas, to discard the products and not to consume them.

Australia and New Zealand

• Allergy Alert (New Zealand): Bon-Soy recalls Bon-Soy Phyto-Nutraceutical soy milk powder (500g; all batches) and Bon-Rice Phyto-Nutraceutical rice milk powder (450g; all batches), due to the presence of undeclared casein, a milk protein. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of stores where the products were sold.
• Food Safety Recall (Australia): Charlie’s Group Australia Pty Ltd. recalls Phoenix Ginger Beer (330ml; Best Before 22/08/12), Phoenix Creaming Soda (330ml; Best Before 22/08/12), Phoenix Cola Cluster Pack (4 x330ml; Best Before 22/08/12), Phoenix Orange Fizz (330ml; Best Before 23/08/12), Phoenix Sparkling Apple (300ml; Best Before 23/08/12), and Phoenix Sparkling Blood Orange (300ml; Best Before 23/08/12), because some of the bottles were inadequately pasteurized. As a result, the contents of some bottles may ferment, increasing the risk of shattering.
• OTC Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Australia): Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd recalls Savacol Antiseptic Mouth & Throat Rinse Alcohol Free chlorhexidine gluconate 2 mg/mL mouthwash bottle (manufactured by Gaba International AG Active, Switzerland; All unexpired batch numbers), due to microbial contamination.

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.