Category: E. coli

Recalls and Alerts: August 11, 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: Mama LaRosa Foods, Inc. (Taylor, MI) recalls Mama LaRosa, SOFO, Derby, and Flavor Peak Italian Style Dough Balls for use as pizza dough or bread sticks and SOFO Supreme 1 Italian Style Dough Balls for use as pizza dough or bread sticks, because the products contain undeclared wheat and milk. Please navigate via the live link to view the list of affected lot numbers. The recalled products were distributed in Michigan, Indiana, Louisiana, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
  • Allergy Alert: Unilever United States, Inc. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ) recalls Popsicle® brand Sugar Free Orange, Cherry and Grape flavored ice pops (24-count; Date codes OCT0312GCD, OCT0412GCD, OCT0512GCD, OCT0612GCD and OCT0712GCD), due to the presence of undeclared milk. Due to an error, the boxes contain Popsicle® brand Sugar Free Healthy Bunch® Fudgsicle® and Creamsicle® ice pops. The recalled products were distributed in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC (North Branch, MI) recalls McNees Ground Beef Bulk (36 – 10 lb. bags; Est 33971; Produced July 15 and July 21, 2011) because the product may be contaminated with E. coli O157:NM. The recalled products which were sold to restaurants in Armada, Lapeer and North Branch, MI and also from McNees retail store, have been linked to nine confirmed and probable cases of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli illnesses in Lapeer, Genesse, Isabella and Sanilac counties in Michigan. Six of the nine victims were hospitalized.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: Island Sea Farms Inc. (Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada) recalls raw mussels packed in 40 lb cases containing 8 x 5 lb. bags (Saltspring Island Mussels Aquacultured Edulis Mussels – 5 lbs. All lots including Lot #289), because the mussels have been linked to cases of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning in Canada. The mussels were distributed in California, Hawaii and Washington states.
  • Food Safety Recall: Specialty Commodities, Inc. (Fargo, ND) recalls Organic Spinach Flakes (10Kg net; Product of China; Lot #SF11001 and #37582), because the product is contaminated with Salmonella.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert Update: USDA issues updated retail distribution list for ground turkey recalled by Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation due to contamination with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg. The recalled meat has been linked to a 31-state outbreak of illness that has affected 107 people and killed one.
  • Outbreak Alert: Patrons of the Olive Garden restaurant at 234 North McPherson Church Road who visited the restaurant on or before August 8, 2011 may have been exposed to a restaurant employee who was diagnosed with a hepatitis A viral infection. The Cumberland County Public Health Department has administered approximately 1,450 doses of Hepatitis A immunizations since Tuesday (August 9th), and is continuing to offer the immunization to restaurant patrons. Please refer to the County’s News Release for details on who is eligible for the immunization.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a cluster of five acute hepatitis A virus infections in Northern Lincoln County. Two cases have been confirmed. The index case reported recent international travel; the other four individuals had close contact with the first patient.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Taibah Group Inc. recalls Simba Mbili Virani Curry Powder, 100g (Sell by 31 Oct 2012; Batch 19 11), due to the presence of undeclared gluten.
  • Allergy Alert: Dorgel Ltd. recalls Farm Boy Mango Sorbet, 700 mL (Lot 1611, BB 12-06-10), due to the presence of undeclared milk.
  • Food Safety Recall: Thrifty Foods recalls several Sterling Silver brand ground beef products (Best Before August 11, 2011), because they may contain small pieces of metal and plastic. The recalled ground beef products were sold only at Thrifty Foods, Store #8-Colwood, 1860 Island Highway, Victoria, BC.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: The Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency are investigating a multi-provincial outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. The illnesses have been linked to consumption of White Valley brand Grain Fed Veal Liver products, which were distributed in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. White Veal Meat Packers Ltd. (Est. 412) has recalled the implicated products.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: Raw mussels from Salt Spring Island, contaminated with Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning biotoxin, have sickened 50 people.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Saudi Arabia): The Saudi Food & Drug Authority warns the public that laboratory analysis of potable drinking water samples from Athiba Water Limited Company Factory and Manahil Al Qassim Health Water Factory revealed excessive levels of Bromate in the water samples.
  • Food Recall (Israel): Coca-Cola Israel recalls Diet Kinley Mandarin flavored beverages (1.5-liter bottles), because the beverages contain undeclared Phenylalanine.
  • Chinese Medicine Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health (DH) today (August 10) urges members of the public not to buy or use three proprietary Chinese medicines (pCms) named [LuShenPai] Specific Hou Ton Qing (HTQ) (registration no.: HKP-01694; batch no.:100601), [Chung Lien] Bi Yan Pian (BYP) (registration no.: HKP-00241; batch no.:48911004), and [AA] Pe Min Kan Wan (PMKW) (registration no.: HKP-13005; batch no.: 1495), as DH’s drug surveillance programme found them to contain excessive amount of heavy metals.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a cluster of 14 food poisoning illnesses. The victims had lunch during a private party at a private clubhouse in Tsim Sha Tsui.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: August 5, 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

  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation (Springdale, AR) recalls approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that may be contaminated with multi-drug resistant Salmonella Heidelberg. The recall is associated with a 26-state outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections that has killed one California resident and sickened at least 77 other individuals across the US.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: USDA publishes retail distribution list for meat products recalled by SHSCO Manufacturing LLC (Phoenix, AZ) due to the meat having been produced without federal inspection.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: USDA publishes retail distribution list for ready-to-eat chicken products recalled by Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (Mount Pleasant, TX) due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Safety Recall: Food City recalls Food Club Roasted Red Pepper Dip. No details given.
  • Food Safety Recall: Murdick’s Famous Fudge of Charlevoix (Bridge Street location, only) recalls individually wrapped caramels, peanut brittle, cashew brittle and saltwater taffy, because they may have been handled by some employees who were exhibiting symptoms typical of norovirus.
  • Outbreak Alert: Washington State Department of Health reports that 22 people have become infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus after eating raw oysters. Eighteen of the illnesses are linked to commercial operations and four to recreational harvesting in Puget Sound and on the Washington coast.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Les Cuisines Rochette (1976) Inc. recalls Rochette, President’s Choice and unbranded (Cuisines Rochette) meat pies and chicken pies, due to contamination with metal fragments. Please navigate to the recall notice for details. The recalled products were distributed in Quebec and Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: W.S.A. Foods Canada Inc. recalls Halayeb (Arabic) Roomy Cheese (500g; Expiry OCT 2012), due to contamination with E. coli. The recalled cheese was sold in Quebec.
  • Food Recall: Walmart Canada Corp recalls Great Value brand Four Cheese Pizza Pillow (400g; all codes) due to an unspecified labelling issue.
  • Food Recall: Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd. recalls Freybe Smoket Pastrami (Incorrectly labelled as “Turkey & Chicken Pastrami on the front label), because of incorrect labeling. The recall affects 175g packages with Best Before date and product code of Aug 22, 2011 110517MHPP.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Defco A/S recalls Smart Cooking Chicken Tern and Smart Cooking Chicken Strips (200g; Best before dates up to and including 17/8/2011), due to fermentation in the packages resulting from excessive levels of lactic acid bacteria.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Lidl Denmark recalls Gold Pot Roast Pork, 500g (Label reads “Packaged 17-08-11; Best before 24-09-11), due to an incorrect packaging and expiry date.
  • Food Recall (Belgium): Nutrilab recalls Biofood Pine Nuts (Pignons de pin), 100g (Expiry 02/2012 and 06/2012) because nuts from the variety Pinus Armandii was found in some packages. This variety can leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of some consumers.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (France): Innotech International recalls Pharmatex Spermicidal Vaginal Cream, 54mg single dose package (Lot 11011) due to a defect in the seal that could result in leakage of the cream.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1042): Multiple Salmonella serotypes in soybean meal from Brazil, via the Netherlands and via Denmark; distributed to Finland.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2011.1044): Undeclared nuts in milk chocolate from Germany; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1045): Ochratoxin A in sweet ground pepper with raw material from Peru; distributed to Poland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1047): Listeria monocytogenes in raw milk cheese from France; distributed to Denmark, France and the Netherlands.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1052): Listeria monocytogenes in thawed smoked salmon from Poland; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1053): Mineral oil in unsalted butter from France; distributed to France and Spain.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1055): Aflatoxins in ground nutmeg from India, via the Netherlands; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1056): Trifluralin in catfish fillets from Vietnam; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1058): High aluminum content in dried noodles of different flavour from China; distributed to Malta.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1059): Elevated residue level for sulfadimethoxine in frozen veal from Italy; distributed to Germany and Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1060): Enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus in garlic powder from China, via the Netherlands; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1061): Histamine in chilled tuna from Sri Lanka, via the Netherlands; distributed to Luxembourg.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Hong Kong & Macao): Luen Cheong Hong Ltd. recalls 0.3% Potassium Chloride and 0.9% Sodium Chloride IV Infusion (Batch OG705) after the Hospital Authority detected failure in a preliminary sterility tests. The affected batch was imported from Thailand into Hong Kong; some 400 units were re-exported to Macao and the remainder were supplied to Hospital Authority hospitals in Hong Kong.
  • Chinese Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong & Macao): Han-Fang Chinese Medicine Company Limited recalls 16 Sheng Foong Brand Chinese herbal products (all batches) after the Macao Health Bureau finds two plasticizers in some of the products.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a confirmed case of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O124:H19 infection in a 71-year-old woman with underlying illness. The woman also is infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This is the first report of E. coli O124:H19 in Hong Kong.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: July 22, 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

  • Food Recall: Buehler’s (Smith’s) recalls 2% Milk (1/2 gallon containers; Lot code July 27), because the milk may have oxidized. This is not a safety issue, according to Buehler’s.
  • FDA Enforcement Action: The US District Court for the Western District has granted FDA’s motion for summary judgment and entered an order of permanent injunction against Rhody Dairy, LLC and its owner, after Rhody Dairy failed to administer drugs to animals with adequate control measures, such as keeping complete records to ensure that animals are not over-medicated or sent to slaughter too soon after treatment with animal drugs. According to the ruling, these practices constitute “insanitary conditions” that may render food harmful to health under the Act. Legal action was taken after FDA investigators documented the farm’s unlawful practices during several inspections over the course of the past decade.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (France): Société Dumortier recalls Bouton d’Or chez Intermarché  Shallot Vinaigrette (Vinaigrette à Echalote), 500mL (Lot #L11126 S02; Best before 06/05/2012), due to the presence of undeclared mustard.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): Sainsbury’s recalls Taste the Difference Melting Middle 2 Smoked Haddock with Cheddar and Leek Fishcakes ( Use by 14 July 2011), because the product may be contaminated with small pieces of metal.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert (Denmark): Romer Product recalls Romer Product Organic Tofu, 500g glass jar (Drained weight 200g; Best before 20/04-2014 and 10/05-2014), because the product may contain botulinum toxin.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): O. Kavli A/S recalls Sunsweet prunes (400g bag; Best before October 2012), because some of the prunes have fermented.
  • Food Safety Withdrawal (Norway): Nelson Garden withdraws Product Number 5665 Hot Mix Series Primo Vitamino seed mix for sprouting, because the seed mix contains fenugreek seeds that were imported from Egypt. The withdrawn seed mix was on the market since November 2010.
  • Outbreak Alert (UK): For the second time in a month, a ward at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry has been closed to new admissions due to an outbreak of Norovirus.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (France): The strain of E. coli O104:H4 that was behind the outbreak in Gironde (Bordeaux) has been determined to correspond genetically to the strain that was recovered during the German outbreak.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0988): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in chilled mussels from the United Kingdom; distributed to France and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0990): Formetanate in peppers from Turkey; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0991): Salmonella in liquid egg protein from Austria; distributed to Austria and Croatia.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0992): Aflatoxins in mold-infested dried rice flour from India; distributed to Austria, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0993): Aflatoxins in sunflower seeds from Turkey; distributed to Germany and Turkey.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2011.0994): Excessive caffeine in food supplement from the United States, via Sweden; distributed to Norway.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0995): Mercury in chilled little tunny from Greece; distributed to Italy.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Medical Device Safety Recall (Brazil): Incomepe Indústria de Materiais Cirúrgicos Ltda. recalls Protese Parcial de Quadril Tipo Thompson Incomepe/Thompson Type Partial Hip Implant (Lot 013 921; Models 3003900/Ø39; 3004100/Ø41; 3004300/Ø43; 3004500/Ø45; 3004700/Ø47; 3004900/Ø49; 3005100/Ø51; 3005300 / Ø53), after tests identify gaps in the quality of raw materials and 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.