eFoodAlert is taking a winter break to recharge our batteries.
We’ll be back on February 9th, refreshed and ready to keep you informed of the latest developments in human and pet food safety issues.
One story we’ll be watching closely is the Purina situation. For some background, check out The Purina Affair podcast interview on The Petropolist.
Lea Way Farms, Inc., doing business as Blue Ridge Beef, today (December 21, 2023) announced a recall of three raw pet food products after the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services found both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in one lot of each of those products.
The recall covers the following items:
The recalled products were packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in retail stores located in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The lot numbers and use-by dates are located on the silver tabs at the end of the tubes.
To date, FDA has not received reports of any illnesses.
This is the second recall in less than two months for the company. On October 27, 2023, Blue Ridge Beef recalled a single production lot of Breeders Choice 2# log dog food after the FDA found Salmonella in a sample of the product.
The company’s production facility was first inspected by the FDA in December 2016. Subsequent inspections were performed in October 2019 and August 2020.
The 2019 inspection revealed major infractions of food safety practices, resulting in the issuance of a Warning Letter to the company on June 26, 2020. Some of the violations raised in the Warning Letter included,
The August 2020 inspection, carried out as a follow-up to the Warning Letter, revealed that the company had not yet rectified several of the violations listed in the June 26th letter.
Puppies and kittens are more susceptible to illness than adults. Pet owners who have fed the recalled products to their pets should be on the lookout for symptoms of infection.
Pets with Salmonella and Listeria infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The FDA relies on reports from pet owners and veterinarians for information on potentially hazardous pet foods. If you believe your pet was infected or harmed by consuming a pet food, you can report the issue electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or you can call your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators.
For more details on making a pet food complaint, visit How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
“A complete and compelling account of the hidden and not-so-hidden ways the food we give our beloved pets can be contaminated.” – JoNel Aleccia, Health Reporter, Food & Nutrition, The Associated Press.
“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News
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Salmonella-contaminated cantaloupe products are now blamed for eight deaths in a cross-border outbreak that has sent 140 people to hospital.
As of the latest reports from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), there have been 230 lab-confirmed cases reported in the USA and 129 in Canada.
Five deaths have been reported in Canada and three in the United States.
Six Canadian provinces have reported outbreak cases to the PHAC:
In the United States, cases have been reported by 38 states (see image below, supplied by the CDC).
Multiple recalls have been announced in both countries. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has activated a webpage devoted to listing the recalls announced publically in the USA. A list of Canadian recalls has been provided on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website.
Both the CDC and the PHAC have pointed out that children under the age of five and adults over the age of 65 have accounted for a large majority of the lab-confirmed cases in both countries.
In the USA, children under the age of five account for 27% of the confirmed cases to date, while seniors (over the age of 65) account for 47% of cases.
In Canada, 35% of the confirmed cases occurred in children under the age of five, while seniors accounted for 45% of confirmed cases.
The very young and the elderly typically are more susceptible to most infections than the rest of the population, and also are prone to experiencing more severe symptoms.
But there are other factors in play, which are highlighted by demographic data provided by the CDC.
Specifically, 23 children attended childcare centers, and 24 of the adult victims were residents of longterm care facilities among the 230 cases in the USA.
The PHAC also reported that many of the Canadian victims resided in a long-term care home, or a retirement residence, or attended daycare.
Many of the recalled products—especially many cut fruit products and fruit salads—were supplied to medical facilities, institutions, food service facilities, hotels, and restaurants.
Not all of these recalls have been made public in the United States. Instead, the recalling company communicated directly with its customers. For example:
Several of the cut fruit products and whole cantaloupes distributed in Canada also were supplied to hotels, food service operations and institutions (such as hospitals, longterm care facilities and child care facilities).
This outbreak is far from over, and the case counts are continuing to climb. Furthermore, the number of reported cases in any outbreak represents only a fraction of the total number of people who become infected.
Consumers are advised to discard and not consume Malichita or Rudy cantaloupes or any other recalled products. If you have whole or pre-cut cantaloupes or fruit cups, fruit platters, or fruit medleys in your home and are unsure of their origin, discard them as a precaution.
Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.
If you feel unwell, and especially if you have symptoms like diarrhea or vomiting, do not cook or prepare food for other people.
If you suspect you are suffering from a Salmonella infection, consult your healthcare provider.
Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?
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