Category: norovirus

Recalls and Alerts: June 22, 2012

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: Living Harvest recalls Living Harvest Hempmilk (32-oz; All flavors; Best before August 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012), due to product clumping. The recalled product was sold at Buehler’s Fresh Foods and may also have been sold at other retailers.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: CDC reports that a total of 15 persons have now been confirmed to be part of the outbreak of E. coli O145 in Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (5) and Tennessee (1). One death has been reported in Louisiana, and four of the 15 victims were hospitalized. The source of this outbreak still has not been identified.
  • Outbreak Alert: Seven attendees at a nationwide meeting of county commissioners held in Portland, Oregon became ill after eating breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Northeast Portland. All seven at eggs benedict; an eighth person who also ate eggs benedict had the hollandaise sauce on the side, and did not become ill. Lab tests confirmed that two of the seven people were sickened by Staphylococcus aureus toxin. The other five people were not tested, and none of the sauce was available for lab testing.
  • Outbreak Alert: About 40 students attending a program at George Mason University developed gastroenteritis, thought to be due to a norovirus infection.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): Frozen Value Ltd withdraws Picard Chocolate and Pistachio Cones (box of 6 ice creams; Best before March 2013), because the product contains traces of undeclared peanut.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Aldi K/S recalls Whole, fresh chilled chicken (1300g; Lot 25069280; Best before 12-06-2012; Product of Germany), after Campylobacter was detected in a sample of the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Thailandia Import recalls Fresh red chili pepper (100g plastic bag; Lot #603-900), after insect larvae were found in the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Kohberg Bakery Group A/S recalls Kohberg Kanelgifler (260g; Lot code B4, B5 and B6; Best before 26/6-2012, 27/6-2012 and 28/6-2012), due to mold growth.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Belgium): Five people remain hospitalized due to an STEC E. coli outbreak that has sickened 21 people in Limbourg.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Marchetti Smallgoods recalls Marchetti Leg Ham, sliced (approx. 200g vacuum-sealed pkg; Use by 05.07.12), because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled product was sold in small independent supermarkets in Victoria.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: June 17, 2012

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: Truitt Bros., Inc. (Salem, OR) recalls Truitt Brothers Pacific Northwest Premium Navy Beans (15-oz can; UPC 8222524145; Can code MDSB S1GTD Best By: 7/18/14), due to the presence of undeclared soy, after it was discovered that a chili like product containing soy was labeled and distributed as Premium Navy Beans. The recalled product was distributed in Oregon, Washington and Northern California through retail stores between December 1, 2011 and June 15, 2012.
  • Outbreak Alert: Contra Costa County Environmental Health officials have ordered the closing of California Pizza Kitchen at Broadway Plaza (Walnut Creek, CA) after test results confirmed a norovirus outbreak among customers and staff that is connected with salad served at the restaurant on Thursday, June 7th.
  • Outbreak Alert: Oneida County (New York) Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of six confirmed cases of cryptosporidium that may be related to a recent Farmfest event, according to barfblog.
  • Outbreak Alert: Two river-running companies operating in the Grand Canyon have reported incidents of gastrointestinal illnesses typical of norovirus. Coconino County health workers are sampling latrines and other waste for norovirus, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Dole Foods of Canada recalls Dole Fruit Cocktail (2.84L size; Lot code IOMSO41BQ, 2224A FRTC; Costco Item #275589), because the product may contain small glass particles. The recalled product may have been sold by Costco Wholesale in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba provinces between April 1st, 2011 and June 14th, 2012.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Sanofi Pasteur recalls all Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, because of problems in the manufacturing facility that Health Canada believes may have affected the vaccine quality.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Hilton Foods Denmark A/S recalls Minced Pork and Minced Pork/Veal (500g; Produced 29.05.2012; Best before 05.06.2012 and 06.06.2012), due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Fa. Fromi GmbH recalls Chaource Tradition, Chaource Nu Tradition, Chaource Fromi, Chaource Fromi Nu, and Chaource AOC Lincet Metro cheeses (Product of France; 250g and 500g pkgs; Best before 07.07.2012, 08.07.2012, 09.07.2012 and 13.07.2012) due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Reimann Wurstliebhaber GmbH recalls Teewurst, loser Verkauf sausages, due to Salmonella detection. The recalled product was distributed in Thuringia.
  • Cosmetic Product Safety Recall (France): French authorities order the recall of “TCQ Plus Phase 2 – Nano Hydra Keratin” hair treatment (500mL; Product of Mexico), because the product contains excessive (2.5%) formaldehyde.
  • Cosmetic Product Safety Alert (Switzerland): The Federal Office of Public Health warns consumers that Pullach Hof Kartoffel-Erdäpfel Creme cosmetic cream (Manufactured by Stolz GmbH, Germany; 250ml; Lot #0370; Best before 30.11.2014 ) preseents a health risk, as it has been found to be contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and should not be used.
  • Medical Device Safety Alert (UK): The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency warns the public of the sale of fake digital thermometers that can give inaccurate readings. The agency seized more than 400 of these thermometers after raids in Harrow and Oxford, according to BBC.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0821): Listeria monocytogenes in chilled meat product from the Czech Republic; distributed to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0826): Mercury in chilled swordfish from Spain; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0827): Aflatoxins in roasted kernels from Turkey; distributed to Romania.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0829): Salmonella spp. in frozen pork meat from Germany; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0830): Histamine in canned tuna fish in sunflower oil from Thailand; distributed to Denmark.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): The Taiwan FDA is investigating whether shellfish imported from South Korea may be contaminated. At least four people have fallen ill in Taiwan since October 2011 after eating South Korean seafood, according to the China Post. Recently, the US FDA removed all South Korean shellfish from its list of approved countries and urged the removal of South Korean shellfish from the US market.
  • Food Safety Recall/Alert (Hong Kong): Great Pilot International Ltd. recalls ACE Family Grilled Grouper (original), imported from Thailand (95g pkg; Best before February 15, 2013), after the product is found to contain Tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxin. The company has surrendered its remaining stock to the Centre for Food Safety, who urges members of the public not to consume the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (China): Yili Group recalls Quan You Baby Formula (Produced between November 2011 and May 2012), due to an unusual level of mercury contamination, according to BBC.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: June 11, 2012

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

  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: California Innovations, Inc. (Toronto, Canada) recalls Cryofreeze Ice/Hot Packs (6″ x 5.5″ and 8.5″ x 8″; Opaque blue wrappers), Cryofreeze Transparent Cell Ice/Hot Packs (three-cell pack and 2-cell pack styles) and Arctic Zone Ice Packs (6.25″ x 4″ with opaque blue wrapper). The recalled products were manufactured in China and sold at mass merchandise and warehouse stores, other retailers, distributors and on-line sellers nationwide between July 2007 and December 2008 in items that retailed between $5 and $28. If damaged, the recalled gel packs can leak gel that could contain diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can cause illness if ingested in large amounts.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Scholtens Inc. recalls Granny Appleton Crystallized Ginger (125g; All codes) due to the presence of undeclared sulphites. The recalled product was sold in Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: Saputo Inc. recalls Dairyland 1% M.F. Partly Skimmed Milk (120mL; Best before 2012 JN01 and 2012 JN04), due to the presence of harmful extraneous material. The recalled product was distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutions in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
  • Food Safety Recall: Pepsico Beverages Canada recalls Gatorade Perform G Thirst Quencher – Orange (905mL; Code #0402TT2; UPC 55577 10631), due to the presence of a chemical additive. The recalled product was sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (France): Casino recalls Tous Les Jours chez Casino Sardines en Boîte à l’huile végétale/Canned Sardines in vegetable oil  (120g can; Lot #BJ.L 019F; Best by 19/01/2017) and Tous Les Jours chez Casino Sardines en Boîte à la sauce tomate/Canned Sardines in tomato sauce (120g; Lot #BJ.L 020F; Best by 20/01/2015), due to contamination with histamine.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (Taiwan): The China Post reports that Taiwan health authorities have seized a batch of raw oysters at a high-end restaurant chain and have launched checks on all oyster imports from South Korea after dozens of consumers in Taipei and Taichung reported symptoms of food poisoning. The outbreak victims reported eating uncooked oysters at the Eatogther chain.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert Update (Turks and Caicos): Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa has postponed its reopening until June 13 after confirmation from the Ministry of Health that 10 cases of norovirus have been confirmed.

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.