Recalls and Alerts: February 13 – 16, 2019

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.

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United States

OUTBREAK ALERT UPDATE: CDC reports 279 confirmed illnesses, 107 hospitalizations and one death in a multidrug-resistant Salmonella Reading outbreak linked to raw turkey products from a variety of sources. Confirmed cases have been reported in 41 states. Four of the victims lived in households where raw turkey products were fed to pets.

Allergy Alert: Nature’s Path Foods recalls a specific production run of EnviroKidz Choco Chimps, Gorilla Munch and Jungle Munch cereals due to undeclared gluten (wheat and barley). Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products and Best before dates.

Allergy Alert: Ottogi America, Inc. recalls JIN JJAMBBONG’
Spicy Seafood Noodle 4-pack (4.58oz x 4ea; Best before JUN.16.2019) and JIN RAMEN’ MILD TASTE, cup (2.29oz x 6 cup; Best before MAR.26.2019, JUL.25.2019, AUG.01.2019) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall: Soom Foods, LLC recalls Chocolate Sweet Tahini Halva squeeze packs (30mL packets; Code 67333D; Packaged November 27, 2017; Sold between January and September 2018) due to potential Salmonella Tennessee contamination. The recall was initiated after FDA reported finding the pathogen in a sample

Food Safety Recall: Smoked Alaska Seafoods, Inc. recalls Smoked Silver Salmon (6.5-oz jars; Production code AL81111133) due to risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination.

Food Safety Recall: Sid Wainer and Son recalls Jansal Valley brand Dukkah (2.5 oz tins and 6 x 2.5oz cases; Best by 08/28/2020; Production lots L2033968 (cases) and L2034198 (tins)) due to foreign matter (glass pieces) contamination.

Herbal Supplement Safety Recall: Kingston Pharma, LLC recalls DG™ Baby Gripe Water herbal supplement with organic ginger and fennel extracts (4-oz amber bottles; All lots; UPC 8 5495400246 3) due to presence of undissolved ingredient (citrus flavonoid) which can cause difficulty in swallowing.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Puresource Inc. recalls Purely Bulk brand Brewer’s Yeast (250g; Product codes 3052916, 3072084, 3089997; UPC 0 65279 10054 7) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: Westpoint Distributors Ltd. recalls Debittered Brewer’s Yeast (various brands, package sizes and UPC; All products sold from February 27, 2018 to February 14, 2019, inclusive) due to undeclared peanut. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Bulk Barn Foods Limited recalls Brewer’s Yeast Debittered (sold in bulk; Item code 000941; All products sold up to and including February 14, 2019) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: New Life Mills Town & Country recalls Brewer’s Yeast (1 lb.; All units sold from February 22, 2018 up to and including February 15, 2019) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: Old Fashion Foods recalls Brewers Yeast Debittered (250g & 500g; All units sold up to and including February 11, 2019) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: Greenline Distributors recalls various brands of Debittered Brewer’s Yeast due to undeclared peanut. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Bulk Barrel recalls Debittered Brewer’s Yeast (sold in bulk; Item code 699; All products sold up to and including February 12, 2019) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: Trade Technocrats Ltd. recalls Brewer’s Debittered Yeast (114g and 454g; All codes sold between June 6, 2018 and February 15, 2019, inclusive) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: Mainstay Natural Foods recalls Brewer’s Yeast (Approximately 1 lb or 2 lb; All units sold from August 2018, up to and including February 15, 2019) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert: Industry recalls Ottogi brand Ramensari (550g (550 g (110 g x 5); Product code 2019.04.24; UPC (outer pkg) 8 801045 522982; UPC (inner pkg) 8 801045 522012) due to undeclared egg.

Allergy Alert: Nature’s Path Foods Inc. recalls various EnviroKidz brand cereals due to undeclared wheat and gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. recalls Kirkland Signature brand Pepperoni Pizza (1.03kg; All units up to and including February 8, 2019; UPC 40059) due to undeclared egg, soy, mustard and wheat. The recalled product was sold at Costco, 4315 Strandherd Dr, Ottawa, Ontario.

Food Safety Recall: Vivi and Tom Baby Food recalls various Vivi and Tom Baby Food brand baby and toddler foods because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products. The recalled products were distributed in Ontario.

Europe

OUTBREAK ALERT UPDATE (Denmark): Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Statens Serum Institut and DTU Food Institute have completed their investigation into an August through November 2018 outbreak of E. coli O26:H11 that caused 38 illnesses, including 31 children under the age of five years. Although a definitive source of the outbreak was not identified, epidemiological investigation pointed to beef skewers as the probable source.

Allergy Alert (Iceland): Þykkvabæjar ehf recalls Þykkvabæjar Hrásalat / Raw salad (400g; Best before 14.02.2019-07.03.2019) due to undeclared mustard.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Lidl recalls Mister Choc Choco & Caramel Bars (270g 6-pack; All Batch Codes Best Before: January 2020) due to undeclared peanuts.

Allergy Alert (UK): Speedibake recalls Takeaway 10 Garlic Slices (250g; Batch code SB9039B; Best before 08 February 2020) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (UK – England specific): Mr Dips recalls Cyprus Jasmine Tzatziki (430g; All batch codes and use-by dates) due to undeclared milk and Cyprus Jasmine Taramasalata (170g; All batch codes and use-by dates) due to undeclared soya, barley (gluten), oats (gluten), rye (gluten) and wheat (gluten).

Allergy Alert (UK – England specific): Bean & Pod Ltd recalls Dark Chocolate Honeycomb Dairy Free (150g; Batch code 2810180002; Best before 28 June 2019) due to undeclared milk.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Kaasimport Jan Dupont recalls Oliviana brand Ensalada vert (175 gram plastic container; Lot #1319037; Best before 17/04/19) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Société SEPOA Delgove recalls SEPOA Delgove brand Kippers fumé au bois de hêtre / Beechwood-smoked kippers (Lot #2009; Best before 04/02/19) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): WEIAND GmbH recalls Kania brand Glass ceramic mills due to foreign matter (glass splinters) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Mar-Ko Fleischwaren GmbH & Co. KG recalls Salamini classic (4 x 25g; Best before 06.10.2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Franz Wiltmann GmbH & Co. KG recalls Schinken-Rotwurst (100g; Best before 08.03.2019) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Delicateur recalls Milbona Gouda young grated cheese (250g; Best before 21.04.2019; Lots 834799538051020190121 and 834799538051021190121) due to foreign matter (plastic) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Corleggy Cheese recalls Cavanbert Raw Cow’s Milk Cheese (All pack sizes; All best before dates up to 14/02/19) and Drumlin Raw Cow’s Milk Cheese (All pack sizes; All best before dates up to 13/03/19) due to Mycobacterium bovis contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Toons Bridge Dairy recalls several batches of its mozzarella, halloumi, ricotta and buratta soft cheeses due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): Jumbo recalls Jumbo Kaasspread Groene Pesto / Jumbo Green Pesto cheese spread (Best before 18-04-2019 through 22-04-2019) due to Listeria contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): Hoogvliet recalls various Hoogvliet steak and steak strip products due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Sweden): Lidl Sweden recalls Guldgrytan brand Nötfärs 6% (500g; Best before 2019-02-12) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK – Northern Ireland specific): Corleggy Cheese recalls Cavanbert Raw Cow’s Milk Cheese (All pack sizes; All best before dates up to 14/02/19) and Drumlin Raw Cow’s Milk Cheese (All pack sizes; All best before dates up to 13/03/19) due to Mycobacterium bovis contamination.

Australia and New Zealand

OUTBREAK ALERT (AUSTRALIA): South Australia Health (SA Health) is investigating 11 cases of Salmonella illnesses linked to three Angkor Bakery locations. The victims reported having eaten Vietnamese rolls from the three bakeries. Nine of the eleven confirmed victims were hospitalized.

Beach Beat: Can you see me now?

This opinion piece by Coral Beach first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission

Once again science trumps government when it comes to open, easy and meaningful access to the information we need. A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak and related recall of pasteurized chocolate milk in Canada was ever so lightly reported by public health agencies back in 2016.

We covered the recall, expanded recall, and government warning in June 2016. The situation pretty much fell off radar screens after that.

This week, thanks to the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we’ve seen the rest of the story.

The outbreak, linked to Neilson brand chocolate milk sold by Montreal-based Saputo Inc., sickened at least 34 people, killing four. All but two of the victims were so sick they had to be hospitalized. All of the confirmed victims lived in Ontario. Most were elderly people, though their ages ranged from less than 1 to 90 years old.

People were sickened in two waves, but all are considered part of the single outbreak linked to Neilson brand partially skimmed chocolate milk. Illness onset dates for the first wave of victims were Nov. 14, 2015, through Feb. 14, 2016. The victims in the second wave became sick between April 11 and June 20, 2016.

There’s little doubt that more people were sickened by the milk sold by Saputo Inc. It can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria monocytogenes for the symptoms of listeriosis to develop.

Do you remember what you ate and drank 7 days ago? How about 70 days ago?

Epidemiologists know about the limitations of human memory when it comes to such details. But, being scientists, they almost never speculate about possible cases. They deal in facts, and the fact is only 34 people were diagnosed, underwent confirmation testing, and had their cases reported to public health officials.

Of the confirmed sick people, many bought the implicated milk at the same grocery stores. Lab tests showed the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes in the milk and in the facility where it was produced, according to the research report published in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.

“Environmental sampling at the manufacturer confirmed the presence of the outbreak strain within a post-pasteurization pump dedicated to chocolate milk and on nonfood contact surfaces. This post-process contamination of the chocolate milk line was believed to be the root cause of the outbreak,” according to the research report.

“A harborage site might have been introduced by a specific maintenance event or poor equipment design. The equipment was subsequently replaced, and corrective measures were implemented to prevent reoccurrence. Chocolate milk production was resumed after vigorous testing for L. monocytogenes under regulatory oversight.”

Forget Waldo, where’s the info?
Considering the striking information reported by researchers, I started crawling around on various websites of public health and food safety agencies in Canada. There was little to find. I contacted Public Health Ontario.

A “communications advisor” got back to me in a couple of hours. That’s impressive in terms of response time in these situations.

The response itself was much less impressive. It turns out there is “an internal final summary of the outbreak.” That’s gov’mint speak for “the public can’t see it.”

The health department press officer provided a link to the research reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases in case I wanted additional details. Umm, that journal article is what sent me knocking on your email door.

I specifically asked why the release of the information was delayed.

Answer: “The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHTLC), the organization that informs the public during provincial outbreak investigations, released a joint statement from the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) about the outbreak on Jan. 20, 2016, and the CMOH issued a follow-up statement on June 12, 2016 after the cause of the outbreak was identified and the chocolate milk was recalled. Public Health Ontario also posted a notice on our website, which was regularly updated between January and October 2016. The final notice remains on our website. We suggest contacting the MOHTLC if you have more questions about this.”

To save you a click, here what the “final notice” says:

“The provincial outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes which began in November 2015 was declared over on July 29, 2016. A total of 34 cases were linked to the outbreak with the majority being older adults. The cases were from 16 public health units in Ontario. The source of the outbreak was determined to be Neilson brand partly skimmed milk”

Call me a reporter, call me instinctively curious, call me anything you want, but shouldn’t a final report on any outbreak be more than 58 words? Shouldn’t such a report include whether anyone died, and if there were deaths, how many?

Shouldn’t such information be less difficult to find with the naked eye? Or, do we need to develop a device to reveal public safety information the way microscopes reveal bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes.

It’s like all the best food safety nerds and activists say: If you don’t look for it, you won’t find it.

Note from the FoodBugLady: Here is a link to the report in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Belgian child sick; link to Salmonella in infant formula

This story by Joe Whitworth first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission

Belgium has reported a case of Salmonella in an infant linked to an outbreak in France.

The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) said it was informed of two sick babies in Belgium who had, among other things, consumed infant nutrition products of the Modilac brand bought in France, a few hours before the onset of symptoms.

Following an investigation, it appears the consumption of Modilac branded products was the cause of symptoms in one of the two sick children.

Four babies were sickened in France by Salmonella Poona with a link to consumption of Modilac branded products, marketed by Sodilac, a subsidiary of Savencia SA. Three other cases remain under investigation with sequencing ongoing.

The four confirmed patients, aged between two months and 10 months, fell ill between August and the end of December 2018. For probable cases, the age range extends to 18 months and illness onset up to January 2019.

Lactalis recalled 16,300 boxes of Picot AR milk as it was made at the same Spanish factory as the Modilac products but no illnesses have been linked to any Lactalis products.

Implicated Modilac products are not distributed on the Belgian market. They are distributed in France in pharmacies only and via charitable associations or marketed via online sales. Items have also been sent to Vietnam, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

FASFC asked parents who bought the products in France or online not to use them. The agency has contacted French authorities and the situation is being monitored.

The agency advised consumers to be aware that online shopping abroad is not always safe and people should look out for possible risks by checking the websites of foreign health authorities.

Santé Publique France, the public health agency, reported the four cases of Salmonella in infants with genome sequences (cgMLST) belonging to the same cluster.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it had not found matches with the French isolate in its database. No other countries have reported matches so far but genome sequencing analyses are ongoing and additional cases may be reported.

Salmonella Poona is the 36th most common serotype in the European Surveillance System (TESSy). It was reported by 23 EU countries in 2013-2017 with 147 to 206 cases per year. In the five-year period, France accounted for 34 percent of cases, followed by the UK with 26 percent and the most common age group were children 0-4 years old (37 percent of all cases).