Category: pet food

Recalls and Alerts: April 16 – 18, 2018

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

Food Supplement Safety Recall: Viable Solutions recalls certain Herbal-Salvation.com brand powder products containing Kratom due to potential Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Supplement Safety Recall: Triangle Pharmanaturals, LLC recalls  all kratom (mitragyna speciosa) powder products it manufactured, processed, packed, and/or held, between April 4, 2017 to Present due to potential Salmonella contamination. The recall was mandated by FDA. The company has ceased the production and distribution of the products. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: World’s Best Cheeses recalls Formagerie de la Brie brand, l’Explorateur soft ripened cheese (250g; Lot No. H036, H038, H043 and H044; Product of France) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled product was sold in NY, NJ, CT, MD, UT, CO, SC, PA, TX and Washington D.C. through retail stores beginning February 28, 2018 through April 13, 2018.

Food Safety Recall: Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. recalls 23,400 dozen eggs, purchased from Rose Acre Farms and re-packaged at the Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.’s Dade City, Florida, location. Please refer to the recall notice to access full details on the recalled shell eggs, which may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup.

Pet Food Safety Recall: TruPet, LLC recalls Boost Me Mighty Meaty Beef Topper Meal Enhancer (Lot #20190531 13815) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed in the continental USA via online retailer Chewy.com and TruDog.com through direct delivery.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Carnivore Meat Company recalls Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Beef Toppers (6-oz bag; Lot #13815; Best by 06/01/2019, Best by 06/04/19 or Best by 06/20/19; UPC 033211006059) and Vital Essentials Frozen Beef Chub Entrée for Dogs (5 lb; Lot #13816; Best by 12/27/18; UPC 033211008817) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Vitakraft Sun Seed Inc. recalls Sunseed Vita Prima Exotics Sugar Glider Formula (28 oz; Lot #271391; Expiry 12/20/19; UPC 87535-20060) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed in CA, FL, IL, MI, NJ, NV, OH, PA, and TX, and was exported to Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

Canada

Food Safety Recall:  APO Products Ltd. and UNO Foods Inc. recall Buenas brand Grated Coconut (454g; All lot codes ending in AF or AG and all lot codes beginning with OA, OB, OC, or OD and ending in AH; UPC 8 53693 00146 1) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled products were distributed to retailers nationwide.

Food Safety Recall (Update): Groupe Adonis inc. recalls certain products made with raw frozen strawberries due to possible Hepatitis A virus contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Update): Metro Ontario Inc. recalls Fresh 2 Go(F2GO) Roast Beef Panini (2-pack and 4-pack; All units sold up to and including April 18, 2018; UPC starts with 0219274 and 0219149, respectively) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled products were sold at Metro stores in the province of Ontario.

Food Safety Recall (Update): Erie Meat Products Ltd. recalls various Roast beef products due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed at the retail level in Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Quebec and possibly nationwide.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Vitakraft Sun Seed Inc. recalls Sunseed Vita Prima Exotics Sugar Glider Formula (28 oz; Lot #271391; Expiry 12/20/19; UPC 87535-20060) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed in CA, FL, IL, MI, NJ, NV, OH, PA, and TX, and was exported to Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Delidrengene ApS recalls Chorizo ​​Extra (100g; Lot nos. 5066, 2011, 7017, 1024, 2038, 2046, 2053, 6074, 2081) and Salchichon Extra (100g; Lot nos. 5066, 2053, 6074, 208) due to undeclared soya and/or milk protein.

Allergy Alert (Finland): Ab Chipsters Food Oy recalls Hyvä Apaja Savukalasalaattia / Good Boy Salad (200g; Expiry 14.6.2018) due to undeclared gluten, fish and soy.

Allergy Alert (Germany): LSP® Sporternährung GmbH recalls Oat King Protein Bar, peanut butter and chocolate flavors (80g; Expiry dates 30/August/2018 and 15/August/2018, respectively) due to gluten exceeding the permitted level for a ‘gluten-free’ product.

Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): Powerfoods (Kahler) et Geckogroup (Bettembourg) recall Oat King Protein Bar, peanut butter and chocolate flavors (80g; Expiry dates 30/August/2018 and 15/August/2018, respectively) due to gluten exceeding the permitted level for a ‘gluten-free’ product.

Allergy Alert (Sweden): Ancrona AB recalls Ella’s Kitchen Maize puffs strawberry + banana (Batch nos. 02918 and 03018; Best before 29.09.2018) due to undeclared wheat.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Lagkagehuset A/S recalls Rye bread, 70% (produced and sold 13/04/2018) after a piece of hard plastic is found in one loaf.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Rügenwalder Mühle recalls various meat products due to possible presence of foreign matter (sharp-edged, transparent, triangular plastic particles). Please refer to the recall notice for complete details on the affected products.

Food Safety Recall (UK):  Dunnes Stores recalls Dunnes Stores Chicken, Bacon & Sweetcorn Deli Filler (175g; all use by dates from 13 April 2018 to 20 April 2018, inclusive) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Outbreak Alert (Japan): Outbreak investigators in Japan have identified contamination in a seaweed production plant as the cause of seven foodborne illness outbreaks that sickened almost 2,100 people in 2017, according to a report published in Food Safety News.

Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): K-Element Limited recalls Brillat Savarin cheese (Lot nos. 180140 and 1801579; Best before March 9, 2018, and March 11, 2018, respectively; Produced by Sarl ETS Beillevaire, France) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall/Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 17) that the import into and sale in Hong Kong of poultry eggs produced by a plant (Plant No. P – 1065) of Rose Acre Farms’ Hyde County farm in Hyde County, North Carolina, the United States (US), has been suspended with immediate effect, as the products might have been contaminated with Salmonella.

K9 Natural recalls frozen raw dog food due to Listeria monocytogenes

K9 Natural Ltd. (K9) has recalled four batches of its Frozen Chicken Feast Raw Pet Food that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The recalled products were imported into the USA from New Zealand in June 2017, and were identified as follows:

  • K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 2.2-lb bags. Batch #170517; Expiration date 17NOV2018
  • K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 11-lb bags. Batch #150517; Expiration date 15NOV2018
  • K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 11-lb bags. Batch #160517; Expiration date 16NOV2018
  •  K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 11-lb bags. Batch #170517; Expiration date 17NOV2018

The 2.2-lb bags were shipped to distributors in Washington, California, Texas, and Colorado, and were distributed to pet specialty retail stores. The 11-lb bags were shipped to Pennsylvania in addition to the other four states and also were distributed to pet specialty retail stores.

According to a spokesperson for K9, the recall was initiated after the company was notified by the Colorado Department of Agriculture of a positive test result in a 2.2-lb bag obtained from a retailer.

Colorado is one of several states that samples pet foods and pet treats for pathogens on a regular basis, as part of its annual animal feed surveillance sampling plan, Food Safety News has learned.

While Colorado’s testing is not conducted in concert with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the state shares its results with the federal agency, according to a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

K9 tests every batch of frozen raw product destined for the US market for Listeria monocytogenes, according to its spokesperson, and does not ship the product until it has received a ‘not-detect’ report. The testing is carried out for the company by an accredited independent laboratory.

The company also tests key raw materials for pathogens prior to purchase.

Upon learning of the Colorado test result, the company reviewed its records and also arranged for testing of a retained sample from the suspect production batch. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in the retention sample.

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen that can cause illness both in pets and in humans. According to FDA, gastroenteritis caused by Listeria monocytogenes has a relatively short incubation period, from a few hours to 2 or 3 days. The severe, invasive form of the illness can have a very long incubation period, estimated to vary from 3 days to 3 months.

Although not all pets display symptoms when infected, those who do may have symptoms within a matter of a few hours, but possibly weeks after infection. Pets do not need to display symptoms to be able to pass Listeria monocytogenes onto their human companions. Once Listeria monocytogenes gets established in the pet’s gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria when it has a bowel movement, and the contamination will continue to spread.

In response to a request for comment, the K9 spokesperson said, “At K9 Natural the safety of our products, pets, and customers is paramount, and we have several steps throughout our manufacturing process to ensure product quality and cleanliness right from the farm to the retail store.”

To date, K9 is unaware of any pet or human illnesses associated with the recalled products.

The FDA encourages consumers to report complaints about pet food products electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators.

This story first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.

FDA gives Darwin’s pet food owners 15 days to clear up issues

Adulterated pet food, dead kitten, use of unapproved additive spur FDA warning letter

The FDA issued a formal warning letter to Arrow Reliance Inc. doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, citing pathogen problems at a production plant and saying scientific evidence shows the company’s cleaning solution is ineffective.

Darwin’s is a manufacturer of raw pet foods and is based in Tukwila, WA.

The April 2 warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration cites a history of consumer complaints and product recalls leading to the agency’s analysis of several Darwin’s products. Laboratory tests detected Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O128 in one or more samples of the pet foods.

Foods under FDA jurisdiction, including pet foods, are deemed to be adulterated if they bear or contain a poisonous or deleterious substance that may render them injurious to health, according to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act). Introduction of an adulterated food into interstate commerce is a prosecutable violation of the Act.

Federal officials also found two Darwin’s products were also contaminated with Listeria innocua. Although it is not considered a pathogen in terms of human health, the warning letter underscored that the presence of Listeria innocua is an indicator that Listeria monocytogenes would be capable of surviving and growing in the product.

One of the consumer complaints that triggered the FDA investigation was lodged by the owner of a kitten that died as a result of a “severe systemic Salmonella infection” after being fed Darwin’s Natural Selections Duck Meals for Cats. 

Salmonella was isolated from the dead kitten’s liver and from an unopened raw pet food package. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis, often referred to as genetic fingerprinting, confirmed that the Salmonella recovered from the dead kitten and from the pet food sample were identical.

FDA also performed WGS analysis on Salmonella recovered from various other Darwin’s samples. The identical Salmonella strain was found in two different products manufactured two weeks apart and containing two different meat sources. 

The presence of the identical Salmonella in these two products, according to the warning letter, suggests pathogen contamination in Darwin’s manufacturing facility.

In the letter, FDA also expressed its concern regarding Darwin’s use of a bacteriophage product to control pathogens in the raw pet foods, citing a lack of scientifically based validation of the controls and a change in the company’s protocol for applying the bacteriophage to the products.

The agency noted that the bacteriophage product is not “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) nor is it the subject of a regulation describing additives permitted in animal foods.

The company was given 15 business days to reply to the warning letter, with a description of the steps taken to correct the violations and prevent these or similar violations from occurring in the future. 

This story first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.