Category: raw milk

Recalls and Alerts – USA: January 4-12, 2013

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

  • Allergy Alert: ConAgra Foods (Omaha, NE) recalls Andy Capp’s Hot Fries flavor product (0.85-oz blue poly bags; Case UPC 20-0-26200-47169-7; Unit UPC 00-0-26200-47168-6; Batch code 5381232500; Sell by August 17, 2013), because the product may contain undeclared soy due to a packaging error. The recalled product was supplied to retail food distributors in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania for distribution to retail stores in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.
  • Allergy Alert: Southwest Ice Cream Specialties recalls ShurFine “Creamery Select” Dulce de Leche Premium Ice Cream (1.75-qt/1.66L “scround” container; UPC 015400224840; Best by Nov 8, 2014; Plant code 48-3202-F). Due to a packaging error, the cartons contain undeclared wheat, soy, and pecans as a result of the Dulce de Leche cartons having been filled with ShurFine Praline Pecan ice cream.
  • Allergy Alert: Woodstock® (Providence, RI) recalls Woodstock All Natural Tamari Almonds (7.5 oz; Best by 10/24/13; Lot 12298), because the product contains undeclared soy due to mislabeling. The recalled product was supplied to retailers in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and District of Columbia.
  • Allergy Alert: Somersault Snack Co., LLC (Sausalito, CA) recalls Somersaults Cinnamon Crunch products (All package sizes; All Sell-by dates of 8/30/2013 or earlier), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled product was distributed to retailers nationwide.
  • Allergy Alert: Island Delights, Inc. (Seville, OH) recalls Maple Coconut Haystacks (various sizes; Lot 13410400.02, 13410400.04, 13410400.08 and 13410402.00) Chocolate/Almond Coconut Haystacks (various sizes; Lot 13413100.02, 13413100.04, 13413100.08 and 13413102.00), Coffee Coconut Haystacks (various sizes; Lot 13411300.02, 13411300.04, and 13411300.08) and Almond Coconut Haystacks (various sizes; Lot 13413000.02, 13413000.04, 13413000.08 and 13413002.00), because the products contain undeclared milk. The recalled products were distributed to retail stores and through mail orders in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.
  • Food Safety Recall: Delifish expands its earlier recall to include the following cold smoked products relating to Julian dates 235 to 345, because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes: Food Service Cold Smoked Salmon Trim (1 lb.), Royal Fjord Smoked Toppers, (6-oz; UPC 810230000561), Royal Fjord Sliced Smoked Salmon Loin (12-14 oz), Cold smoked pieces (5 lb), Royal Fjord (5 oz. rounds; UPC 810230000127), New England Smoked Salmon (4 oz.; UPC 810230000066), Pacific Supreme (3-oz; UPC # 058138102448), Sam’s (20-oz; UPC# 073030805167), Icy Point (2 – 3-lb; NO UPC), Lassco Select Gourmet (8-oz; UPC # 072840017081), Bacon Lassco (3-oz; UPC #072840017036), Natural Trimming (5-lb; NO UPC), Trimming with preservatives (4-lb; NO UPC), Party Platter (6-oz; NO UPC), Nova Wheel (16-oz; UPC # 072840007273), Nova Lassco (4-oz; UPC #072840017050), Nathans (8-oz; UPC # 073030803699), Nathans (3-oz; UPC # 073030803682), and 3 Star (4-oz; UPC # 072840017517). The recalled product was possibly supplied to retail stores in California, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Puerto Rico.
  • Food Safety Recall: GIANT Food Stores, LLC and MARTIN’S Food Markets alert their customers to the recall by Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC of all Sell-By dates of the following products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes: Nathan’s Nova Salmon (3 o.z.; UPC 7303080368), Nathan’s Nova Salmon (8 o.z.; UPC 7303080369), and Lassco Smoked Salmon (3 o.z.; UPC 7284001703).
  • Food Safety Recall: Sister Sara’s (Pleasanton, CA) recalls Sister Sara’s Good For You Soup (1-qt/32-oz glass jar), Sister Sara’s Bread and Butter Pickles (1-pt/16-oz glass jar), Sister Sara’s Pickled Beets (1-pt/16-oz glass jar) and Sister Sara’s Old Fashioned Dill Pickles (half-gallon/64-oz glass jar), due to possible Clostridium botulinum contamination as a result of having possibly been improperly produced. The recalled products were sold at the Pleasanton Farmers Market (Pleasanton, CA) and the Livermore Certified Farmers Market (Livermore, CA).
  • Pet Treat Safety Recall: Publix Super Markets recalls Publix Chicken Tenders Dog Chew Treats (3,5-oz bag; UPC 41415-18527), because the product may contain trace amounts of antibiotic residue. The recalled product was sold in Publix grocery stores in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
  • Pet Treat Safety Recall: Milo’s Kitchen® recalls Chicken Jerky Home-Style Dog Treats and Chicken Grillers Home-Style Dog Treats, after trace amounts of residual antibiotics were detected by the New York State Department of Agriculture in several lots of Milo’s Kitchen® Chicken Jerky. Both of the recalled products are sourced from the same chicken suppliers.
  • Pet Treat Safety Withdrawal: Nestlé Purina PetCare Company and its wholly owned subsidiary Waggin’ Train LLC withdraw Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brand dog treats sold nationwide in the United States until further notice. The action was taken after the New York State Department of Agriculture detected trace amounts of antibiotic residue in samples of the chicken jerky treats.
  • Pet Treat Safety Recall: Wegmans alerts its customers to the recall by IMS Pet Industries of Cadet Gourmet Chicken Sausage (8 oz; UPC 7-68303-07461), due to test results that showed trace amounts of antibiotic residue in the treats.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Mobius Therapeutics, LLC (St. Louis, MO) recalls Mitosol® (mitomycin for solution) Kit for Ophthalmic Use (0.2mg/vial; Lot #M098260 and M086920; Expiration Date 08/2013), because one or more parts of the kit may contain be contaminated with a strain of yeast. The recalled products were distributed between 10/22/2012 and 12/14/2012 in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
  • Outbreak Alert (Missouri): The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports several cases of diarrhea that may be due to Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli. One person has been confirmed to be infected with E. coli O103. The illnesses were reported in the northwest part of Missouri and may be related to the consumption of locally produced unpasteurized dairy products.
  • Outbreak Alert (Cruise ships): The CDC is investigating outbreaks of gastroenteritis among passengers and crew members of the Emerald Princess (Princess Cruises; voyage dates Dec 17-27, 2012) and Queen Mary 2 (Cunard Line; voyage dates Dec 22, 2012 to Jan 3, 2013). The causative agent has not yet been determined in either case.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: CDC reports that 16 persons from seven states have been infected with Salmonella Typhimurium after coming into contact with pet hedgehogs purchased from multiple breeders in different states. Three people have been hospitalized. The outbreak, which began in December 2011, has affected people in Alabama (1), Indiana (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (2), Ohio (2), Oregon (1) and Washington (6).

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 website.

*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.

Raw Milk Consumption A Risky Proposition – CDC

“Consumption of nonpasteurized dairy products cannot be considered safe under any circumstances.”

– US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Less than 1% of dairy products consumed in the USA is unpasteurized. Yet consumption of unpasteurized dairy products – mainly milk and cheese – accounted for 60% of dairy-associated disease outbreaks between 1993 and 2006, according to a report released today by the CDC.

The risk of illness linked specifically to drinking raw milk was even more glaring; 80% of fluid milk-related disease outbreaks were associated with unpasteurized milk.

Disease outbreaks traced to unpasteurized dairy products also were more likely to result in hospitalization (13% of victims hospitalized) versus those associated with pasteurized dairy products (1% hospitalization rate).

Campylobacter, one of the two most common causes of bacterial foodborne disease, was responsible for more than 54% of the outbreaks involving unpasteurized milk and cheese.  Only 13% of the outbreaks associated with pasteurized dairy products involved Campylobacter.

Of the 4,413 confirmed dairy-product associated illnesses reported during the 1993-2006 period, 1,571 (~36%) were linked to unpasteurized milk and cheese consumption, even though less than 1% of milk drinkers who responded to a 2005-2006 survey reported that they usually consumed raw milk.

And legalizing the sale or distribution of raw milk is not the answer to improving its safety. States in which the sale and distribution of raw milk was permitted experienced higher rates of unpasteurized dairy product-associated disease than states where its distribution was illegal.

The risk of illness that is assumed – often unwittingly – by those who choose to drink unpasteurized milk is underscored by the recent 4-state outbreak of Campylobacter illnesses that were traced unequivocally to raw milk produced and supplied by The Family Cow dairy farm in Pennsylvania. Seventy-seven people were sickened in that outbreak at last report.

The final paragraph of the CDC report says it all:

“Our analysis shows that legal intrastate sale of nonpasteurized dairy products is associated with a higher risk for dairy-related outbreaks and implies that restricting sale of nonpasteurized dairy products reduces the risk for dairy-related outbreaks within that state. Pasteurization is the most reliable and feasible way to render dairy products safe for consumption. Although warning labels and signs or government-issued permits are prudent where the sale of nonpasteurized dairy products is legal, they have not been shown to be effective and, given the results of this analysis, do not seem to reduce the incidence of outbreaks involving nonpasteurized dairy products to the degree that pasteurization does. Whether certain types of warnings or more explicit health advisories might be more effective than others is unknown. Public health officials at all levels should continue to develop innovative methods to educate consumers and caregivers about the dangers associated with nonpasteurized dairy products. State officials should consider further restricting or prohibiting the sale or distribution of nonpasteurized dairy products within their states. Federal and state regulators should continue to enforce existing regulations to prevent distribution of nonpasteurized dairy products to consumers. Consumption of nonpasteurized dairy products cannot be considered safe under any circumstances.”

Organic Pastures and E. coli O157:H7

Raw milk is a touchy subject in the food safety community, and nowhere more so than in California – the home state of Organic Pastures.

Yesterday, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that the State had imposed a recall and quarantine on raw milk products from Organic Pastures (Fresno County, CA). The action resulted from reports of five E. coli O157:H7 illnesses among children in the state.

The five children live in four California counties: San Diego, Contra Costa, King and Sacramento. They became ill during the months of August through October. Three of the children developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and were hospitalized. The San Diego area victim is a five-year old boy, who became ill in late August. He was not hospitalized. All five children were infected with a single genetic strain of E. coli O157:H7.

CDPH says that the children had only a single food exposure in common –  raw milk produced by Organic Pastures. According to Dr. Debra Gilliss, Chief of the CDPH Disease Investigations Section, all five children were reported by their parents to have consumed raw whole milk.

I’m told by Steve Lyle, Director of Public Affairs for CDFA, that there were no investigative product samples collected and tested by the state. The decision to recall and quarantine Organic Pastures products was based on epidemiological evidence. This, presumably, was because the milk consumed by the five children was long gone by the time the outbreak was identified.

Organic Pastures appealed the recall and quarantine order, according to a report carried today in The Sacramento Bee, on the grounds that the outbreak cluster happened two to three months ago and that the microbe was not found in the dairy’s milk. CDFA heard the appeal, but reaffirmed their order.

Samples will be taken and analyzed as part of the state’s inspection of Organic Pasture’s facility and operations. Lyle didn’t know how long it would take for the dairy to be permitted to resume distribution of its quarantined products. That will depend, according to Mr. Lyle, “…on completion of any needed corrections to sanitary conditions of equipment, good manufacturing practices, and outcome of laboratory tests demonstrating food contact surfaces are properly cleaned and products meet applicable microbial standards.”

This is the second E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has been linked to raw milk produced and distributed by Organic Pastures. A similar situation arose in 2006, when six children developed E. coli O157:H7 infections after they consumed Organic Pastures raw milk or raw colostrum. The follow-up inspection carried out by the state recovered E. coli O157:H7 – not the outbreak strain – from five fecal samples taken from cows at the dairy. The E. coli O157:H7 strains found in 2006 are genetically different from the strain that has been recovered from the five victims of the current outbreak, according to Dr. Gilliss of CDPH.

California health officials offer the following information and advice to California residents who purchase and consume Organic Pastures raw milk products:

Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 infection may include abdominal cramps and diarrhea which is often bloody. Most infected people recover within a week; however, some may develop complications that require hospitalization. Young children and the elderly are at highest risk for a potentially life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which includes kidney failure. People who develop symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 infection after consuming unpasteurized milk or milk products should consult their health care provider. Physicians who have patients suspected of having HUS or E. coli O157:H7 infections should report them to the local health department.