Category: recalls

Did Your Supermarket Sell Colorado Cantaloupes? – Updated 10/4/11

I had another phone call from Auntie Anne yesterday evening (the last call was about ground turkey). This time she wanted to know whether Stop & Shop carried the Colorado cantaloupes recalled by Jensen Farms, Inc.

I had to tell her, “I don’t know.” (Oct 4th Update: Thanks to Jennifer (see comments), I can now tell Auntie Anne that Stop & Shop cantaloupes did not come from Jensen Farms)

FDA issued a Press Release on September 14th, warning consumers not to eat Rocky Ford Cantaloupes shipped by Jensen Farms. These cantaloupes are linked to the multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has infected more than 84 people and caused 15 deaths as of September 30th.

Jensen Farms has recalled the cantaloupes, which were shipped to Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. FDA advises that “further distribution is possible.” The recalled cantaloupes may be labelled as shown in one of these photos:

As usual, FDA has not issued a retail distribution list for this recall, leaving it up to Jensen Farms and its customers (food service distributors and retailers) to make that information public.

Here’s what the public has been told so far.

Jensen Farms, Inc. cantaloupes were supplied to the following grocery chains and foodservice distributors:

  • Albertson’s:- Colorado stores.
  • Aldi:- Aldi stores are located  in 31 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast.
  • Basila Produce:- A “macro-distributor” of Jensen’s cantaloupes based in Albuquerque, NM
  • Carol’s Cuts LLC:- A Kansas food processor, who supplied Carol’s Cuts Fruit Medley products to institutional food customers, including restaurants, in Overland Park, Kansas, Kansas City and Maryland Heights, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. The product was shipped to customers on August 26 and September 12, 2011.
  • King Soopers:- Sweet Rocky Ford Cantaloupe – Jensen Farms; Various sizes. King Soopers has stores in Colorado and Wyoming.
  • Safeway:- Jumbo Rocky Ford Cantaloupe from Jensen Farms; sold in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico (Aztec and Farmington), South Dakota and Wyoming between August 30 and September 6.
  • Select Express LLC (Idaho):- Jensen Farms cantaloupes were shipped to Select Express (a food distribution company). Because the melons were too ripe to be sold, they were donated between August 28th and September 2nd.
  • U.S. Foodservice:- “A trace‐back from secondary suppliers and processors found a few cases of whole and some “cut” product affected in two USF Distribution Centers in the West. A small number of customers affected have been contacted.”
  • Wal-Mart:- North Dakota, Colorado* and New Mexico. Although Walmart has not posted the recall notice on its website (as of September 18th), a Colorado couple has filed suit against Jensen Farms Inc. and Wal-Mart, alleging that they purchased a “…tainted cantaloupe at a Wal-Mart store on Razorback Road in Colorado Springs.” The cantaloupes may also have been sold in Walmart stores in other states.
  • Wegmans Buffalo (NY) area stores only:- Packaged Cantaloupe Chunks, Cantaloupe Slices, Gourmet Fruit Salad, Small Fruit Salad, Small and Large Fruit Salad with Pineapple, and Fruit Salad with Kiwi Fruit Trays (Best if used by September 4 to September 11), sold in the produce departments of Buffalo-area stores between August 31 and September 11. The packages were supplied to Wegmans by Fruit Fresh Up, of Depew, NY.
  • Whole Foods Market:- In some New Mexico and Colorado locations. Notwithstanding these linked reports, Whole Foods believes that it was NOT supplied with Jensen Farms, Inc. cantaloupes.

*Based on information supplied by Bill Marler

The following grocery chains and foodservice distributors did NOT procure cantaloupes from Jensen:

Information from other government agencies:
  • West Virginia Department of Agriculture: West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is warning consumers that a recall on cantaloupes includes products shipped to nearby states Pennsylvania and Tennessee, and that shoppers should make sure that any cantaloupes purchased in those states are not part of the recall. One outbreak case of Listeria monocytogenes has been confirmed in West Virginia.
  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency: No cantaloupes implicated in the U.S. recall have been shipped to Canada. Canadians who are considering purchasing cantaloupe when travelling in the U.S. are urged to monitor the recall on the United States Food and Drug Administration’s website.
  • Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority: No cantaloupes implicated in the U.S. recall were shipped to the United Arab Emirates.

Finally, this is a list of 25 states which were supplied directly with cantaloupes by Jensen Farms: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

FDA has determined that cantaloupes were not shipped directly to California, North Carolina, Ohio or Virginia. Nevertheless, some redistribution of cantaloupes into these and other states may have occurred. None of the recalled cantaloupes were exported.

I’ll continue to update these lists as more information becomes available.

Toric Contact Lens Recalls – More Brands May Be Involved

“A friend of mine told me to check on recalls with contacts since I have been suffering with problems since the first week in July. It started when I went for an eye exam and got fitted for new lenses. I was given a new pair and that’s when my troubles began. I had itchy eyes, some burning pain, swollen eyelids and discharge.  I have been treated twice with antibiotics and my eyes clear. Then treated as allergies.   Every time I put in a new pair I am back to the same problems. Now I am on steroid drops because my eyelid inflammation and itching won’t go away. I have not worn lenses in a month. I can’t believe none of my doctors thought of this. I have spent so much on doctors visits and medications.  I am going to tell my doctor tomorrow and contact the company. I can’t believe I have been suffering for months over this. I wear Ultra Flex toric lenses and I bought them the first week of August.”

– comment posted October 2nd by Christina (in Florida)

So many people have reported their problems with CooperVision’s Avaira® Toric contact lenses to eFoodAlert that I have set up a Toric Recalls page tab. All posts relating to this problem – together with their associated comments – are listed on the Toric Recalls page.

The contact lens story began in August, when I encountered a recall notice posted by the Hong Kong Department of Health. According to the Hong Kong notice, the recall affected CooperVision Toric contact lenses in the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Germany and Italy. So far, only Hong Kong, Australia, Spain and Italy’s health authorities have posted formal recall notices.

Neither the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor Health Canada have alerted the public to the contact lens recall, although FDA has told me that the agency is monitoring the US situation. Nor – as far as I can tell – has Germany posted a recall notice.

When I read Christina’s comment (quoted above), I noticed that her contact lens brand – Ultra Flex – is not a CooperVision brand. It belongs to Ocular Sciences, Inc. (California). Ocular Sciences manufactures and markets contact lenses under a number of brand names, including: Biomedics, Hydrogenics60, EdgeIII, ProActive, SmartChoice, UltraFlex, Subsoft, Lunelle, Rythmic, and Hydron.

The Connection

The various brands of Toric lenses encompassed by the CooperVision recall were manufactured by CooperVision Manufacturing Ltd. (UK), located in Eastleigh, England. Likewise, one of Ocular Sciences manufacturing sites is in Eastleigh – right around the corner from CooperVision. And there is more.

John D. Fruth, the founder – and former Chairman – of Ocular Sciences Inc., was President of CooperVision’s contact lens division before he founded Ocular Sciences. And he served as a Director of The Cooper Companies (CooperVision’s corporate parent) from 2005 to March 2008.

It doesn’t take a major leap of deductive reasoning to suspect that CooperVision’s Eastleigh production facility may have manufactured Toric lenses for Ocular Sciences. If my suspicion is correct, the list of Toric brands that may be implicated in CooperVision’s “residue” contamination problem would include all of the following.

CooperVision Toric Lens brands: Avaira®, BioComfort XO, Encore 100, and Lent Soft 4 Air.

Ocular Sciences Toric Lens brands: AquaLens, Aqualite, Aquatech, Bioflex, Biomedix, Clearsoft, Clinasoft, Flextique, Hydroflex, Hydrovue, Mediflex, Natural Sight, Neoflex, Omniflex, Optiflex, Optiform, Polyflex, Polysoft, Procon, Proflex, Prosite, Sofmed, Softech, Softview, Target, UltraFlex, and Versaflex.

If you wear one of these brands of contact lenses and have experienced corneal abrasion, blurred vision, or any eye discomfort, please contact your eye doctor, report the problem, and refer him or her to the Toric Recalls page for more details.

CooperVision Expands Toric Contact Lens Recall

More than one month after its initial recall notice, CooperVision has added more production lots to the list of recalled contact lenses.

Thanks to a recall notice posted by Spain’s Agency for Drugs and Health Products (Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, or AEMPS), we now know that the recalled lenses were manufactured in the United Kingdom by CooperVision Manufacturing Ltd.

Last month (August), we learned from the Hong Kong Department of Health that the recalled CooperVision contact lenses were sold in the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Brands affected by this recall include Avaira Toric (multiple countries), Lent Soft 4 Air Tórica (Spain), Encore 100 Toric (Costco Canada), and BioComfort XO Toric (Hong Kong). Following is a complete list of recalled lot numbers, as provided in the Spanish recall notices:

10509500015006, 10526500022008, 10442550000004, 10454500011010, 10471550002004, 10490500007016, 10510500012016, 10526500023006, 10443500004004, 10454500011018, 10471550002010, 10490500009008, 10515500012006, 10526500023014, 10444500007004, 10454500012010, 10472500007013, 10490500011016, 10516500013008, 10526550009006, 10445500006004, 10454500012022, 10472500007015, 10490500012022, 10516500018004, 10527500015012, 10445500006008, 10454500013012, 10472500007024, 10490550003008, 10517500014008, 10543500012008, 10445500007002, 10454500015016, 10472500008024, 10517500015000, 10543500012016, 10445500009008, 10454550003006, 10472500010012, 10517500024004, 10543500013004, 10445500016006, 10454550003020, 10472500013006, 10517550008008, 10543500015020, 10445550001001, 10454550005006, 10472500013012, 10518500013008, 10544500004005, 10445550002016, 10454550006008, 10472500014006, 10518500014006, 10544500004015, 10445550003010, 10455500003002, 10472550003002, 10518500017004, 10544500015000, 10446500002009, 10455500007012, 10472550003004, 10518500020004, 10544500017006, 10446500005002, 10455550001016, 10472550007014, 10518500021002, 10544500022010, 10446500005016, 10455550002010, 10473500003024, 10524500014012, 10545500016010, 10446500006006, 10458550000022, 10473500008016, 10525500016004, 10553500016000, 10446500009012, 10459500004002, 10473550000009, 10525500016008, 10553500019000, 10446550002006, 10461500003008, 10473550001012, 10525500017004, 10561500009008, 10447500004008, 10461550001016, 10474550000012, 10525500018016, 10561500010008, 10447550000002, 10462500009006, 10475500004016, 10525500020012, 10562500012000, 10447550000010, 10462550000010, 10480500002008, 10526500011024, 10562500012022, 10448500004018, 10463500008018, 10480500005000, 10526500013022, 10562500014000, 10451500004022, 10463550001006, 10481500006004, 10526500015000, 10562500015000, 10452500004002, 10463550004004, 10481500008006, 10526500016000, 10562500015004, 10453500005000, 10464500003004, 10481550002000, 10526500016004, 10562500016000, 10453500005006, 10464500005012, 10481550002012, 10526500017012, 10562500019008, 10453500007022, 10464550001008, 10481550003010, 10526500018004, 10562500021002, 10453500009004, 10470500005022, 10483500003020, 10526500019014, 10562500021012, 10453500009020, 10470500006007, 10485500004016, 10526500020004, 10562500022012, 10453550000017, 10470500010016, 10488500003008, 10526500020008, 10438550000004, 10453550002010, 10471500005008, 10489500004006, 10526500021002, 10439500004010, 10454500007004, 10471500006022, 10489500004014, 10526500021016, 10439550000004, 10454500008002, 10471500008016, 10489500005016, 10526500022006, 10439550000009, 10454500008014, 10471500008018, 10490500006000, 10443500007006, 10451550002006, 10453500011010, 10453500004022, 10463500005000, 10463500009010, 10463500008014, 10464500007006, 10469550000020, 10471500006006, 10471550001006, 10471500003008, 10471500004008, 10471500003014, 10472500007000, 10472500006004, 10472500007004, 10479500004008, 10490500007010, 10509550003010, 10524500010010, 10456500005004, 10535500013000, 10543500013006, 10543500014006, 10543500014014, and 10544500013000.

FDA is ‘aware’ of the situation (as I reported on September 22nd) but has not issued a recall notice or health alert. Neither has Health Canada.

As part of my September 22nd article, I posted a total of 14 reports of corneal abrasion, tears and eye pain caused by the recalled CooperVision lenses that I had received from readers. Later that day, I received the following:

From Court, on September 22:- Picked these up on a wednesday. Friday I tore off half my cornea in one eye and scratched the hell out of the other. I have been wearing contacts for over 10 years and i have never had this issue. Pasco, Washington is where I purchased them. Today I got a call from 1800contacts telling me about this recall. I looked up my lot # as advised and they are part of the recalled batch My new eye doctor is meeting with her associates to discuss how they plan on dealing with their patients’ needs. Has anyone heard or filed a class action law suit? I missed a day of work, ruined my labor day weekend and put me through hours/days of pain.

And this comment was just posted to eFoodAlert by Molly Martin, of CooperVision:

CooperVision initiated a voluntary recall of certain Lots of Avaira Toric. While we do not actively monitor or participate in online blogs, we were informed of this one and felt important to provide more details which can be found at CooperVision.com. We ask Avaira Toric lens wearers to call our Consumer Customer Service Department to learn more, ask any questions and allow us to help, 1-855-5-COOPER, (1-855-526-6737) or email consumercare@coopervision.com. (Consumer Care hours of operation are 9:00AM – 5:00PM ET Mon-Fri).

To find out whether your contact lenses are affected by this recall, either refer to the list of recalled lot numbers (above), contact CooperVision directly using the information provided by Molly Martin, or use the “Search” feature on CooperVision’s recall web page.

FDA’s – and Health Canada’s – lack of public comment on this recall is nothing short of scandalous. How many more people must suffer eye injury before these agencies do their jobs?