A Company Errs On The Side Of Safety

On May 17, 2011, Nielsen-Massey recalled Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste (Lot #11123) after its outside testing lab reported having found Listeria monocytogenes in a routine test sample.

The company also notified FDA and dispatched a recall letter to its customers within 24 hours of receiving the lab’s test results.

I have just received the following news release issued by Nielsen-Massey, which is self-explanatory.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas’ Voluntary Product Recall Was Unnecessary

Found to be Based on Laboratory’s Error

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (June 9, 2011) A voluntary recall of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas’ Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste has been found to be based on a false-positive Listeria reading reported by the company’s outside testing laboratory. Subsequent investigations and further tests by the FDA, the outside lab in question and another independent lab brought in to re-verify the results, all came back negative. There were no positive results in any raw material used or for any of the equipment used in the process. Additionally, the other independent lab and the FDA laboratory, using the exact same gallon bottle of Paste which tested positive initially, found no trace of Listeria whatsoever. As the FDA did not have any findings as a result of their investigation, no Form 483 was issued.

On May 16, 2011, Nielsen-Massey’s outside testing laboratory advised Nielsen-Massey that it had detected potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination in lot no. 11123 of its Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste product as part of its regular quality control testing. Nielsen-Massey acted immediately, notifying the FDA and writing and dispatching a recall letter to its customers within 24 hours of the lab’s notification. There have been no reports of illness related to Nielsen-Massey’s.

This recall did not affect Nielsen-Massey’s other products.

“We acted immediately when consumer safety became an issue,” said Craig Nielsen, chief executive officer. “And we would do the same thing again, since an error on the side of safety is almost always the right thing to do. But it’s extremely unfortunate that a laboratory error caused such inconvenience to our customers and consumers. We’ve notified all our customers and have apologized to them as well.

“For 104 years we have provided the world’s finest vanilla products made with the utmost care and safeguards. Nielsen-Massey remains committed to providing the world’s finest vanilla for the best customers in the world.”

My compliments to Nielsen-Massey’s management for erring on the side of consumer protection and food safety!

Belgian Cheese Recall Goes Multinational – Update

A couple of months ago – March 19th to be precise – Belgomilk (Moorslede, Belgium) announced the recall of a single lot of Nazareth Classic rectangular “half-cheese” (approx. 3Kg, plastic-wrapped; Lot ID #0520018301 or 0520018302). The recalled cheese was distributed in Belgium and Germany (RASFF Reference #2011.0374).

The reason for the recall? The company found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of this batch of cheese.

About a month later, France notified RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) member countries that it had detected Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of cheese from Belgium (RASFF Reference #2011.0511; released 18/04/2011 and updated 11/05/2011). The Alert indicated that there had been “distribution to other member countries.”

It, therefore, should not have come as a shock when Belgomilk announced a greatly expanded cheese recall on May 10th, as a result of having found Listeria monocytogenes in an unspecified number of production lots of cheese manufactured at its Moorslede facility. The new recall encompassed cheeses purchased by consumers prior to May 11th.

This list of recalled cheeses includes the following brands and formats:

Affligem Tranches/Affligem Slices, ± 400g
Belgolight Jeune/Belgolight Young, 200g
Brugge d’Or Tranches/Brugge d’Or Slices, ±375g
Brugge d’Or Bloc/Brugge d’Or Wedge, ±450g/250g
Corsendonk Cubes, 250g
Grimbergen Tranches/Grimbergen Slices, ±350g
Grimbergen Cubes, ±315g
KV Light Fromage Tranches/KV Light Cheese Slices (Light 16% fromage jeune/Light 16% young cheese), ±300g
Nazareth Classic Bloc/Nazareth Classic Wedge, ±425g/250g
Nazareth Classic Cubes, 150g/250g
Nazareth Classic Tranches/Nazareth Classic Slices, 200g/180g
Nazareth Light Tranches/Nazareth Light Slices, ±300g
Nazareth Tranches/Nazareth Slices, 200g/150g
St. Maarten Classic Tranches/St. Maarten Classic Slices, 200g

In addition, the following cheeses were sold “cut to order” at creameries or dairy stands, and as “freshpack” cheese in supermarkets: Belgolight, Bocholter fromage à pain, Brugge d’Or and Nazareth Light & Classic.

Part of the Milcobel dairy cooperative, Belgomilk is headquartered in Kallo, Belgium, and is the largest milk processor in the Milcobel corporate family. Its three factories produce a variety of milk products, including milk powders, butters and cheeses. The Moorslede location produces Belgomilk’s branded and Gouda-style cheeses for distribution in Belgium and for export.

According to the RASFF notification (EU #2011.0619) – issued on May 11, 2011 and updated on May 13, 2011 – the cheeses that were recalled by Belgomilk on May 10th were distributed in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The RASFF notice does not specify which brands of cheese may have been distributed in which countries. Nevertheless, some of this information can be gleaned from recall notices posted by individual countries. The following list is current, as of May 14th, and will be updated if and when more information becomes available.

Belgium

Recalled cheeses were distributed in Colruyt, OKay, Spar, Alvo and Delhaize stores, as follows:

Grimbergen Tranches/Slices, ±350g (Colruyt & OKay)
Grimbergen Cubes, ±315g (Colyruyt, OKay, Alvo & Spar)
Affligem Tranches/Slices, ±400g (Colyrut & OKay)
Bruges d’Or Trances/Slices, ±375g (Colyrut & OKay)
Bruges d’Or Bloc/Wedge, ±400g (Colyrut & OKay)
Nazareth Classic Bloc/Wedge, ±425g (Colyrut & OKay)
Nazareth Fromage en Block/Wedge Cheese, ±250g (Delhaize)
Nazareth Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut & OKay)
Kievit Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut & OKay)
Delhaize Tranches de Nazareth/Nazareth Slices, 180g (Delhaize)
Delhaize Plateau de fromage Belgo-Français/Belgo-France Cheese Platter, ±400g (Delhaize)
Brugge Kaas Plateau de fromage Brugge/Brugge cheese platter ±450g (Delhaize)

Germany

The following recalled cheese was sold in Lidl stores in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony only:

St. Maarten Classic Belgian Cheese Slices, 200g

Luxembourg

The following recalled cheeses were sold in member stores of the Colruyt group in Luxembourg:

Grimbergen Tranches/Slices, ±350g (Colruyt, Collivery & OKay)
Grimbergen Cubes, ±315g (Colyruyt, Collivery, OKay, Alvo & Spar)
Affligem Tranches/Slices, ±400g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
Bruges d’Or Trances/Slices, ±375g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
Bruges d’Or Bloc/Wedge, ±400g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
Nazareth Classic Bloc/Wedge, ±425g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
Nazareth Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
Kievit Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)

The following recalled cheeses were sold in member stores of the Delhaize chain in Luxembourg (updated May 26, 2011):

Delhaize brand Tranches de Nazareth (180g; all date codes)
Delhaize brand Plateau de fromage Belgo-Français (400g; Best before 18/04/2011 and 02/05/2011)
Nazareth brand Fromage Nazareth en bloc (250g; all date codes)
Brugge Kaas brand Plateau de fromage Brugge (450g; Best before 13/04/2011)

The Netherlands

St. Maarten Classic Belgian Cheese Slices, 200g – sold in Lidl stores in the Netherlands

United Kingdom

St. Maarten Classic Belgian Cheese Slices, 200g – sold in Lidl stores in the UK

USA (Updated May 21st)

Atalanta Corp (Elizabeth, NJ) recalls Nazareth Classic and Nazareth Light cheeses (Lot Nos. 5030008, 5030009, 11350044, 11350045, 11350046, 10840120; expiration dates of 3/13/2011 through 7/29/2011). The cheeses were distributed mostly in the Northeast, and sold in retail stores in random weight cuts.

Not all countries and retailers are equally prompt at posting recall notices – if they post them at all. If you have purchased one of the recalled cheeses and your country or store does not appear on the above lists, please discard the cheese and let me know where you found it, so that I can add the information to the list for the benefit of other consumers.

Please return to this site periodically for updates as more information becomes available.

Chicken Jerky Dog Treats Recalled In Australia

December 10, 2008

The Australian Veterinary Association has warned pet owners and veterinarians to watch for dogs exhibiting signs of acquired Fanconi-like syndrome after KraMar announced that it was withdrawing its Supa Naturals Chicken breasts strips from the Australian market.

The dog treats were imported from China.

The withdrawal comes as a result of an unusually high number of dogs being reported as suffering from symptoms consistent with this relatively uncommon syndrome. University of Sydney researchers have pointed an epidemiological finger linking the problem to the consumption of the chicken treat.

While KraMar has withdrawn the implicated product, the company was careful to point out that there is no direct scientific evidence linking the chicken treats to the problem. KraMar routinely tests these products for the presence of melamine, Salmonella and E. coli.

Fanconi’s syndrome, most often an inherited disease, is characterized by elevated levels of glucose in urine, but not in blood. The high glucose level is an indicator of damage to the kidney’s ability to reabsorb nutrients and electrolytes back into the body.

Non-hereditary Fanconi-like symptoms can be triggered – at least in humans – by a number of factors, including exposure to heavy metals or other chemicals, vitamin D deficiency, or multiple myeloma, among others. While the definition of a “heavy metal” is somewhat arbitrary, this category of chemical elements includes arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium and zinc.

The situation in Australia is eerily reminiscent of a similar incident that took place last year in the United States. In September 2007, FDA warned consumers that as many as 95 dogs might have been sickened – some fatally – as a result of having been fed chicken jerky treats imported from China. Extensive chemical and microbiological testing carried out by the agency failed to reveal anything unusual. At least some of the dogs exhibited symptoms consistent with Fanconi-like syndrome. But FDA never was able to tie down a cause for the illnesses.

KraMar has told ABC News that it is considering moving the production of their Supa Naturals Chicken treat to Australia. Meanwhile dog owners should be watchful for symptoms such as excessive drinking and urination, lethargy and vomiting, and should contact their veterinarian immediately should these symptoms appear.

For more information about the precautionary recall, consumers can contact KraMar by email at customerservice@kramar.com.au or by telephone at 02 4648 8500.