Category: Salmonella

Recalls and Alerts: November 8, 2011

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Food Safety Recall: Whittington’s Jerky, Inc. (Johnson City, TX) recalls Whittington’s Original Beef Jerky (2-oz & 4-oz pkgs; Est 21257; Produced Oct 31, 2011) after routine USDA testing revealed Salmonella in a sample. The recalled Jerky was distributed to convenience stores in West Texas and also sold at the company’s retail operation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Frank Harter & Sons (Cincinnati, OH) that a July/July 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Alabama Sunshine, Inc. (Fayette, AL) that a July 2011 inspection of the company’s facility revealed significant deviations from the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and from regulations relating to the processing of acidified foods, causing the companies acidified products to be adulterated and in violation of the Act, in that they were prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Onorato & Company, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA) that an August 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Fremont Farms L.C. (Oskaloosa, IA) that a June 2011 inspection of the company’s shell egg production facility revealed serious violations of the Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Bacalao Brothers, Inc. dba New England Fish Market (Jensen Beach, FL) that a July 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports 30 confirmed E. coli O157:H7 cases connected to the St. Louis area outbreak. None of the 55 food samples tested so far have yielded E. coli. The source of the outbreak remains unknown.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: The North Carolina Division of Public Health reports twelve confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 connected to the North Carolina State Fair outbreak; 16 cases remain under investigation. The 28 cases were reported from the following counties: Wake (13), Sampson (6), Cleveland (1), Durham (2), Johnston (1), Lenoir (1), Orange (2) and Wilson (2).

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Grant Chocolatier recalls Grant Chocolatier Dark Chocolate Hallowe’en Figures (variable weight; no codes) due to the presence of undeclared milk.
  • Allergy Alert: Salle Châtelaine (Saint-Hyacinthe, QC) recalls Lasagna and Spaghetti Sauce (all lots), due to the presence of undeclared soy (both products) and wheat (spaghetti sauce only).
  • Food Safety Recall: Cie 2 Ameriks Inc. recalls Gogo Quinoa Multigrains Crunchy Muesli (300g; Code L130546; UPC 8 96899 00017 3), due to the presence of insect fragments.

Europe

  • Food Withdrawal (Finland): Unilever withdraws Viennatta Choco Nut ice cream cake (350g/650ml; Best before 01.056.2013; Batch code L1166CU020 and L1166DC020), because the products are missing Finnish and Swedish labels.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Denmark): An outbreak of 40 illnesses was traced to imported datterino tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella Strathcona, a serotype that was not previously detected in Denmark. The tomatoes were imported from southern Italy and sold primarily by the Rema 1000 supermarket chain. The source of the outbreak was determined by patient interviews and a review of electronic purchase records from the supermarket chain.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong ex. Thailand): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a food poisoning outbreak involving 19 members of a tour group who visited Phuket, Thailand from November 1 to 5. One of the 19 people was hospitalized after returning to Hong Kong.
  • Outbreak Alert (Taiwan ex. Thailand): The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control has confirmed shigellosis in three travelers returning from Thailand. All three became ill after consuming raw fish during their stay in Thailand.

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 web site.

*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.

Profiling Salmonella (non-typhoid)

In addition to Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi, there are more than 2,200 known Salmonella serotypes. Most are pathogenic. Salmonella is one of the top two recognized bacterial causes of foodborne disease (Campylobacter is the other).

Some history

The first non-typhoidal Salmonella to be isolated was the agent that causes hog cholera – Salmonella Cholerae-suis – described initially in 1885. Each new Salmonella was, at first, named for the disease syndrome; then, as the apparently different “species” became more numerous, they were named for the location (city, state or country) where they were first reported (e.g., Salmonella London, Salmonella Tennessee, Salmonella Java)

What is Salmonella, and where is its natural habitat?

Salmonella inhabits the intestinal tract of virtually all species of insects, warm-blooded animals, fish, reptiles and birds around the world. With just a few exceptions – and humans are the main exceptions – the microbe causes no illness to its animal host.

How is Salmonella transmitted? What is the incubation period of the infection?

Salmonella is transmitted most often through the consumption of contaminated food or water, or by hand-to-mouth contact with a carrier animal, reptile or insect. Secondary person-to-person transmission also can occur. The incubation period usually is 1 to 3 days.

What illnesses are caused by Salmonella? How long does it take to develop?

Salmonella infections most often cause salmonellosis – a form of gastroenteritis. Symptoms usually develop in 1 to 3 days following ingestion of an infective dose of the bacteria, and typically last from 4 to 7 days.

What are the symptoms of salmonellosis?

Symptoms of non-typhoidal Salmonella infections (salmonellosis) usually include diarrhea, fever, cramps and vomiting.

What is the prognosis of Salmonella infections?

The disease is largely self-limiting; however, some patients experience secondary consequences, including endocarditis or bacteremia. Osteomyelitis also is an occasional complication, as is Reiter’s syndrome – a reactive arthritis.

What foods carry Salmonella?

Virtually any food – meat, poultry, dairy, produce, spices, candy, chocolate, – may be contaminated with Salmonella. In addition, small pets – rodents, snakes and lizards – are common carriers of this pathogen. Food items that are Salmonella-free may become contaminated through improper handling (cross-contamination) during preparation.

How can susceptible people protect themselves from infection?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers some tips for avoiding the spread of Salmonella:

  • Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
  • If you are served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant, don’t hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.
  • Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
  • Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
  • Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
  • Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
  • Don’t work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.
  • Mother’s milk is the safest food for young infants. Breastfeeding prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.

For more information on Salmonella and other food-borne pathogens, visit the CDC website or read Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives.

Recalls and Alerts: November 7, 2011

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Food Recall: Price Chopper recalls Price Chopper Apple Pie (8-inch; Purchased Oct 3 – Nov 3) and Price Chopper Pumpkin Pie (8-inch; Purchased Oct 3 – Nov 3), because the products are not up to quality standards.
  • Outbreak Alert: Thirty-five people fell ill with vomiting and diarrhea a day after eating lunch last week in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pyle Center’s Alumni Lounge, according to an item in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: All The Best Fine Foods recalls its own brand of Maple Pecans (150g; UPC 20002954; Lot code 119061), due to the presence of undeclared wheat. As a result of a packaging error, the packages contain Maple Shortbread instead of Maple Pecans. The recalled product was distributed nationally.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Netherlands): Kruidvat and Prijsmepper recall Kinder Joy Chocolate Eggs (Bar code 80310891), because the product contains undeclared nuts.
  • Food Alert (Ireland): Diageo Ireland advises that two batches of Guinness 568ml brown crowned bottles (Lot codes L1277GD001 and L1290GD001) have been mislabelled. The labels carry incorrect UK units of alcohol (labeled as 1.8, whereas the labels should read 2.4). The product poses no health risk, but consumers may be mislead as to the amount of alcohol consumed.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1574): Escherichia coli in clams from Turkey; distributed to Greece.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1575): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked rainbow trout from Greece; distributed to the Netherlands.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1576): Yeast in remoulade sauce from Denmark; distributed to Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1577): Histamine in frozen sardine fillets from Tunisia; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1578): Escherichia coli in frozen mechanically separated poultry meat from Poland; distributed to Romania.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2011.1579): Salmonella typhimurium in fish feed from Spain; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1580): Salmonella spp. in paan leaves from Bangladesh; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1581): Methomyl in fresh mint from Israel; distributed to the Czech Republic.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1583): Cadmium in chilled tiger prawns from Senegal; distributed to Germany.

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 web site.

*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.