Category: Salmonella

Recall Roundup: February 1, 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 Update: Sabor Farms LLC (Salinas, CA) recalls fresh cilantro sold under the Nature’s Reward (05013 22/ 16 10 and 05014 22/ 16 10), Ocean Mist (16 cisf 1j / 2 0113 11 and 16 cisf 1j / 2 011411), Tanimura & Antle (22 01 13 151348 and 22 01 14 151348), and Queen Victoria (16520142 / 16 10 22 and 16520132 / 16 10 22) labels, because the cilantro may be contaminated with Salmonella. The contamination was found in a USDA Microbiology Data Program test of cilantro harvested by the company. The cilantro was on store shelves in multiple states from January 14th to January 28th, inclusive.
  • Alcohol Prep Pads/Swabs Recall Update: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation advises patients that some recalled alcohol prep pads manufactured by Triad Group may have been included in U.S. packaging for Extavia. These alcohol prep pads should not be used, as they may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Dairy Farmers of America (Kansas City, MO) that an August/September inspection of the company’s Grade B dairy manufacturing facility revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations for foods. In addition, FDA investigators performed environmental sampling which identified the presence of Salmonella senftenberg in three out of 106 environmental swabs facility.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Tiller Biscotti & Cookie Company (Jackson, MS) that a September 2010 inspection of the company’s biscotti manufacturing facility revealed serious deviations from Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Bullfrog Fish Farm, LLC, dba Bullfrog Fish Farm Eat My Fish (Menomonie, WI) that an August/September 2010 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns D. Brickman Inc. (Albany, NY) that an October/November 2010 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Vistar Corporation (Miami, FL) that an October 2010 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Ireland): Aldi Stores Ltd. recalls all batches and best before dates of three varieties of “Gille Swedish Cookies” sold by Aldi Stores Ltd since 20/01/2011, marked either Harfertaler, Vanilletraum or Haferflockengeback (Pack size: 150 g or 175 g), because the products contain undeclared egg.
  • Allergy Alert (UK): Aldi Stores recalls three varieties of Gille Swedish Cookies because they contain undeclared egg. The recall includes all packs of Gille Hafertaler (150g), Gille Vanilletraum (175g) and Gille Haferflockengeback (175).
  • Food Safety Withdrawal (UK): The Co-operative Group withdraws Co-op British Extra Mature Cheese (Best before 24/02/11; 300g) and Co-op Welsh Extra Mature Cheese (Best before 14/03/11; 200g), because of the presence of high histamine levels.
  • Food Recall (France): Casino recalls Casino brand Saucisses Knacki Herta Halal due to the suspected presence of pork in the product.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert (Australia): Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) advises Australians with peanut allergies not to eat imported crumbed fish and crumbed seafood products that could be contaminated with undeclared peanuts. Six products were recalled in January due to the presence of undeclared peanuts. There have been six reported cases of reactions from allergic consumers to different crumbed fish and crumbed seafood products. The source of the peanuts has been traced to soy flour manufactured in China.

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.

Recall Roundup: January 31, 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

  • Allergy Alert: Shuckman’s Fish Co. (Louisville, KY) recalls Kentucky Bourbon Cheese and Valumarket Beer Cheese Spread (8-oz containers; various lot numbers and sell-by dates), because the cheese products may contain undeclared soy. The recalled items were sold in retail stores in Kentucky.
  • Allergy Alert: Publix Super Markets recalls Publix Light Tiramisu Ice Cream (UPC 41415-13343; Lot code Sep 12 2011 B7 PLT 12-444), which may contain Publix Premium Coffee Almond Fudge Light Ice Cream, resulting in the presence of undeclared almonds.
  • Food Safety Recall (Update): Sabor Farms (Salinas, CA) recalls four brands of fresh cilantro because the cilantro may be contaminated with Salmonella. The implicated product was sold between Jan 14th and Jan 28th under the labels Nature’s Reward, Ocean Mist, Tanimura & Antle and Queen Victoria. The cilantro was sold in retail stores, including Walmart, in California and several other states.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Hong Kong and Singapore): Hoepharma (HK) Ltd. recalls all batches of its prescription-only acne treatment, T3 Actin Cream 0.1% (manufactured in Malaysia), after Singapore finds that the content of its active ingredient, tretinoin, is less than stated.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert (Australia): Coles Supermarkets Limited recalls Coles Crumbed Fish Fillets, and Black Oreodory Fillets in Light Crispy Breadcrumbs (200g cardboard box; all date codes; Product of China), because the product contains undeclared peanut. The recalled fish products were sold in Coles stores across Australia.
  • Food Safety Recall Update (New Zealand): Biofarm Products Ltd. recalls Biofarm Bush Honey Yoghurt, 1 litre (Best before 5th March 2011) after discovering the presence of E. coli in the product. The recalled yoghurt was distributed through all major food retail outlets and health food shops throughout New Zealand.

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.

Sprouters Northwest Sprout Mix – Salmonella and Listeria

Sprouters Northwest fails FDA follow-up inspection after sprout recall

On January 3rd, Sprouters Northwest, Inc. (Kent, WA) announced a recall of all of its clover and clover mix sprout products after learning that some of its sprouts had been linked by Washington and Oregon state health authorities to six cases of Salmonella gastroenteritis.

At the best of times, raw sprouts are a high-risk food – easy to contaminate and impossible to clean. That’s why FDA and some state agencies have issued a series of sprout Guidance Documents aimed at sprout producers.

FDA began a nearly 3-week long inspection of Sprouters Northwest on January 3rd – the same day that the recall was announced. An inspection report released by the agency on January 26th provides clear evidence that Sprouters ignored many of the basic sanitation and production recommendations included in those Guidance Documents.

Here are just a few of the FDA inspection team’s observations:

  1. Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of a table in the packing room;
  2. Raw sprouts stored in unlined plastic crates and in direct contact with pallets that had been stored on the floor;
  3. Brown mass of old, thick food grime on support plate inside the rinse tank incline belt;
  4. Listeria seeligeri (a benign Listeria species) on the grimy support plate;
  5. Equipment in the seed disinfection room not cleaned between uses;
  6. Rodent droppings in the warehouse;
  7. Seeds on the floor in standing water in front of the door leading into the seed disinfection room;
  8. Water build-up along walls and the floor; and
  9. “An abrupt stream of water followed by intermittent drips … falling from the ceiling …” in a corner of the warehouse.

With producers like this around, perhaps it’s time for warning labels on sprouts?