Category: Salmonella

Recall Roundup: January 4, 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.

United States
  • Allergy Alert: Crave Foods (Los Angeles, CA) recalls Crave Pies Chicken Mushroom Pie (6-lb cases containing 12 individual 4-oz packages), because the product contains undeclared monosodium glutamate (MSG). The recalled pies were produced between September 2010 and December 2010 and shipped to distribution centers in California and New York for further retail distribution.
  • Food Safety Recall: Sprouters Northwest, Inc. (Kent, WA) recalls all of its clover sprout and and clover mixed sprout products, because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall was initiated after clover sprouts produced by Sprouters Northwest were linked to four cases of Salmonella Newport infections in Washington State and two cases in Oregon. The recalled sprouts were distributed to wholesalers, grocery stores – including QFC and Fred Meyer stores – and restaurants in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and British Columbia.
  • Food Recall: Price Chopper recalls Olivio Premium Spread, 15-ounce tub because droplets of water can surface in the container and may promote mold growth.
  • Food Recall: Food City recalls Food City Fat Free Yogurt, 32 oz (Exp. date 01/21/2011). No reason was given for the recall.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: The Ritedose Corporation recalls 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3mL (25, 30, 60 unit dose vials), because the 2.5mg/3mL single use vials are embossed with the wrong concentration and represent a health hazard. The recalled products were distributed across the USA and in Puerto Rico.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. recalls 6 lots of Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection after particulate matter was found in a small number of vials of the injectable pharmaceutical product.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Drive Total Energy recalls Rock Hard Extreme and Passion Coffee dietary supplements after FDA finds undeclared sulfoaildenafil (an analogue of sildenafil) in the product.
  • Dietary Supplement Recall: Giant Eagle recalls Natures Basket Fiber Complex, 100-ct (all lots) due to mislabelling.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Tico’s Mexican Foods, Inc. (Denver, CO) that a September 2010 inspection revealed serious deviations from the Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Regulation.
Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: Sprouters Northwest, Inc. (Kent, WA) recalls all of its clover sprout and and clover mixed sprout products, because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall was initiated after clover sprouts produced by Sprouters Northwest were linked to four cases of Salmonella Newport infections in Washington State and two cases in Oregon. The recalled sprouts were distributed to wholesalers, grocery stores – including QFC and Fred Meyer stores – and restaurants in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and British Columbia.
Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Puerto Ric0): The Ritedose Corporation recalls 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3mL (25, 30, 60 unit dose vials), because the 2.5mg/3mL single use vials are embossed with the wrong concentration and represent a health hazard. The recalled products were distributed across the USA and in Puerto Rico.
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.

Outbreaks and Alerts: January 3, 2011

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

United States
  • Multistate Outbreak. December 28th: Alfalfa sprouts from Tiny Green Organic Farm (Urbana, IL) have been blamed for an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-), which has sickened at least 94 people in 16 states and the District of Columbia.

     

  • West Virginia. December 30th: Food Safety News reports that the Cabell-Huntington County Health Department has vaccinated 236 people after 11 individuals were infected with hepatitis A in the Milton, WV area. The source of the hepatitis outbreak has not been identified.

     

  • New York, NY. January 3rd: The Queen Mary 2, en route to New York from Southampton, was boarded in St. Kitts by an inspector from the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program after the cruise ship reporting that 185 passengers (out of a total of 2,483) and 29 crew members were suffering from diarrhea and vomiting.

     

Canada
  • Laval, QC. December 29th: The Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital in Laval has closed its doors to visitors in an attempt to control an outbreak of gastroenteritis that has affected both patients and staff at the hospital. Ambulances have been instructed to avoid the hospital until further notice.

     

  • Hamilton, ON. January 2nd: Clostridium difficile contributed to the death of a 91-year old woman at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, bringing the total number of C. difficile related deaths at the facility to eleven since October 2010.

     

Europe

  • Swansea, Wales, UK. January 3rd: Managers at Morriston Hospital have closed seven wards and asked the public to avoid visiting the hospital as part of a program to contain an outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis.

     

     

  • Bonn/Koblenz, Germany, January 3rd: A passenger who was infected with norovirus before boarding the Prinses Juliana has been identified as the source of an outbreak of gastroenteritis among passengers of the Rhine cruise ship. The ship was quarantined for one day after 50 of the ship’s 150 passengers developed diarrhea and vomiting.

     

  • Kalmykia, Russia. January 3rd: An emergency has been declared after veterinarians detected anthrax in meat from a slaughtered cow. Eight cases of human anthrax also are suspected, but have not yet been confirmed.

     

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Hong Kong. December 30th: The Centre for Food Safety reports that fresh pig liver may be one of the sources of food-borne hepatitis E virus infections in Hong Kong, after determining that 16 out of 51 liver samples from roaster pigs were positive for the virus.

     

  • Beijing, China. December 31st: A random inspection of 35 rice noodle factories in Dongguan in early December revealed that only 5 of the 35 factories were manufacturing rice noodles that met government standards. Among the problems found during the inspections were noodles made with rotten grain and potentially carcinogenic additives.

     

  • Cebu, Philippines. January 1st: Twelve cases of diarrhea have been reported in Catmon (Cebu province). One person has died.

     

  • Harare, Zimbabwe. January 3rd: Cholera has been reported in at least 20 households in the Mbare suburb of Majubheki. According to news reports, the sewage system in Mbare has broken down, resulting in the contamination of drinking water with raw sewage.

     

  • Jakarta, Indonesia. January 3rd: Six members of one Central Java family died from apparent food poisoning after eating tiwul, a traditional dish made from dried cassava powder.

     

  • Papua New Guinea. January 3rd: PNG’s cholera outbreak has spread to another district in East Sepik, with at least 10 confirmed deaths. In a separate incident, a nurse at Port Moresy General Hospital became infected with cholera after coming into contact with a patient’s feces and vomit.

     

Latin America and the Caribbean

 

  • Jamaica. December 23rd: The Ministry of Health is investigating a possible case of food poisoning after eleven persons who shared a meal were taken to St. Ann’s Bay hospital. One of the eleven victims was dead on arrival, and the others received treatment. Samples of the meal were taken for testing, but no results have been released as of January 3rd.

     

  • Dominican Republic. December 30th: Vibrio cholerae, has been found in the drinking water of two villages adjacent to the border with Haiti. At least 20 people in the area are suffering from cholera-like symptoms; 139 cholera cases have been confirmed nationwide.

     

  • Tambor, Costa Rica. December 31st: Salmonella was found in a sample of chicken served at the Hotel Barceló Playa Tambor after 80 hotel guests complained of gastrointestinal symptoms. Nevertheless, none of the ill guests were found to be infected with Salmonella; instead, they were determined to be suffering from norovirus infections. The hotel was closed on December 26th as a result of the outbreak, and remained closed through the New Year’s weekend.

     

  • Bolivar, Colombia. December 31st: A possible cholera outbreak in temporary shelters in three municipalities has health authorities on the alert. The shelters were opened to house people who were forced to flee areas affected by flooding.

     

  • Haiti. December 31st: The death toll from Haiti’s cholera epidemic has reached 3,333; more than 150,000 infections have been reported.

     

 


 

Guest Blog: Eggs By The Millions

The following Guest Blog first appeared on Le Blog d’Albert Amgar, a regular feature on ProcessAlimentaire.com, and is reproduced here in English (translation by Phyllis Entis) with the kind permission and cooperation of its author, Albert Amgar.

Eggs By The Millions

(Des oeufs par millions)

One cannot but rejoice at the 17 million eggs that was were donated by a number of countries in support of the struggle against world hunger.

According to the September 13, 2010 issue of World Poultry,

“During the past 12 months, egg farmers from around the globe have donated more than 17 million eggs to international hunger relief charities working in Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Europe.


October 8th is World Egg Day, while events are taking place around the globe celebrating the humble egg; its versatility and its many health benefits, millions of undernourished people around the world are receiving help thanks to the generous donations of egg farmers internationally.”

This is commendable, and we salute the participants in this initiative. But what should we think of the astronomical quantity of 500 million eggs that were recalled from the market in the United States because of Salmonella contamination – all due to unscrupulous producers who short-changed consumers by pinching pennies on food safety. And let’s not forget the roughly 1,519 outbreak victims, reported to CDC for the period ending August 31st.

M. Amgar finishes by referring his readers to the eFoodAlert Consolidated List of Recalled Eggs, and to Doug Powell’s barfblog article, Marketing microbial food safety at retail is the only way to provide consumer choice and hold producers accountable.

About Albert Amgar: Albert Amgar lives in Changé near Laval in Mayenne, France. He worked as young scientist at the Parasitology and Tropical Medicine Service of the Pitié Salpétrière Hospital and later spent 12 years in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1989, he became director of a new association of agro-food industrialists named ASEPT in Laval (France). He was the general manager of ASEPT until his retirement.

There are many conscientious, reputable and caring people in the food industry, as demonstrated by the generosity of the egg farmers reported by World Poultry. There also are a few rotten eggs. Unfortunately, the smell produced by those rotten eggs overwhelms the senses and sends a negative message about the safety of the US food supply to consumers in the United States and around the world.

The House of Representative’s SubCommittee on Oversight and Investigations has scheduled a hearing into the Salmonella Outbreak and Egg Recall for 11:00 am on September 21st.