Recalls and Alerts: December 24, 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: Maribel Sweet’s Inc. of New York recalls New York Handbag Collection Gourmet Chocolate Candies (various packages sizes; distributed between November 1, 2011 and December 23, 2011), due to the presence of undeclared peanuts and pistachios. The recalled chocolates were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders.
  • Allergy Alert: Eillien’s Candies, Inc. recalls Yogurt Raisins (Royal Snacks, Nutty Bros., Eillien’s, Piggly Wiggly, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012), Granola Mix containing Yogurt Raisins (Eillien’s and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012) and Cinnamon Granola Mix contain Yogurt Raisins (Eillien’s and Mills Fleet Farm brands; Sell by prior to December 22, 2012), because they may have been mixed with undeclared Yogurt Covered Peanuts. The recalled products were distributed throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado.
  • Food Safety Recall: Avon Heights Mushrooms, Inc. recalls Krisp Pak Spinach (10-oz bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), Better Brand Spinach (10-oz bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), and Avon Heights Spinach (4 x 2.5-lb bags; Best if used by DEC 16; Code DP 340 and T691), after one package of Better Brand Spinach tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. No retail distribution information has been provided in the recall notice.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Cosmetics Products Safety Alert (Saudi Arabia): The Saudi Food & Drug Authority warns the public that the country’s cosmetics monitoring program found three samples of facial makeup that are contaminated with a high level of lead. Please refer to the Saudi FDA web site for details of the lead-contaminated products.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: July 27, 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: Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (Mount Pleasant, TX) expands its earlier recall of ready-to-eat chicken products to add Pilgrim’s Pride Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Breaded Nugget Shaped Patties with Rib Meat (8 x 2-lb bags/box; Date code 11531010; Best by JUN 02 2012; Est. #P-2071A), because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled chicken products were shipped to a retail chain in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
  • Food Safety Recall: Flying Food Group, LLC (Lawrenceville, GA) expands its earlier recall of Starbucks brand, RaceTrac brand and F&L Cafe brand ready-to-eat chicken, turkey, beef and pork products, because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled products were distributed to retail outlets in Alabama (Starbucks and F&L Cafe), Florida (F&L Cafe) and Georgia (Starbucks, RaceTrac and F&L Cafe).
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Intercharm Inc. recalls Slimforte Slimming Capsules, Slimforte Slimming Coffee, and Botanical Slimming Soft Gel after FDA lab analysis detects sibutarmine in the products. The recalled products were distributed in the USA via the Internet, and exported to Ireland.

Canada

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): Booker Ltd. recalls Euro Shopper Milk Chocolate (100g; Batch L512620; Best before end date April 2012), because the product contains undeclared nuts.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall (Ireland): Intercharm Inc. recallsSlimforte Slimming Capsules, Slimforte Slimming Coffee, and Botanical Slimming Soft Gel after FDA lab analysis detects sibutarmine in the products. The recalled products were distributed in the USA via the Internet, and exported to Ireland.
  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Millstream Ltd. recalls Milstream Oak Smoked Salmon (100g, 200g, and 1kg packs; Smoked on 15.07.2011; Batch code 42287; Expiry 15.08.2011), because the product is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Aldi Stores Ltd. recalls Snackrite Okey Dokeys Crinkle Cut Crisps (25g single packs and 300g 12-packs; all flavours; Best before 18 Oct. 2011), because a limited number of packs may have been contaminated with small pieces of rubber.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall (Greece): The government of Greece advises the public that several brands of plastic baby nursing bottles (manufactured in China) have been recalled due to the migration of bisphenol A (BPA) from the plastic.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1018): Salmonella in ginger powder from Belgium via China; distributed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Malta, Martinique, Morocco, the Netherlands and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1019): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked halibut from Poland; distributed to the Czech Republic.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): The Centre for Food Safety orders the sale to be stopped of plasticizer-tainted Taiwan-style drink and GH Assorted Fruits Dietary Fibre Pie.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating two suspected food poisoning outbreaks involving a total of four people who had consumed mushrooms purchased from a department store in Causeway Bay.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1018): Salmonella in ginger powder from Belgium via China; distributed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Malta, Martinique, Morocco, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.1018): Salmonella in ginger powder from Belgium via China; distributed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Malta, Martinique, Morocco, the Netherlands and Sweden.

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.

Recalls and Alerts: June 17, 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: Cinderella Sweets (Woodmere, NY) recalls Shabtai Gourmet Brand Cindy’s Scrumptious Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, 16 oz (All lots; Kosher for Passover), because the product ingredient list indicates egg in the contents, while the package is labeled “Egg Free.”
  • Allergy Alert: Bariatric Advantage, a division of Catalina Lifesciences (Irvine, CA) recalls Chewable Multi Formula High in Vitamins A, D, E & K (Chocolate Mint Truffle flavor; single tablet, 60-tablet, and 180 tablet sizes; Lot #411499, 411499B and 411499D; Expiration date 5/24/2012) because the tablets contain undeclared milk protein.
  • Food Safety Recall: TGF Production LLC (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Herring Fish in Salt Water (1,300g/2.86-lb round plastic container; Code #20.02.11 PVI44AMIC2; Product of Russia), because the herring was not properly eviscerated prior to processing, and may be contaminated with spores of Clostridium botulinum. The recalled product was sold nationally.
  • Food Recall: Bacardi USA recalls Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante, 1.5-liter bottles (Lot codes: L10236, L10237, L10238, L10239, L10242, L10243, L10244, L10278, L10279, L10281, L10284, L10285, and L10321), after the company received reports of bursting bottles.
  • FDA Enforcement Action: FDA and Ocean Harvest Inc. (San Diego, CA) have entered into a consent decree of permanent injunction. The consent decree restrains Ocean Harvest from preparing, packing, or distributing seafood until the company complies with the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations. The company also cannot prepare, pack or distribute seafood until it complies with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations.
  • Outbreak Alert: Residents and employees at Lemoore Naval Air Station (California) are being told not to drink the base’s water after 29 people became ill with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. at the base.
  • Outbreak Alert: Four people have contracted E. coli after visiting the Everett’s Animal Farm at Forest Park in Snohomish County, Washington.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Au Délices de la Plaine (Terrebonne, QC) recalls – and warns the public not to consume – refrigerated spaghetti sauce sold by the company in 500-mL glass jars (all product dated up to and including 9 juin 2011), because the product may not be safe for consumption.
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall: MGA Entertainment of Van Nuys, California recalls Bratz Makeup Design Sketch Book (Batch codes BV6997 and BV7040; Expiration 9/2012), because the eye shadow makeup in the Sketch Book may be contaminated with Staphylococcus warneri and Staphylococcus intermedius. The recalled product was sold from February 2011 to May 2011 at Toys R Us stores across Canada.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): Iceland Foods Ltd. recalls Iceland Beef in Oyster Sauce Noodle Bowl (550g; Best before 11.09.2012), due to the presence of undeclared peanut, fish and shellfish, as the result of a packaging error.
  • Allergy Alert (Ireland): Iceland Foods Ltd. recalls Iceland’s Beef Oyster Sauce Noodle Bowl (550g; Best before 11.09.2012), because the product contains undeclared peanut, fish and shellfish allergens.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): The Co-operative recalls The Co-operative brand of Healthier Choice French Dressing (250mL; all codes), Thousand Island Dressing (250mL; all codes) and Fresh Caesar Dressing (150mL; all codes), after detecting Salmonella in one of the ‘minor ingredients’ used in the products. Salmonella has not been recovered from any of the finished product samples.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Skiftekær Økologi ApS recalls organic fruits and vegetables, after rats were found in the potato storage area. Please navigate to the recall notice for a list of the affected products and the retailers that carried them.
  • Food Safety Recall Update (Netherlands): The EHEC bacteria found last week in red (pink) beet sprouts is of a strain that has not been reported previously in the Netherlands. The source of the contamination is still under investigation.
  • Food Safety Alert (Italy): On orders from the Ministry of Health, the Carabiniere has seized 5 tons of Steaks Country frozen hamburger patties and meatballs from the Lidl distribution center in Verona province. The seized products, which are currently being analyzed, have been linked to seven reported cases of E. coli O157 illness in children in the Lille area of France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0782): Listeria monocytogenes in cheese from France; distributed to Australia, Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0785): Unauthorized octopamine hydrochloride in food supplement from the USA; distributed to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0786): Aflatoxins in pine nuts (unshelled) from China, via Germany; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0787): Unauthorized gold and silver in food supplements from Italy; distributed to Andorra and Spain.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0788): High aerobic plate count (bacteria) in mineral water from Italy; distributed to Malta.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0789): Salmonella in onion powder from Egypt; distributed to Ireland and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0790): Salmonella in frozen salted chicken cuts from Brazil; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Pet Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0791): Salmonella in lamb meal from the Netherlands; distributed to Belgium.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2011.0794): Undeclared nuts in muesli from the United Kingdom; distributed to Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0795): Imazalil in mango from Guatemala, via the Netherlands and via Hungary; distributed to Romania.
  • Outbreak Alert (Sweden): Some 50 dog owners – and possibly several dogs – are believed to have been infected with enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) after attending a dog show in eastern Sweden. The 120 participants at the show came from all over Sweden, as well as from Denmark, Norway and Finland. EHEC has been confirmed in two cases; fortunately, a milder strain than is responsible for the German outbreak.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (German sprouts): According to the World Health Organization, there are now a total of 3,517 HUS and non-HUS EHEC cases, including 39 deaths. Germany has reported 798 cases of HUS (25 deaths) and 2,610 cases of non-HUS EHEC (13 deaths).

Australia and New Zealand

  • Medical Device Safety Recall/Alert (Australia): Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd recalls Life Scan One Touch Verio Blood Glucose Monitoring System, manufactured by Lifescan Inc, USA during August 2010 to December 2010, because users are experiencing repeated ‘Error 2’ warning messages when used in conditions of high temperature and/or humidity due to contamination on one of the meter’s components, which occurred during the manufacturing process. Please navigate to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s recall notice for a list of the affected serial numbers.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2011.0782): Listeria monocytogenes in cheese from France; distributed to Australia, Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

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.