Recalls and Alerts: April 23–24, 2024

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.

“A complete and compelling account of the hidden and not-so-hidden ways the food we give our beloved pets can be contaminated.” – JoNel Aleccia, Health Reporter, Food & Nutrition, The Associated Press.

“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News

Available from all major on-line retailers, including:

United States

OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION UPDATE: FDA‘s investigation is ongoing into an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses that has not yet been associated with a specific food product. The outbreak has increased in size to 12 confirmed cases.

Food Safety Recall: ConSup North America Inc. recalls Stockmeyer PROSCIUTTO Product of GERMANY (Multiple lot codes and Best before dates; Product of Germany) because the item was produced without benefit of equivalent inspection.

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Canada

Allergy Alert: Marché Famille Mondor inc. (IGA extra) (Berthierville, QC) recalls GRILLADE STYLE VALLEYFIELD / Valleyfield-style grill (All lots) due to undeclared mustard.

Food Safety Recall: Épicerie Basta (Montréal, QC) recalls Potage au brocoli et Potage butternut et gingembre / Broccoli stew and Butternut-ginger stew (1 L; All units sold up to 23 April 2024) due to risk for growth of Clostridium botulinum.

Food Safety Recall: Boucherie Les Saules inc. (Québec, QC) recalls soupe aux légumes et soupe aux champignons et sésame / Vegetable soup and Mushroom-sesame soup (750 ml; All units sold up to 23 April 2024) due to risk for growth of Clostridium botulinum.

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Europe

OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION UPDATE (Denmark): Statens Serum Institut has received confirmed reports of 26 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium sequence type 19, and is working to identify the source of the infections. Outbreak victims range from 0-80 years of age (median 31 years).

OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION UPDATE (Denmark): Statens Serum Institut continues to investigate a protracted outbreak of 17 cases of Listeria monocytogenes sequence type 1607, which began in 2019. The Institut is also aware of international cases linked to this same sequence type.

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Brouwland bv recalls Brewferm brand extrait de malt poudre / Malt extract powder (Multiple pack sizes, lot codes and date codes) due to undeclared gluten (barley). Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Heiploeg International B.V. recalls VITASIA brand MARINATED WAKAME (250g; Lots 2024145798, 2024146343, 2024147444; Best before 24/04/2024, 25/04/2024, 29/04/2024, respectively) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Austria): SPAR recalls SPAR Veggie Girasoli Spinat-Cashew / Spinach-Cashew veggie tortellini (250g; Best before 03.06.2024) due to undeclared peanut.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Fiers NV recalls Fiers brand bûchettes de volaille / Poultry logs (2 pieces (~260g) and 12 pieces (~1,620g); Multiple lots and use-by dates) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): SA LA TOQUE ANGEVINE recalls COTE SNACK brand WRAP PLT SCE CAESAR / Caesar wrap (Lot 08618359; Use by 09/04/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): SA LA TOQUE ANGEVINE recalls CORA brand WRAP JAMB SCE TZATZIKI / Ham wrap with tzatziki sauce (Lot 08619359; Use by 09/04/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): WINTZEDIS E. LECLERC WINTZENHEIM recalls L’atelier du Logelbach brand Choucroute de la mer / Sea sauerkraut (Use by 15/04/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): SAS MALADIS Carrefour Market recalls Cantal jeune AOP / Cheese (Sold between 29/04/2024 and 11/04/2024) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): MAMMAFIORE PARIS recalls FIRMARDOLCI brand BACI DI DAMA CACAO (Lot A0311; Best before 06/03/2025) due to foreign matter contamination (metal).

Food Safety Recall (France): CORA recalls PATRIMOINE GOURMAND brand RILLETTES DU MANS (Sold between 18/04/2024 and 23/04/ 2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): ETABLISSEMENT CANCE recalls Cochon futé brand Saucisse sèche de canard / Dry duck sausage (Lot 05029A; Best before 17/06/2024) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): ETABLISSEMENT CANCE recalls Loste brand Saucisse sèche de canard / Dry duck sausage (Lot 05029A; Best before 13/05/2024) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): ETABLISSEMENT CANCE recalls Ets Cance brand Saucisse sèche de canard / Dry duck sausage (Lot 05029A; Best before 24/06/2024) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): MOIGERE INTERMARCHE HYPER MOISSAC recalls Steak haché de boeuf préparé à la demande / Ground beef prepared to order (Best before between 15/04/2024 and 16/04/ 2024) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): DALO Intermarché recalls SAVEURS CREOLES brand CHIQUETAILLE DE POULET / Chicken chiquetaille (2 kg; Lot 24099; Use by 25/04/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): LES ELEVEURS DE LA CHARENTONNE recalls LES ELEVEURS DE LA CHARENTONNE brand RÔTI DE PORC CUIT TRANCHE / Sliced cooked pork roast (5 slices/pkg; Lot 24109; Use by 07/05/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Gmyrek Fleisch- und Wurstwaren GmbH & Co KG recalls Harzer Schinkenwürstchen / Pork sausages (350g; Lot GMYG24G0676; Best before 03.05.2024) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Estyria Naturprodukte GmbH recalls Gut Bio Sonnenblumenkerne / Organic sunflower seeds (650g; Lot 23007616/1; Best before 03.2025) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Waitrose recalls Essential Waitrose & Partners Salted Dairy Butter (500g; Best before 19 June 2024) due to possible foreign matter contamination (blue cloth).

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Recall (Singapore): Symphony W&C Pte Ltd recalls various Fromagerie Blanc’s raw milk goat cheese products (Products of France) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (New Zealand): YY Dumplings Ltd recalls four products due to undeclared allergens. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

TAINTED formats 3 — “Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News

Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?

Click on the link to listen to a short excerpt, then follow the buy links to add a digital, print or audio copy to your personal library.

Chapter 6. Birth of a Pathogen

TAINTED is available in digital format from all major on-line retailers. Press the button to go directly to your preferred digital bookstore.

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Apple

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Chapters/Indigo

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Recalls and Alerts: April 20–22, 2024

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

“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News

Available from all major on-line retailers, including:

United States

Public Health Alert: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for ground beef products (EST. 960A; “Use/Freeze by” date of April 22, 2024; Pack date 032824) due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.

Food Safety Recall: Primal Kitchen recalls Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil (750mL; Best if used by 19 Aug 2025 through 21 Aug 2025; UPC 8-5523200719-4) because the glass may be prone to breakage.

Food Safety Recall: AMY’S KITCHEN INC recalls Amy’s Kitchen Enchilada Verde Whole Meal (10 oz; Lots 60D2522, 60H2222, 60J2622; Best Before 04/2024, 8/2024, 10/2024, respectively) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

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Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Lantmännen Unibake Londerzeel NV recalls PASTRIDOR brand Croissant nature courbé / Plain curved croissant (90g; Lot PR235214; Best before 01/2025) due to undeclared almonds, hazelnuts and soy.

Allergy Alert (Finland): SOK recalls Rainbow perunasnacks / Potato snacks (200g; Best before 19.1.2025) due to undeclared sulphites.

Allergy Alert (Hungary): Interfood Lebensmittel GH GmbH recalls SPAR VEGGIE tortellini spenót-kesudió / Spinach-cashew tortellini (250g; Lot V413B; Best before 27.05.2024) due to undeclared peanut.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Shenyang Dingyi Food Co Ltd recalls Noodles al pesce ¿ Noodles Istantanei / Instant fish noodles (98g; Lot 231208 120242; Best before 07/06/2024; Product of China) due to undeclared crustaceans.

Food Safety Recall (France): BLANC F J EURL recalls Fromagerie Blanc brand Fromage de chèvre au lait cru / Raw goat’s milk cheeses (Lots 60 to 96; Best before dates between 29/04/2024 and 04/06/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): FROMAGERIES CHABERT recalls Fromagerie Chabert ARAVIS brand Reblochon de Savoie AOP fermier au lait cru Fruitière Chabert / Raw milk cheese (450g; Lot 4F19114B; Use by 10/05/2024) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): ETABLISSEMENTS BEILLEVAIRE recalls BEILLEVAIRE brand Comté / cheese (Lot 2473666) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): CHARCUTERIE COSME recalls CHARCUTERIE COSME brand ROTI DE PORC CUIT / Cooked pork roast (5 slices/pkg and 10 slices/pkg; Use by dates between 07/05/2024 and 09/05/2024 and between 12/05/2024 et le 15/05/2024, respectively; Lot 241620) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): BCT 500 recalls Poitrine de porc tranchée à la provençale / Provençal-style sliced pork belly (Lot C4096141; Use by 17/04/2024) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recalls (Italy): Industry recalls more than 40 individual products due to foreign matter contamination (metal). Please refer to the official government recall website for complete details.

Food Safety Recall (Spain): Manufacturer recalls BON PREU brand Porcini croquettes, frozen (350g; Lots 40111, 31122 & 40124; Best before Dec-25, Oct-25 & Dec-25, respectively) due to possible foreign matter contamination (plastic fragments).

Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?

Click on the link to listen to a short excerpt, then follow the buy links to add a digital, print or audio copy to your personal library.

Chapter 6. Birth of a Pathogen

TAINTED is available in digital format from all major on-line retailers. Press the button to go directly to your preferred digital bookstore.

Amazon

Apple

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

Chapters/Indigo

Advertisements

Why inspections matter. The TFP Nutrition affair

On November 16, 2023, Texas Farm Products Company (dba TFP Nutrition) informed its customers across the United States and Puerto Rico that the company’s pet food products (including dry dog food, dry cat food and catfish food) were being recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination.

The recall was announced after the Office of the Texas State Chemist found Salmonella in multiple samples of the company’s products and issued a Stop/Sale Seizure order.

About TFP Nutrition

In 1930, M.S. Wright established TFP as a fertilizer factory.

Later in the same decade, the company expanded into the agricultural feed business. In 1978, the TFP’s pet food division began operations in what the company described as “…a modern pet food plant to produce dog food, cat food, and other extruded feeds.”

TFP remains a family-owned business to this day.

According to the FDA’s Inspection Citation web page, TFP’s manufacturing facility was inspected on four occasions between 2010 and 2020. Each time, the plant received a satisfactory (No Action Indicated) classification result.

The 2022 incident

On December 16, 2022, TFP recalled a single production batch of H-E-B Texas Pets Indoor Complete Dry Cat Food (16-lb bags; MFG 13 NOV 22) after the Office of the Texas State Chemist found Salmonella in a sample of the product.

According to information obtained by eFoodAlert from the FDA in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the company’s “root cause analysis” of the problem yielded the following conclusion, which was reported to the FDA.

From the investigation, it was determined the beginning of the Indoor Complete Dry Cat Food run did experience clumping, an unusual occurrence. When the extruder is shut down due to processing issues, it requires operators to disconnect equipment and conduct a clean out of the extruder, flushing it with water and using water to clean the equipment and area. When this occurs, some food contact surfaces could be exposed to the environment. It is our determination that the increased activitiy around the extruder clamshells and air takeaway system, during likely the second shut down event, became contaminated, ultimately affecting the Indoor Complete Dry Cat Food and it is an isolated incident.

Although the FDA monitored the effectiveness of the recall, there is no indication that the federal agency conducted an inspection of the manufacturing plant.

Instead, it was left to the state of Texas to review the firm’s updated Food Safety Plan and collect additional samples to monitor for Salmonella.

Fast-forward to 2023

On October 21, 2023, TFP recalled two production batches of Retriever All Life Stages Mini Chunk Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food (50-lb bags; BEST BY 10 2024 3277 TFP and BEST BY 10 2024 3278 TFP).

Once again, the recall was triggered by a Salmonella-positive test result “…in a random sample test conducted by the Office of the Texas State Chemist.”

About three weeks later, the recall was expanded to include fifty-three different Brand/Variety/Package configurations of dry dog food, dry cat food, and catfish food.

On December 6, 2023, the FDA initiated an inspection of TFP’s Nacogdoches (Texas) manufacturing facility.

According to information obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act request and in contrast to the company’s own “root cause” analysis of the previous year, the three-person FDA investigation team uncovered multiple problems, including:

Sanitation controls that failed to prevent recontamination of finished products from pathogens present in raw ingredients (ie., cross-contamination)
Four Salmonella-positive environmental samples reported during September/October 2023
Inadequate environmental monitoring program that was developed “…without using a scientific methodology”
Inadequate Hazard Analysis for mycotoxins in grain products
Eleven samples of finished product found by the Office of the Texas State Chemist to contain aflatoxin at 50 ppb (2 1/2 times the legal limit)
Six consumer complaints between January 6, 2023 and November 8, 2023 about mold in the company’s dry pet food.

In response to our request for comment, a spokesperson for the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine replied, “As a general policy, FDA does not comment on ongoing investigations.”

The bottom line

It is a truism among food safety professionals that finished-product testing is the least efficient and least sensitive way to determine whether a production environment is contaminated with Salmonella.

Limiting the follow-up to the December 2022 recall to random surveillance sampling by the state of Texas was an inadequate response to a potentially serious situation, putting the health and safety of pets and their owners at risk.