Recalls and Alerts: April 27–28, 2023

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: GHSW, LLC recalls Turkey and Havarti Sandwiches (8.55 oz; All sell-by dates up to and including 4/29/23; UPC 8 2676615584 2) due to undeclared sesame in the bread.

Allergy Alert: GH Foods CA, LLC recalls Turkey and Havarti Sandwiches (8.55 oz; All sell-by dates up to and including 4/29/23; UPC 8 2676615584 2) due to undeclared sesame in the bread.

Allergy Alert: GHGA, LLC recalls Turkey and Havarti Sandwiches (8.55 oz; All sell-by dates up to and including 4/29/23; UPC 8 2676615584 2) due to undeclared sesame in the bread.

Food Safety Recall: General Mills recalls Four Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour Varieties (multiple pack sizes; Better if used by March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024) due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

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Canada

Food Safety Recall: Super C (Saint-Charles-Borromée, QC) recalls Bœuf haché mi-maigre / Medium lean ground beef (Sold 24 April 2023), because the product might not be safe to consume.

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Europe

OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION (Denmark): The Statens Serum Institut is investigating an outbreak of 16 confirmed cases of Salmonella Muenchen illness reported in March and April 2023. The 16 cases are spread over five regions of the country, with half of them being concentrated in the capital region. No specific food source has yet been identified for this outbreak.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Nordlicht Naturkost GmbH recalls Biogreno Bio Leinsamen geschrotet / Organic ground linseed (500g; Lot 914005; Best before 15.12.2023) due to undeclared mustard.

Allergy Alert (Hungary): Bergland Hungaria Kft. recalls Bergland Gluténmentes tallér köménymaggal / Gluten-free biscuit with cumin seeds (100 g; Best before 23.11.2023) and Gluténmentes tallér medvehagymával / Gluten-free biscuit with shallots (100 g; Best before 20.01.2024) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): FSAI warns of possible undeclared mustard in True Natural Goodness Organic Brown Linseed (Flaxseed) (5 kg; Best before 20/12/2023 to 07/01/2024 inclusive) and Green Age Salad Mix Seeds & Kernels (250g; Batch code 2233; Best before 24/08/2023).

Allergy Alert (Italy): Euroverde Soc. Agr. S.r.l. recalls Il Viaggiator Goloso brand Passato di verdure con zucchine e patate / Potato purée with zucchini and potatoes (620g; Lot 220103COD; Use by 19-05-2023) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Food For All snc recalls PUREZZA BIO brand SEMI DI LINO SCURI BIOLOGICI / Organic dark linseed (200g; Use by 03/09/2024) due to undeclared mustard.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Food For All snc recalls PENSA BIO brand SEMI DI LINO SCURI BIOLOGICI / Organic dark linseed (500g; Use by 03/09/2024 and 13/10/2024) due to undeclared mustard.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Food For All snc recalls PUREZZA BIO brand MIX SEMI TOSTATI BIOLOGICI / Organic roasted seeds mix (200g; Use by 29/05/2024) due to undeclared mustard.

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): Albert Heijn recalls AH Saladbowl green bowl (Best before 30-04-2023) due to undeclared sesame.

Allergy Alert (Norway): Rema 1000 recalls Kolonihagen brand Linfrø økologisk / Organic linseed (350g; Batch P-007819; Best before 11/10/2023, 12/10/2023, 13/10/2023, 15/10/2023, 17/10/2023) due to undeclared mustard.

Food Safety Recall (Austria): Wojnar’s Wiener Leckerbissen Delikatessenproducer GmbH recalls BILLA SCHINKEN EI WRAP / Ham and egg wrap (170g; Best before 08.05.2023) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): AFSCA recalls Taifun brand Tofu-Terrine Graffiti (200g; Lot L220; Best before 02/05/2023) due to possible foreign matter contamination (pieces of plastic).

Food Safety Recall (France): EARL LA BREBIDORE recalls Fromages de brebis / Sheep milk cheeses (Lot 97; Sold from 12/04/2023 to 17/04/2023) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): COOP ELEVAGE AVICOLE ET CUNICOLE GUYANE CACG recalls CACG brand Oeuf coquille / Shell eggs (Cartons of 12 and flats of 30; Lot 2FRIHT01; Use by dates between 01/05/2023 and 04/05/2023) because the flock of laying hens was infected with Salmonella Typhimurium.

Food Safety Recall (France): MARIE MORIN-FRANCE recalls Marie Morin brand MOUSSE CHOCOLAT A L’ANCIENNE / Old-fashioned chocolate mousse (100g and 2 x 100g; Lot 431100002; Use by 11/05/2023) due to foreign matter contamination (glass splinters).

Food Safety Recall (France): CYDEL CARREFOUR-MARKET recalls JAMBON CUIT SUPERIEUR AVEC COUENNE VENDU AU RAYON CHARCUTERIE COUPE DU MAGASIN MARKET RIOM ES MONTAGNES ENTRE LE 12 AVRIL ET LE 19 AVRIL 2023 / Superior cooked ham with rind (Sold by the slice between 12 April and 19 April) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): FROMAGERIE DE LA CHAPELLE SAINT JEAN recalls fromagerie de la chapelle saint jean brand Rollot brayon raw milk cheese (200g heart-shaped; Lot 132; Best before 29/05/2023) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): BELMARO INTERMARCHE recalls steak haché à la demande / ground beef (Carcass lot B914000021821) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): dm-drogerie markt recalls dmBio Erdmandelmehl / Tigernut flour (300g; Best before 30.04.2024) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Lactalis McLelland Ltd recalls three varieties of goat milk cheese 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 (Australia): Usha Food Imports Pty Ltd  recalls Jabsons Tandoori Roasted Peanuts (140g; Best before 29 February 2024; Product of India) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (New Zealand): A B Food Industries Ltd recalls Wild Snack NZ brand Chicken Cassava Vege Chips (100g; Best before 06 AUG 23 and 10 SEP 23) due to undeclared milk.

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USDA proposal allows “low levels” of Salmonella in breaded, stuffed raw chicken products

On April 25, 2023, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed its first ever limit on the level of Salmonella in raw chicken.

Under the new proposal, the chicken ingredient used in the manufacture of breaded, stuffed raw chicken products must not contain more than one live Salmonella per gram of chicken.

The FSIS will consider any breaded, stuffed raw chicken product to be adulterated if it is manufactured using a chicken ingredient that exceeds the one-per-gram limit.

The proposed limit does not apply to other forms of breaded raw chicken products, such as nuggets, patties, or chicken fingers.

The details will be published in the Federal Register, and the public will have a 60-day period in which to provide comments on the new proposal.

Why now?

In 1998-2020, the FSIS carried out 178 Salmonella outbreak investigations associated with raw and cooked chicken products. Fourteen of them involved breaded, stuffed raw chicken products.

According to statistics cited in the draft proposal, breaded stuffed chicken products accounted for less than 0.15% of the total US chicken supply, yet were associated with approximately 5% of all chicken-associated outbreaks in the United States.

In 2006, following a series of outbreaks, the FSIS urged the poultry industry to modify the labeling on packages of breaded, stuffed chicken products to emphasize to consumers that these products are, in fact, raw and that they must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165º.

That same year, the FSIS issued guidance to consumers regarding safe cooking practices for these products.

Nevertheless, additional outbreaks occurred in 2008-2009, 2013, 2014, 2015-2016, and 2021, leading the FSIS to propose this new policy approach.

In a Letter to the Editor of Food Safety News, Consumer Reports expressed its support for the initiative.

Conversely, the National Chicken Council has voiced its opposition to the proposed policy change.

According to reporting by Food Safety News, the Council raised concerns regarding economic impacts, job losses, and an “abrupt shift” in longstanding policy—a shift that the industry group claimed was not science-based.

Impact on food safety

The USDA argues, based on anticipated portion size and the expectation that at least some of the Salmonella will be killed when the raw chicken products are cooked, that their proposed limit “…should significantly mitigate the risk of illness…” associated with the raw, breaded stuffed chicken products.

But other countries have chosen a different path.

In the past, Canada also struggled with repeated outbreaks of Salmonella associated with raw, breaded chicken products.

On April 1, 2019, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) implemented a new policy designed to reduce the risk of Salmonella illnesses associated with these products.

That policy included a “zero tolerance” for Salmonella in a 125g sample of the raw chicken mix used to manufacture the targeted products.

This specification is 125 times as stringent as the proposed USDA limit.

There have been no reported outbreaks of Salmonella in Canada linked to consumption of raw, breaded chicken products manufactured since the new policy took effect.

In the United Kingdom and member countries of the European Union, the detection of Salmonella in any raw poultry product—intact, ground, and/or breaded—is grounds for initiating a product recall.

When viewed against the backdrop of European and Canadian policies, the proposed USDA approach is barely a first baby step in the direction of mitigating the risk of Salmonella outbreaks linked to raw, breaded stuffed chicken products.

And this new policy will have no effect at all on the risk of Salmonella infections from other raw poultry, whether due to undercooking or cross-contamination.

By the numbers

In its draft proposal, the USDA acknowledges that infective doses as low as from 1 to 420 Salmonella organisms per person have caused illnesses in previous outbreaks, with a median dose of 36 Salmonella per person.

At a permitted level of one Salmonella per gram, a 3-ounce (85g) portion of breaded stuffed chicken would contain, in theory, 85 Salmonella cells before cooking. 

If the product is allowed to thaw and remain at or above room temperature before cooking, either in the car or in the home, these numbers will increase.

The best way to ensure that temperature abuse does not lead to a dangerous level of Salmonella is to start with as clean a slate as possible. 

In this context, a limit of one Salmonella per gram is a recipe for disaster.

Faulty focus

The USDA has limited its proposal to breaded, stuffed raw chicken products, arbitrarily exempting all other breaded raw chicken products—indeed, all other raw poultry—from any limitation on the presence of Salmonella in the product.

This is a mistake. There is absolutely no scientific or epidemiological basis for this decision.

Canada, too, has made a similar error. While the Canadian “zero-tolerance” policy is far more stringent than the proposed USDA approach, the CFIA has limited that policy to breaded raw chicken products that are NOT stuffed, exempting all other raw poultry from this Salmonella control measure.

Neither country has adopted Salmonella-control measures that would reduce the risk of cross-contamination due to raw poultry in the kitchen.

It is time for both countries to face the reality that the presence of Salmonella in any raw poultry meat represents a significant health hazard to the general public and must be addressed at the source.

The time for baby steps is over.

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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Recalls and Alerts: April 25–26, 2023

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

OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION: FDA investigates mystery outbreak. Thirteen illnesses in one state linked to a single restaurant. Cause of illnesses unknown. Food source not yet identified. Restaurant has suspended operations pending solution of the mystery.

Allergy Alert: Ellenos Real Greek LLC  recalls Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt (4 oz, sold in 12-packs; Lot 073; Best before 04/23/2023) due to undeclared egg.

Allergy Alert: American Outdoor Products recalls Backpacker’s Pantry Blueberry Peach Crisp (4.6 oz; UPC 048143026143; Multiple lot codes) due to undeclared almonds. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected lot codes.

Food Safety Recall: NSI Group LLC recalls Volupta Organic Black Chia Seeds (64 oz; Best by 10/31/2025; Product of Paraguay) due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was supplied to a single Costco location in San Diego, CA. The consignee was notified of the recall by letter on March 23, 2023.

Public Health Alert: FSIS issues Public Health Alert for ready-to-eat meat soup products may have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions, which may result in the product spoiling prematurely. Please refer to the public health alert for a complete list of affected products, which were produced by Ivars Commissary and bear USDA Est. No. 20173.

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Canada

Food Safety Recall: Aqua Blue Seafood Ltd. and Starboard Seafood (Ontario) Inc. recall certain oysters due to improper harvest authorization. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

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Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Jumbo recalls Jumbo brand Lasagne bolognese (450g; Use by 1/5/2023) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): FSAI alerts consumers to the presence of undeclared fish in Donnybrook Fair Shepherd’s Pie (400g; Batch code 111; Use by 01/05/2023).

Pet Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Aveve recalls Aveve brand Munchy Sticks – Snacks pour chiens 9/10cm Mix 100 pc / dog treats (0.5 kg; Batch B220046, B220089, B220116, B220138, B220246; Best before 04/2024, 06/2024, 08/2024, 09/2024, 11/2025) due to possible foreign matter contamination (small pieces of metal).

Food Safety Recall (France): MAMMAFIORE PARIS recalls DEFENDI brand Tomino Piemontese Cuor di Terra cheese (4-pack; Lot 1074; Use by 27/04/2023) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): HDC PRODUCTION SAVEURS DES MAUGES recalls Saveurs des mauges brand Filet mignon fumé au poivre tranché / Smoked, peppered filet mignon, sliced (100g; Lots 3104, 3107 & 3108; Use by 10/05/2023, 13/05/2023 & 14/05/2023, respectively) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Netto ApS & Co. KG recalls La Campagna Kapern “Aus Marokko” / Capers (Lot DS221L 15.07; Best before 09.08.2024) due to possible foreign matter contamination (glass splinters).

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Taifun-Tofu GmbH recalls Tofu-Terrine Graffiti (Lot L220; Best before 02.05.2023) due to possible foreign matter contamination (white plastic).

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Dunnes recalls Dunnes Stores 4 Irish Smoky BBQ Quick Fry Pork Loin Chops (400g; Batch code 104; Use by 22/04/2023) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Taifun-Tofu GmbH recalls Tofu-Terrine Graffiti (200g; Lot L220; Best before 02.05.2023) due to possible foreign matter contamination (white plastic).

Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): Lidl Nederland recalls Milbona brand Smeerkaas naturel 20+ / Natural cheese spread (200g; Best before 06-03-2024) due to foreign matter contamination (metal particles).

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.

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Smashwords
Chapters/Indigo
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