Expanded Baby Food Recall in Canada – Illnesses Reported

Example of recalled PC Organics baby food

An unspecified number of illnesses that may be associated with consumption of PC Organics brand baby foods have been reported in Canada.

Loblaw Companies Limited has responded by expanding its initial recall notice to include all date codes of a long list of additional products. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected baby food pouches. According to the recall notice, published late yesterday on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website, a “… manufacturing error resulted in excess water in the product, which under certain circumstances could support the growth of Clostridium Botulinum and pose a health risk to consumers.”

Although food contaminated with Clostridium Botulinum may not look, smell or even taste spoiled, it may contain a toxin that, if ingested, can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases, the toxin can cause death.

The reported illnesses have not been definitively linked to the recalled baby food; nor have they been described as being caused by ingestion of botulinum toxin. But, the manufacturing error that triggered the food recall could have opened the door to the growth of other harmful bacteria in the baby foods – bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, which can cause gastrointestinal illness.

Which PC Organics baby food pouch products have been recalled?

The expanded recall encompasses all date codes of the following items (128mL unless otherwise noted):

Apple, Blueberry & Green Pea strained baby food
Apple Crisp Muffin flavour puree snack
Apple, Carrot, Apricot & Millet strained baby Food
Banana, Sweet Potato & Blueberry strained baby food
Apple strained baby food
Apple, Banana & Blueberry with Yogurt strained baby food
Apple, Banana & Strawberry with Yogurt strained baby food
Apple Cherry strained baby food
Sweet Potato, Apple and Mango strained baby food
Peach Maple Cobbler Flavour puree snack
Banana Apple & Carrot strained baby food
Pumpkin, Apple, Peach & Buckwheat strained baby food
Prune, Apple, Butternut Squash & Quinoa strained baby food
Pear strained baby food
Mango, Apple, Carrot & Peach strained baby food
Blackberry Cobbler Flavour puree snack
Banana & Kiwi strained baby food
Mango strained baby food
Banana & Raspberry strained baby food
Banana, Apple, Apricot & Rice strained baby food
Banana Bread Flavour puree snack
Pear, Apple and Broccoli strained baby food
Sweet Potato, Banana & Apricot strained baby food
Tropical Twist Smoothie with Greek Yogurt puree snack
Banana, Mango & Apple with Yogurt strained baby food
Orange Twist Smoothie with Greek Yogurt puree snack
Prunes strained baby food
Apple, Banana & Strawberry with Yogurt strained baby food (6 x 128 mL)
Sweet Potato, Apple and Mango strained baby food (6 x 128 mL)
Banana Apple & Carrot strained baby food (6 x 128 mL)
Mango strained baby food (6 x 128 mL)
Pear, Apple and Broccoli strained baby food (6 x 128 mL)

How can something as simple as too much water lead to this?

Food processors walk a food-safety tightrope every day. The conditions under which sealed packages of food are processed to ensure their safety are always in a delicate balance. Even minor changes in a recipe can affect the cooking conditions required to kill harmful bacteria. One of those changes is the amount of water that is available to the bacteria, allowing them to multiply in the food. A food with little free water will need milder cooking cooking conditions (time and temperature combination) than a food with abundant free water.

Then why not treat every food with the same severe cooking conditions?

Palatability, appearance and cost. Foods processed at a higher temperature taste overcooked, lose their natural color, and their natural texture. And, higher cooking temperatures for extended periods of time are more expensive.

What should consumers do about this recall?

Check your pantry and set aside any of the products listed in the expanded recall notice.
DO NOT try to determine whether the food is safe by smelling or tasting them. Clostridium botulinum can multiply and produce its toxin in a food without changing its appearance, smell or taste in any way.
Return any packages of recalled product to the place of purchase for a refund.

Where were the recalled products sold?

Ontario: Fortinos, Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer, Zehrs, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliated independent stores

Atlantic: Atlantic Superstore, Dominion, Cash&Carry, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliated independent stores

Québec: Club entrepôt, Maxi, Maxi & Cie, Presto, Provigo, Provigo le Marché, AXEP, Pharmaprix, and Intermarché

West: Extra Foods, Loblaws City Market, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliated independent stores

Finally, if you have fed one of the recalled products to your infant or toddler, and your child is experiencing any unusual symptoms, please seek immediate medical attention.

Recalls and Alerts: February 7 – 8, 2017

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: Fred Meyer Stores recalls Fred Meyer 100% Whole Wheat Bread (16 oz.; Julian dates 013 through 036) due to undeclared milk. The recalled product was sold in Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Allergy Alert: Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods (Richmond, VA) recalls Ukrop’s Chili Flavored Soup with Beans and Chicken (24 oz container; Sell by 02/08/17; Est. No. 19979 or P-19979) and Ukrop’s Chili Flavored Soup with Beans and Beef (24 oz container; Sell by 02/08/17; Est. No. 19979 or P-19979) due to undeclared milk, wheat and soy.

Pet Food Safety Recall: PetSmart recalls Grreat Choice Adult Dog Food – With Chicken and Rice Classic Ground (13.2 oz.; Lot 1759338; Best by 8/5/19). No reason for the recall wsa given. This recall coincides with the announcement of the Companion brand recall, below.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Giant Food, Martin’s, and Stop&Shop recall the following Companion brand canned dog food varieties (13.2 oz.; Best by 08/05/2019) because the products may contain foreign material. The recalled items are: Companion Dog Food with Chicken and Rice, Companion Dog Food with Chicken, Lamb and Rice, and Companion Dog Food with Turkey and Bacon.

Food Safety Recall: Thomas Foods International USA recalls Royal Dutch Ground Veal (16 oz.; UPC 64708600153; All lot codes) because the products were not approved for grinding by the United States Department of Agriculture before being distributed. The recalled product was distributed to Lucky Supermarkets.

Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Kingsway Trading Inc. recalls Xanthium & Siler Combo (Bi Yan Pian) Dietary Supplement (Batch No. 130401 and 150201) because the product contains undeclared ephedra, an item banned by FDA. The recalled product was distributed in MA, NJ, NY, IL, MD, FL, MO, TX, IN, GA, DE, CO, VA, PA, CT, OR, VA, and AZ

Canada

Outbreak Alert: Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) reports that 202 clinical cases of norovirus gastrointestinal illness linked to oysters from British Columbia have been reported in British Columbia (143 cases), Alberta (35 cases) and Ontario (24 cases) as of February 7, 2017. All reported cases occured between December 2016 and January 2017. PHAC urges consumers to avoid eating raw or undercooked oysters. The outbreak investigation is ongoing.

Europe

Food Safety Recall (UK): Great Northern Sandwich Co. recalls six chicken products because of a blue discoloration on the meat. Please refer to the recall notice for details.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Allergy Alert (Israel): HaGavi’s Wafer Products Ltd. recalls Glilit Lugano, Chocolate Cream Filled Cookies (150g; Production date December 16 & 17) because some of the packages may contain halva-filled cookies. Individuals who are sensitive to sesame should not consume this product.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Cape Wholefoods recalls Maree Wilkinson brand Vanilla Pancake Mix, Chocolate Cake Mix, and Raspberry Cacao Granola due to undeclared gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for details.

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Hunter Fish (Otahuhu) recalls Pacific Oysters (whole shell and half shell) sold on or after 14 January 2017, as the products may be affected by a recent norovirus contamination event in the Mahurangi Harbour.

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 website.

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains

**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.

What Next For Evanger’s?

The pet health blogosphere is alive with questions and speculations over the February 3rd recall of five production lots of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef canned pet food. For anyone who has been in hibernation for the last several days, I’ll begin with a timeline.

June 6-13, 2016: Evanger’s produces five lots of Hunk of Beef canned food, using beef chunks furnished by a single unnamed USDA-inspected supplier.

December 31, 2016: A Washington state woman feeds Hunk of Beef to her five pugs as a special New Year’s Eve treat. Four of the dogs became severely ill within 15 minutes, and were rushed to an emergency veterinary center. One of the four dogs died; the other three required treatment in the veterinary ICU. The fifth dog, which ate the least amount of the food, did not require veterinary treatment.

January 3, 2017: The remains of the dead dog are submitted by the veterinarian to the Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsy and lab analysis.

January 4, 2017: Evanger’s posts its first comment on the reports, indicating that the Company was in touch with the pet owner and that Evanger’s had submitted the batch in question to a third-party lab for testing. Evanger’s also reported that “the entire lot went to one distributor in Washington State, and no other cans from this lot would be anywhere else in the country.” The samples were received by the laboratory on January 13th, according to the lab reports on the Evanger’s website.

January 11, 2017: Samples of the stomach contents of the dead dog and of the remainder of the opened can of dog food are received by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population & Animal Health (MSU) for toxicology testing.

January 16, 2017: Evanger’s posted an update on its investigation, including initial lab test results for Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium spp. and Enterobacteriaceae. The test results were negative.

January 17, 2017: Dr. John Buchweitz, Clinical Toxicologist at MSU reports finding pentobarbital in the stomach contents and a ‘large quantity chromatographically’ in the sample of food. In reporting this result, Dr. Buchweitz adds, “If this sample came directly from a can, this is an urgent matter and needs to be reported to the FDA Feed Safety Portal.” Click on Toxicology Report to read the full report.

January 21, 2017: Evanger’s shared another lab report on its website, stating that the sample did not contain botulinum toxin.

January 23, 2017: Evanger’s posted its final lab test, reporting that the Hunk of Beef sample was ‘Commercially Sterile’.

January 30, 2017: Evanger’s posted yet another update, disputing reports that pentobarbital had been found in their dog food, adding, “These “claims” are simply fear tactics and either unrelated or unsubstantiated claims against our company and our foods.”

February 3, 2017: At FDA’s request, Evanger’s recalled five production lots of its Hunk of Beef canned pet food.

So, what happens next?

I have reached out both to FDA and to USDA, since Evanger’s procured their beef from a USDA-inspected facility to get an answer to that question. FDA, according to its standard policy, declined to comment on an in-progress investigation. In response to my email query, I was told by a USDA-FSIS spokesperson, “FDA is currently the lead on the investigation in Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food. USDA-FSIS is working with their federal partners at FDA to determine whether more Agency action is required.“

Reading between the lines, I think it is safe to say that FDA inspectors have been, and probably still are, swarming over and through Evanger’s production facility at 221 Wheeling Road, Wheeling, IL. Based on Evanger’s history, which I summarized in yesterday’s report, I hope and expect that the investigation will be exhaustive.