A Word of Explanation

Dear eFoodAlert Followers:

As many of you have remarked, eFoodAlert has “gone dark” for the last week. This was due to a family emergency.

The daily Recalls and Alerts feature will resume later today, beginning with “catch-up” posts that will cover the past week’s news. For convenience, due to the volume of items, I shall divide the posts by geography, beginning with the USA, followed by Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa. There were no recalls or alerts from Australia, New Zealand or Latin America in the past week.

Thanks for your patience and your understanding.

Phyllis Entis (aka Foodbuglady)

Recalls and Alerts: January 3, 2013

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: Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. (Chester, IL) recalls Food Club brand Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix (12 x 14.25-oz cartons/case; Best by NOV 28 13 D02; UPC 36800-13486), because the product contains undeclared walnuts. The recalled Brownie Mix was distributed to an Abingdon, VA warehouse on December 5, 2012.

Canada

  • Outbreak Alert (New Brunswick): The province’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health is investigating five confirmed cases of E. coli O157, including two reported in the Saint John region and three in the Fredericton region. All five victims were seen in hospital emergency rooms; one person was admitted to hospital. It is not yet known whether all five cases have a common source, or whether they may be linked to several recent cases in neighboring Nova Scotia.
  • Outbreak Alert (British Columbia): An outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis prompted the shut-down of an entire floor of Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminister; one ward is expected to reopen today, according to CBC. A ward at Vancouver General Hospital remains “under containment” due to a separate outbreak of norovirus infections.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): The recent recall of Koon Yick Wah Kee brand fermented bean curd products due to contamination with Bacillus cereus has been extended to include all of the following: Tofu in sesame oil (450g glass jar; Best before 30/12/2014, 30/06/2014 and 30/09/2014) and Tofu in sesame oil and peppers (450g glass jar; Best before 30/12/2014, 30/06/2014 and 30/09/2014). The recalled products were sold in Asian specialty stores from August 2012 to December 2012, inclusive.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Fromagerie de Jussac (France) recalls an extensive list of cheeses made from cow’s milk, goat milk and sheep milk (packaging includes 200g and 3 x 60g sizes), due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a detailed product list.
  • Food Safety Notification Update (EU #2012.1774): Listeria monocytogenes in various Fromagerie de Jussac cheeses from France; distributed to Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0002): Presence of poisonous mushrooms in dried black morels from the Czech Republic; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0004): Carbendazim in oranges from South Africa; distributed to France.
  • Pet Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0007): Salmonella in dried pet food for dogs from India; distributed to Germany and Luxembourg.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0008): Ethephon in cherry tomatoes from Italy; distributed to Germany.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Chinese Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Hang Lung Trading Co. recalls the Chinese herbal medicine known as Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii (Batch #210035; Imported from Mainland), because it was found to be contaminated by solanaceous alkaloids.
  • Food Safety Notification Update (EU #2012.1774): Listeria monocytogenes in various Fromagerie de Jussac cheeses from France; distributed to Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

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, 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: January 2, 2013

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: Einstein Bros. recalls Einstein Bros. Darn Good Atlantic Smoked Salmon (4 oz pkg; UPC 099892315200; Lots #249 through 291), due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled product was distributed only in Georgia and Illinois.
  • Food Safety Recall: Ingles Markets Inc. recalls Santa Barbara Sun Dried Olives (5 oz; Item #735809; Code 0611C03W), because the jars may have broken seals and some molding.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Raca Enterprises, Inc., dba Life Cycle Herbal Products (El Monte, CA) that an August 2012 inspection of the company’s dietary supplement manufacturing facility found serious violations of FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements regulation, and that subsequent actions by the company to address these violations were found by FDA to be inadequate.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns AloeScience Labs, Inc. (Garland, TX) that a February-March 2012 inspection of the company’s facility found number of violations of the dietary supplement Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall Update (Germany): Pilzversand Zollner extends its earlier recall of Dried Morels (100g; Best before 31.12.2014) to include all sales since April 2012, because of contamination with poisonous mushroom (Frühjahrslorchel). The recalled morels were sold on eBay.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (UK): The Health Protection Agency reports that there have been 3,877 lab-confirmed cases of norovirus so far this season, an increase of 72% over the same period last year. During the two weeks ending December 30, 2012, there were 29 hospital outbreaks, down from 70 outbreaks during the previous fortnight. A total of 590 norovirus outbreaks have been recorded so farm this season.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2013.0001): Salmonella bongori in lollo rosso lettuce from Germany; distributed to Denmark.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall (Israel): Shamir Salads 2006 Ltd. recalls Hill Home-style Egg Salad (250g; Expiry date 22.01.13), due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The problem was identified as a result of routine monitoring activities carried out by the Central District Health Department.
  • Food Safety Recall (Israel): ערבה מזון בע”מ recalls White Goat brand Goat Butter (100g glass jar; Expiry date 4/24/2013), after routine testing by the Ashkelon District Health Office finds E. coli bacteria in a sample of the product.
  • Proprietary Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Fung Wah (Hong Kong) Company (operated by Honour Essence Trading Limited) recalls the Chinese proprietary medicine known as Canelim Capsule (Batch #1010110; Manufactured in Mainland China), due to excessive lead.

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.