Recalls and Alerts: October 22 – 25, 2018

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.

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United States

Allergy Alert: New Seasons Market recalls New Seasons Market Hot & Sour Broth (24 oz; All Best Before dates; UPC 840600108672) due to undeclared soy.

Allergy Alert: Shirley’s Cookie Company Inc. recalls Chocolate Whoopie Pie (16-oz clear, plastic pkg; Batch code 227256; Freezer sell by 9/1/19; UPC 4149710692) due to undeclared peanuts. The recalled product was supplied to Weis Markets.

Food Safety Recall: Sirob Imports, Inc. recalls Corrado, Orlando Imports, Nouri’s Syrian Bakery, Mediterranean Specialty Foods Brand and Butera Fruit Market Curry Powder because it contains elevated levels of lead. Please refer to the recall notice for additional information regarding the recalled products.

Pet Food Safety Recall: G & C Raw, LLC recalls all G & C Raw Dog Foods and G & C Raw Cat Foods due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed by G & C Raw, LLC through direct delivery in OH, MI, IN, PA, KY, NC, TN, SC, GA, and IL.

Canada

Allergy Alert: les aliments Snacktonik (Québec, QC) recalls various Croque la Vie brand snack bars due to undeclared peanuts, milk, nuts and soy. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Boucherie Jacques Beaulieu inc. (Québec, QC) recalls various sausages due to undeclared sesame seeds, mustard seed, egg and sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Original Foods Ltd. recalls Original Foods brand Marshmallow Brooms and MallowBats due to undeclared milk. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: AJ International Trading (2372761 Ontario Inc.) recalls various Qingchun brand and Wulama brand products due to undeclared sesame, wheat and gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: SK Food Group recalls Jenny Craig brand Chicken BBQ Wrap (128g; All Best Before dates from 2018 OC 31 up to and including 2019 OC 04; UPC 6 55447 10618 3) due to potential Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall: McCain Foods (Canada) recalls various McCain brand frozen products due to potential Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): PepsiCo BeLux recalls Duyvis Crac a Nut Paprika (200 g; Best before 08/06/2019; Lot #08/06/19 248 NLZ08) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (France): E. Leclerc recalls Biovillage brand Salade Quinoa fruits sec (200g; Lot #829201; Best before 04/11/2018) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Iceland): Noah Síríus recalls Síríus brand Cream chocolate with salted crisp chips and sea salt (Lot #L1868; Best before 04 January, 2020) due to undeclared hazelnuts.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Manufacturer recalls Four Seasons Sesame Paste Tahini (800g; Batch 114; Best before March 2020) due to undeclared peanuts.

Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): PepsiCo recalls Duyvis Crac a Nut Paprika (200 g; Best before 08/06/2019; Lot #08/06/19 248 NLZ08) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (UK): ASDA recalls ASDA Frozen Smooth Mashed Potato (900g; Lot #18151; Best before 31 May 2019) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (UK – England specific): Waitrose recalls Waitrose Normandy Pork Casserole (700g; Use by 29 October 2018) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (UK – England specific): The Grocer Ltd recalls The Grocer Spinach and Broccoli Soup (400g; All dates up to and including 26 October 2018) due to undeclared milk.

Food Safety Recall (France): Natur’avenir recalls Natur’avenir brand Soupe lentilles corail cumin (640g; Lot #A260 1; Best before 03/2020) because of signs of microbial growth linked to inadequate sterilization.

Food Safety Recall (France): Candia recalls Candia Baby Croissance 4 (20-36mois) (24 x 25cL pkg; Lot #18206F; Expiry 21/01/19 F) due to contamination with an enterobacter that could trigger digestive upset.

Food Safety Recall (France): Tout va bien recalls Cora brand Pizza Chorizo et Poivrons (450g; Best before 20/09/18, 25/09/18, 01/10/18, 04/10/18) due to Listeria contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Auchan recalls J. Barbé B.V. brand Moules de Hollande (various package sizes; Lot #L502113; Best before 21/10/2018) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Martin Amberger Kartoffelverarbeitung Dolli-Werk GmbH & Co. KG recalls Feldmühle Röstiteig (Best before 16.10.2018 –06.11.2018) due to foreign matter contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Supervalu and Centra recall Supervalu Signature Tastes Irish Chicken and Wild Mushroom Pie and Inspired By Centra Irish Chicken and Wild Mushroom Pie due to foreign matter (small bones) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for additional product details.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): PEDON S.p.A. recalls MISTO 5 CEREALI C’E’ DI BUONO (500g; Expiry 31/07/20 – 01/08/20) due to Bacillus cereus contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): PEDON S.p.A. recalls IN FORMA -CARREFOUR brand MIX 5 CEREALI PRECOTTI (500g; Expiry 29/02/20) due to Bacillus cereus contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Food safety authorities announce recall of Healthy Powerfood, Sprossenmanufaktur brand products containing alfalfa sprouts (All best before dates up to 29.10.2018; Product of Germany) due to Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Auchan recalls various Atelier Blini brand products due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (UK): CSM Bakery Solutions recalls 18 Chocolate Cornflake Cluster Mini Bites (18 pieces/pkg; Lot #18 285; Best before 09 February 2019) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Allergy Alert (Israel): ECO- Wire Investments Ltd. recalls GFREE brand frozen gluten-free dumplings with potato and onion filling (250g; Batch L- 31000394; Expiry 30.12.19; Manufactured by GLotenzro Finland Oy) due to undeclared gluten.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): World Brand Importers recalls Gourmet Shreds Cheddar (200g; Best Before 27/03/2019) and Gourmet Shreds Pizza (200g; Best Before 26/03/2019) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (New Zealand): Jimmy’s Pies Ltd recalls Jimmy’s brand Mince Pie and Jimmy’s brand Mince and Cheese Pie (170g; All batches up to and including number 8250) due to undeclared monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Moana New Zealand recalls Hoki Smoke Ltd Tuna Steaks Smoked (All sizes; Use By 12/10/18) due to elevated histamine level.

Israel – Food Safety Travel Alert

Anyone who has stayed in one of the high-end Israeli hotels will know instantly what is meant by an “Israeli breakfast.” At it’s best, it is opulent and can fuel an entire day’s tourist activities. Even modest Israeli hotel breakfasts put to shame the ‘complimentary’ breakfasts offered by hotel chains in the USA and Canada.

When my husband and I applied to renew our US passports several weeks ago, we decided that our first trip with the new documents would be to Israel. As soon as the passports arrived in the mail, we solidified our plans.

Our only previous visit to Israel was twenty-three years ago, and I could still recall the sight, smell and taste of those Israeli hotel breakfasts, complete with several choices of egg dishes, a variety of salads, sweet melons and juicy oranges, freshly baked breads and rolls, and decadent breakfast pastries.

We landed at Ben Gurion Airport on the evening of October 3rd, and took a taxi directly to the Orchid Okeanos Boutique Hotel, situated right by the beach in Hertzliya. Following an abbreviated night of sleep, we arose, eager to begin the day with one of those amazing breakfasts.

The offerings at the Orchid were neither opulent nor decadent by Israeli hotel standards. Nevertheless, we partook of freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly baked rolls and croissants, smoked salmon, halvah, and fresh melon. I drank cappuccino and my husband, who is not partial to coffee, opted for soy milk.

We decided to work off some of the calorie intake by walking to the car rental agency offices, some twenty minutes away. An hour or so after breakfast, while we were waiting our turn at the car rental desk, my husband became violently ill. Volunteer first responders from the Magen David Edom arrived at the scene with incredible speed, followed a few minutes later by an ambulance.

We spent the rest of the morning at the ER of the closest hospital. Fortunately, the doctors could find nothing organically wrong, and my husband recovered quickly. As we rode our taxi back to the hotel, I began to suspect he had been the victim of Bacillus cereus food poisoning.

Bacillus cereus (B. cereus for short) is a multi-talented, spore-forming microbe. One of its talents is the production of an enterotoxin – a heat-stable protein that can trigger vomiting in as little as thirty minutes after ingestion.

For the microbe to multiply in a food sample and produce its toxin, the food must be held at room temperature for several hours. But the soy milk – the most likely culprit – was kept in a small refrigerator in the breakfast room. Might the refrigerator have been defective?

We had our answer the next morning when I reached into the refrigerator and discovered it to be at room temperature. The LED status display on the front of the unit was flashing “OFF” in bright red letters.

With Israel’s reputation as a world leader in so many areas of medicine, science, and technology, it is easy to forget that this is still a third-world country in other respects. I have since learned from a reliable source that Israel is not equipped to test food for bacterial toxins. Test kits for these toxins are readily available and are relatively easy to use. This is not rocket science.

We allowed ourselves to forget that we were in the Middle East. I let down the food-safety guard I always have maintained during our travels to places such as Myanmar, Thailand and Bora Bora. And my husband suffered the consequences.

Don’t make the same mistake we did. Follow these safety rules whenever you travel, especially to third world countries.

1. Do not drink the water or use ice in your drinks;

2. Never eat food purchased from street vendors;

3. Avoid raw salads;

4. Be very cautious about the food you select from a buffet; and

5. Be watchful of holding temperatures for perishable foods.

By following these rules, you will miss some interesting taste experiences, but you will be more likely to remain healthy to enjoy the rest of your trip.

Recalls and Alerts: September 19 – 22, 2018

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United States

OUTBREAK ALERT / Food Safety Recall: Cargill Meat Solutions recalls approximately 132,606 pounds of ground beef products made from the chuck portion of the carcass (produced and packaged on June 21, 2018) due to possible E. coli O26 contamination. The recalled product is linked to 18 illnesses in Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. Six individuals have been hospitalized, including one who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. One person from Florida died. According to CDC, the outbreak is over.

Allergy Alert: Purus Labs, Inc recalls MyoWhey Chocolate Cookie Crunch (5 lb / 2.2 kg; Lot #0100518; Exp 04/2020) due to undeclared soy and milk. The recalled product was distributed through online mail orders to AR, TX, FL, MI, VA, and OK. MyoWhey was available through retail stores in TX, CA, OK, CO, and MO. MyoWhey was also available internationally in Chile and UAE.

Food Safety Recall: Junior’s Smokehouse Processing Plant recalls BUC-EE’S HILL COUNTRY BRAND TERIYAKI BEEF JERKY, MADE IN TEXAS FROM SOLID STRIPS OF BEEF, READY TO EAT (4 oz; Lot # 220-272; Best by 08-09-2019) due to foreign matter (pieces of hard metal) contamination.

Food Safety Recall: Zweigle’s Inc. recalls Olive Loaf Oven Baked (appr. 9-lb boxes containing two half-loaves; Case code 070534075225; Use by 8/22/18, 9/12/18, 9/19/18, 10/4/18 and 10/17/18) due to sodium nitrite levels in excess of regulatory limit. The recalled product was shipped to retail locations in western New York as intact loaves for slicing.

Canada

Food Safety Recall: Pâtisserie Ladouche inc. recalls various products that were not manfactured in a manner to ensure safety for human consumption. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Lave-Auto Depan’Express recalls Home-style spaghetti sauce (500 ml glass jar; All product sold up to and including September 18) because the product was not manfactured in a manner to ensure safety for human consumption.

Food Safety Recall: Boulangerie Pâtisserie la Parisienne inc. recalls various baked products (All products sold up to and including September 18) because the product was not manfactured in a manner to ensure safety for human consumption.

Food Safety Recall (Update): Belleisle Foods Ltd. recalls Belleisle Farms brand Cole Slaw (227g; Product code 18SE28; UPC 0 33383 65260 3) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled product was distributed to retailers in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Bolchekogeriet Almuegaarden recalls three varieties of chocolate-covered lollipops due to undeclared soy in the chocolate coating. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Tulip Food Company recalls Faaborg leverpostej (2 x 125g; Best before 23.05.2023 & 24.05.2023) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): The Banner recalls The Banner Bangers Pork Sausages due to undeclared sulfur dioxide.

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): PLUS Supermarkets recalls PLUS Sourdough Raisin Bread (500g; Best before 26-09-2018) due to undeclared nuts.

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): Marqt recalls Marqt brand beetroot-orange and pea-mint vegetable spread (150g; Best before 02-10-2018) due to undeclared lactose and milk protein.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): AFSCA mandates recall of BANKU-MIX fermented Banku flour (1kg; Best before 01/09/2019; Product of Ghana) due to excessive levels of aflatoxin and Bacillus cereus.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Delhaize recalls Delhaize brand émincé de jambon cuit / sliced cooked ham (125g; Best before 21/09/2018) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Cabots of Westport recalls Cabots of Westport Basil Pesto (180g; Use by 24/09/2018) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Delhaize recalls Delhaize brand émincé de jambon cuit / sliced cooked ham (125g; Best before 21/09/2018) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Sweden): Albina Snacks AB recalls various mixed nut products due to elevated aflatoxin levels in the peanuts. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Dr Zak’s recalls Barn Farmed Liquid Egg White (970 ml; various lot codes and Use by dates) due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected production lots.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Allergy Alert (UAE): Purus Labs, Inc recalls MyoWhey Chocolate Cookie Crunch (5 lb / 2.2 kg; Lot #0100518; Exp 04/2020) due to undeclared soy and milk. The recalled product was distributed through online mail orders to AR, TX, FL, MI, VA, and OK. MyoWhey was available through retail stores in TX, CA, OK, CO, and MO. MyoWhey was also available internationally in Chile and UAE.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): YouFoodz PTY LTD recalls YouFoodz Clean Paprika Chicken (260g; Use By 29.09.2018) due to undeclared fish, gluten, egg and milk.

Allergy Alert (Australia): Quality Gourmet recalls Chilli Coconut Mayo (240g; Best Before all dates that end in 2018, 01/02/19, 14/02/19) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (New Zealand): Southern Sun Ltd trading as Wendy’s Barbeque recalls Wendy’s Barbeque brand pork and vegetable, and pork and celery dumplings (all batches and dates) due to undeclared gluten.

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Pokeno Bacon Manufacturing Ltd recalls Pokeno Bacon Co brand Pork Brawn (all batches and dates) due to a lack of process controls.

Food Recall (New Zealand): Lion – Beer, Spirits & Wine (NZ) Limited recalls Mac’s brand Ginger Beer (330 ml; Best before 20/3/19 and 21/3/19) due to the possibility it may contain alcohol.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Allergy Alert (Chile): Purus Labs, Inc recalls MyoWhey Chocolate Cookie Crunch (5 lb / 2.2 kg; Lot #0100518; Exp 04/2020) due to undeclared soy and milk. The recalled product was distributed through online mail orders to AR, TX, FL, MI, VA, and OK. MyoWhey was available through retail stores in TX, CA, OK, CO, and MO. MyoWhey was also available internationally in Chile and UAE.