Recalls and Alerts: December 17 – 18, 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: Russ Davis Wholesale, Inc. recalls Boar’s Head EVERROAST CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP (11.3-oz. plastic clamshell packages; Sell by dates 11/15/18 through 12/19/18) due to undeclared eggs.

Allergy Alert: ATHERSTONE FOODS INC recalls Greens and Grains Hummus and Quinoa Tabouleh Wrap (14.6 ounce (414g); Use by date 12/19/18) due to undeclared soy. The recalled product was distributed in retail supermarkets throughout the Northern California Region.

Food Safety Recall: Adam Bros. Farming, Inc. recalls red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce and cauliflower harvested on November 27 through 30, 2018 due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The recall was initiated after it was discovered that sediment from a reservoir near where the produce was grown tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Inspired Organics, LLC recalls Inspired Organics Organic Almond Butter (16 oz; Lot #239; Best by 02/20; UPC 863669742540) due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Damhert Nutrition recalls Damhert Vegan Schnitzel, Vegan Nuggets and Vegan Boulettes aux légumes due to undeclared egg. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Belgium): ALBERT HEIJN BELGIQUE recalls AH Verse curry Tandoori fresh curry (300g; Lot #0460192; Best before 26-12-2018) due to undeclared mustard and celery.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Heera recalls Heera Ground Almonds due to undeclared peanuts. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected pack sizes and batch codes.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Norenca N.V. recalls several products containing ground veal due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Finland): Valio recalls Valio Tuuti® 1 infant formula (500 mL; Best before 24.3.2019) as some of the packages may be contaminated.

Food Safety Recall (France): ACHVA recalls ACHVA Sesame Tahini, natural (500g and 18 kg; Lots #18-097 to 18-141; Best before 07/04/2020 to 21/05/2020) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Marie Morin France recalls La Fabrique à Délices chocolate mousse à l’ancienne (Lot #183390004; Best before 26/12/2018) due to foreign matter (pieces of glass) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): PLUS Supermarkten recalls PLUS Shawarma meat (500g and 1 kg packages; Expiry date 17-12-2018 and before) due to potential contamination with Salmonella Goldcoast.

Food Safety Recall (UK – England specific): Daylesford Organic recalls Organic Cottage Pie (680g; Batch codes 18120504, 18121204; Use by 14 January 2019 and 21 January 2019) due to incorrect date labeling. The correct Use by dates should be 14 December 2018 and 21 December 2018.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Alert (Singapore): Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) alerts consumers that frozen raw pork products imported from the Netherlands have been linked to a foodborne outbreak in the Netherlands and may be contaminated with Salmonella Goldcoast. AVA has confirmed that there are imports of the implicated frozen raw pork products, and is working with importers to remove the implicated frozen pork consignments from the market.

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Recall (Australia): Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia recalls True Organic Australian Organic Feta Marinated In Oil With Garlic and Herbs (280g net and 1kg bulk varieties; Best Before 20 DEC 19) due to incorrect date labeling.

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Bowmont Wholesale Meats Ltd recalls Bowmont Wholesale Meats Traditional Leg Ham (Use by 21/01/2019) because the product is incorrectly labeled as fully cooked.

Recalls and Alerts: December 12 – 16, 2018

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United States

Food Safety Recall: Spokane Produce Inc. recalls sandwiches containing green leaf lettuce and foodservice lettuce filets following notice of a produce industry ingredient recall by Adam Bros. Farming Inc., because the products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Apio, Inc. recalls various Eat Smart® Single-Serve Salad Shake Ups™ (bowls), due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Mannarich Food, Inc. recalls approximately 145,245 pounds of Siluriformes products that were not presented at the U.S. point of entry for inspection. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were shipped nationwide.

Food Safety Recall: Del Monte Foods Inc. recalls 64,242 cases of FIESTA CORN Seasoned with Red & Green Peppers due to under-processing. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected production lots.

Food Safety Recall: Vermont Packinghouse, LLC recalls approximately 10,828 pounds of raw intact bone-in beef quarters from cattle identified as being over 30 months of age because the products may contain specified risk materials (SRM), specifically vertebral column. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Souk Michelet recalls various ground meat products due to undeclared sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Jardins Val-Mont recalls various food products that may not be safe for consumption. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Industry recalls certain cauliflower, red leaf lettuce and green leaf lettuce produced by Adam Bros. Farming Inc. of Santa Maria, California due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which are known to have been sold in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador and may have been sold in other provinces.

Food Safety Recall: Industry recalls Eat Smart brand Salad Shake Ups (single serve) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were sold nationwide.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Albert Heijn recalls AH Chocopasta melk (400g jar; Batch code/Best before 01/2020) due to undeclared hazelnuts.

Allergy Alert (France): Monoprix recalls Monoprix Olives vertes entières P’tit prix (200g jar; Lot #8302; Best before 30/09/2021) due to undeclared sulfites.

Allergy Alert (Germany): P & B (Foods) Limited recalls Heera Ground Almonds (300g; Batch code 2G1191018; Best before April 2020) due to undeclared peanuts.

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): Dutch Bakery recalls Easy Bakery Christmas Tree Rolls (Best before 27-12-2018) due to undeclared gluten, sesame seeds and lupine.

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): Albert Heijn recalls AH fresh curry Tandoori (300g; Best before 26-12-2018) due to undeclared celery and mustard.

Allergy Alert (UK – England only): E H Booth & Co. Limited recalls Booths Chicken, Quinoa and Tenderstem Broccoli Super Salad (252g; Use by 14 December 2018) and Booths Sweet Potato, Falafel and Houmous Supergrain Salad (252g; Use by 15 December 2018) due to undeclared mustard or soya and wheat (gluten).

Allergy Alert (UK): Poundstretcher recalls Hazelnut Cream Truffles Crisp Wafer Ball (36g; Product/Batch code M5028389; Best before 20 Sept 2019) due to undeclared whey (milk) and peanuts.

Allergy Alert (UK): P & B (Foods) Limited recalls Heera Ground Almonds (300g; Batch code 2G1191018; Best before April 2020) due to undeclared peanuts.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Abattoir de volailles Lammens recalls various products due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): ALDI recalls Tupelo Farms brand Chicken sausages (1000g pkg; Lot #182038007; Best before 11/04/2020) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Société CSA recalls Lait d’Ici Lait demi-écrémé (1L brick; Lot #18312; Best before 08/03/2019G) due to cleaning product residue in some of the packages.

Food Safety Recall (France): TerraSana recalls TerraSana Pâte à tartiner aux arachides bio crunchy (500g; Best before 23/07/2020) due to elevated aflatoxin levels.

Food Safety Recall (France): Casino recalls Casino Saucisson à l’ail fumé (300g; Lot #97 46; Best before 05/01/2019) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): dm-drogerie markt recalls dmBio Langkorn Reis Natur (Best before 26.10.2019 and 23.11.2019) due to elevated aflatoxin levels.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Salumificio Ciliani S.r.l. recalls Siena salsiccia secca (Lot #01131118; Best before 23/05/2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Ciriaci recalls Ciauscolo IGP (500/600g; Lot 181109C) due to non-conformance with food safety regulations.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): CPA Arborea recalls Nieddittas – Cozze (Mussels) raccolte nel Golfo di Oristano (1Kg; Lot NS-183778-17 from 17/11/2018) due to Vibrio cholerae contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Caseificio La Fonte recalls Formaggio Pecorino semistagionato (1.4 Kg; Lot #18202; Best before 02/05/2019) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Rovetano recalls salame morbido (ca. 500g; Lot #40.18; Best before 06/08/2019) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): ALDI recalls Délifin brand Filet De York ultrafin (150g; Lots 4065, 4073, 4077, 4079, 4088, 4091, 4095; Best before 04/12/2018, 13/12/2018, 18/12/2018, 20/12/2018, 31/12/2018, 03/01/2019, 08/01/2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Lidl recalls Jambon D’Ardenne, Saint Alby (100g; Expiry dates 30/11/18, 02/12/18, 11/12/18, 13/12/18, 23/12/18, 26/12/18, 03/01/19, 05/01/19, 10/01/19, 15/01/19 et 18/01/19) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Delhaize recalls Marcassou Jambon D’Ardenne (80g; Lots L004065 – 004079 – 004092; Best before 04/12/2018 – 11/12/2018 – 20/12/2018 – 04/01/2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): Hoogvliet recalls Hoogvliet filet cordon bleu, fillet steak marinated and wienerschnitzel (various expiry dates – see recall notice for details) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Sweden): Arla recalls Pucko Original (270 mL; Best before September 26, 2019) due to possible foreign matter (glass particles) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK – England only): HEMA recalls hazelnut milk chocolate letters due to foreign matter (pieces of plastic) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Recall (Israel): Bakery Elkhabaz recalls Chocolate Balls (Various weights; Best before 17.12.2018) due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Israel): Hermes Fish Ltd. recalls Smoked and Salted Sprats (All weights; Best by 10/12/2018) due to suspected use of expired raw material.

BULLETIN: FDA names California romaine farm as CDC reports additional E. coli patients

This story by Coral Beach first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission

They say the investigation is ongoing and more sources are possible, but as of this afternoon, the FDA is reporting traceback efforts in the ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce has led to Adam Bros. Farm in Santa Maria, CA.

The outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 has been confirmed in the sediment of an irrigation reservoir on the family-owned farm, according to officials from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During a hastily called news conference today the officials said they can’t yet say the outbreak is over, but it is definitely winding down.

The statistics above are for the United States as of Dec. 13. In Canada, as of Dec. 6, there had been 27 confirmed cases of E. coli illness investigated in Ontario (4), Quebec (19), New Brunswick (1), and British Columbia (3). The illnesses in British Columbia were related to travel to Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. Nine individuals have been hospitalized, and two individuals suffered from hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a severe complication that can result from an E. coli infection. No deaths have been reported. Individuals who became ill are between 2 and 93 years of age.

Seven more people have been confirmed infected since the CDC’s Dec. 6 update. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, said during the news conference that the most recent illness onset date was Nov. 16.

FDA officials said they are continuing to investigate how the E. coli came to be in the sediment of the irrigation pond. They stressed they are also continuing to test samples from other locations.

“As of Dec. 13, our investigation yielded records from five restaurants in four different states that have identified 11 different distributors, nine different growers, and eight different farms as potential sources of contaminated romaine lettuce,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement issued immediately after the news conference.

“Currently, no single establishment is in common across the investigated supply chains. This indicates that although we have identified a positive sample from one farm to date, the outbreak may not be explained by a single farm, grower, harvester, or distributor.”

Investigators collected samples from the Adam Bros. Farm on Nov. 27, said Stephen Ostroff, senior advisor to the FDA commissioner. The confirmed results from those tests sparked the news conference today.

Ostroff, the CDC’s Williams and two of FDA’s top officials — Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas and Kari Irvin, deputy director of the agency’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation Network — all stressed the investigation is ongoing, with public health epidemiologists continuing to interview patients.

They said the current outbreak is different from the one earlier this year in more than one way. A different strain of E. coli O157:H7 is involved, according to whole genome sequencing.

Also, the current outbreak strain has not been found in water or sediment that is used by multiple growers. The first outbreak this year, which was associated with romaine from the Yuma, AZ, growing area, has been linked to open water in an open canal that runs between produce fields and a cattle feedlot.

Even though the current outbreak strain has only been confirmed on the Adam Bros. farm, investigators say is it likely additional entities will be implicated. One reason cited for that expectation is the rule of thumb that people generally don’t eat romaine just one time, or from just one source before becoming ill.

The CDC and FDA continue to urge consumers, restaurants, institutional kitchens and retailers to avoid romaine if its origin is not clearly visible on labels. The FDA did, however, remove three California counties from the list of implicated growing areas.

“Given the identification of the outbreak pathogen on the farm in Santa Barbara County, the farms identified in the traceback, and the fact that the lettuce on the market at the peak of the outbreak should be beyond shelf-life we feel there is no longer a reason for consumers to avoid romaine lettuce from San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and Ventura Counties, in California, provided it was harvested after Nov. 23,” according to the FDA.

“If consumers, retailers, and food service facilities are unable to confirm that romaine lettuce products are from unaffected sources, we urge that these products not be purchased, or if the products have already purchased, they should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.”

Both FDA and CDC credit the produce industry’s voluntary market withdrawal of romaine two days before Thanksgiving Day as having prevented additional illnesses. Officials say Adams Bros. Farms is cooperating with the FDA, allowing investigators to confirm that the farm hasn’t shipped any romaine lettuce since Nov. 20.