Recalls and Alerts: April 12 – 15, 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

Outbreak Alert: CDC is investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to chopped Romaine lettuce. The lettuce appears to be from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. CDC has received reports of 35 confirmed cases in 11 states. While a specific grower or packer of the implicated lettuce has not been named by CDC, the agency is recommending that consumers avoid purchasing or eating chopped Romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona region.

Outbreak Alert/Food Safety Recall: Rose Acre Farms recalls 206,749,248 eggs (LOT CODES 011 through 102 from Plant Number P-1065) after FDA determines the eggs to be associated with at least 22 confirmed cases of Salmonella Braenderup infections in multiple states. The recalled eggs were distributed in Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia through retail stores and restaurants via direct delivery. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete listing of affected brand names.

Allergy Alert: Guixens Food Group, Inc. recalls La Marinera Brand Dried Yellow Potatoes (10-oz pkg; Expiration date July 2018; UPC 7-42287-73054-5) due to undeclared sulfites.

Food Safety Recall: Fresh Foods Manufacturing Co. recalls approximately 8,757 pounds of ready-to-eat salad products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 after the company received notification from their romaine lettuce supplier that the romaine lettuce used by the establishment in the products was being recalled due to E. coli O157:H7 concerns. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were shipped to retail locations in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Food Safety Recall: Seacrest Foods International, Inc. recalls Formagere de la Brie brand l’Explorateur soft ripened cheese (250g (8.8 oz), clear plastic package; Lot #H010 or H011; UPC 3 390010 004080; Product of France) due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled product was distributed at retail stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and New Hampshire beginning on 02/06/2018 through 03/31/18.

Food Safety Recall: Koch Foods, Inc. recalls Fully Cooked Rib-Shaped Beef Patty With BBQ Sauce (30-lb bulk boxes; Lot #JTM 16190; Case code 67329) due to possible foreign matter (blue plastic pieces) contamination.

Pet Food Safety Recall: K9 Natural Ltd recalls four batches of K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast (2.2lb and 11lb bags; Product of New Zealand) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for details on affected production batches.

Canada

Outbreak Alert/Food Safety Recall: Groupe Adonis Inc. recalls Montana brand Frozen Strawberries (1kg; All codes purchased on or before April 14, 2018; UPC 6222000401487; Product of Egypt) because the product has been linked to an unspecified number of cases of Hepatitis A illnesses. The recalled product was sold exclusively from Adonis markets in Quebec and Ontario.

Allergy Alert: Seoul Trading Corp recalls Dong Won brand Frozen Shrimp Cutlet (480g; All lots; UPC 8 801047 321842) due to undeclared egg. The recalled product was distributed to retailers in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and possibly nationally.

Allergy Alert: Phoenicia Group Inc. recalls Durra brand seasoning products due to undeclared sesame and wheat. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed to retailers in Ontario, Quebec and possibly nationally.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Finland): Porlammin Meijeri Oy recalls Vege Plus vegetable fat (250g; Best before 13.5.2018 and 14.5.2018) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (France): Monoprix recalls Le Wrap Monoprix brand Wrap Chèvre noix et galette à la betterave (Best before 15/04/2018) due to undeclared mustard, peanuts and celery.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Halo Top UK Ltd. recalls mint chip ice cream and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream due to undeclared soy. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Sarti Giovanni e Figli SNC recalls T.M.T. brand Flour (1 kg; Lot #07 08 2018) due to undeclared soy.

Allergy Alert (Sweden): Örneborgs Delikatesser AB recalls Mannerströms Chilibearnaisesås (200g; Best before 26.06.2018) due to undeclared wheat flour, fish, mustard and sulphite.

Allergy Alert (UK): Innovative Bites and American Fizz recall Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites (88g; Best before 09/02/2019; All batch codes) due to undeclared egg and wheat.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): EUROKIP DE WAELE VAN OSSELAER recalls KOK O’RELL brand seasoned, ground poultry meat (Lot #95433; Expiration date 12-04-2018) due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for details on product distribution.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Pointe de Penmarch recalls Fish Soup (500ml glass jar; Batch #L17279; Best before 05/2020; Product of France) due to possible contamination with glass particles.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Wonderfoods recalls Wonderfood Salads containing Bacon due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Natural Green Limited recalls Natural Green Tofu and Noodle Products due to rodent infestation. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Le Bontà Srl recalls Nuova Terra brand Organic Cumin Seeds (120g; Lots L2016616, 2019416 and 2025216) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Sainsbury’s recalls Sainsbury’s Sliced Beetroot (340g jar; Batch code L318N1737; Best before August 2019) because the product may contain small pieces of glass.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Sweetland Ltd recalls various sweet and cake products that were produced in unhygienic conditions. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Recalls and Alerts: March 21 – 24, 2018

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United States

Outbreak Alert: CDC reports 13 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to consumption of dried coconut products. Illnesses have been reported in 8 states; 3 people hospitalized. Consumers are advised not to eat the following recalled products: International Harvest, Inc. brand Go Smile! Raw Coconut, Go Smiles Dried Coconut Raw or Natural Grocers Coconut Smiles Organic.

Allergy Alert: Weis Markets recalls Weis Quality Cole Slaw (1-lb container; Sell by dates March 21, 18 through March 24, 18) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall: Poppies International, Inc. recalls Delizza Belgian Custard Cream Mini Eclairs (30-count; L1M1018; Best Before 09/09/19) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall: King Arthur Flour Company recalls Organic Coconut Flour (16 oz; Best if used by 10/25/2018 and 12/04/2018; Lots No. CF22017E and CF22017E, respectively; UPC 0 71012 10702 5) due to potential Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Update): PDX Aromatics, DBA Kraken Kratom, Phytoextractum, and Soul Speciosa expands its earlier recall of Kratom powders due to potential Salmonella contamination to include additional products. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of recalled items.

Food Safety Recall: California Jerky Factory, Inc. recalls Beef Jerky Products due to possible underprocessing. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Taylor Farms California Foodservice, Inc. recalls Taylor Farms 3/8″ Diced Yellow Onion (4/5# bags – 20 lb, corrugated paper carton; 20 lb. box for food service distribution; Item number 1130025; Package code STF066A56; Best if used by March 24, 2018) after receiving notification from a direct customer of a confirmed positive result for Salmonella sp. following routine testing of the diced onion product. The recalled product was distributed in OK, OH, MI, MN, IA, CA, KS, WI, PA, OR, WA FL. Customers who were supplied with the recalled product were notified of the recall by letter.

Pet Food Safety Recall: The J.M. Smucker Company recalls specific production batches of Milo’s Kitchen Steak Grillers / Steak Grillers Recipe with Angus Steak dog treats and Milo’s Kitchen Grilled Burger Bites with Sweet Potato and Bacon dog treats, because the products may contain elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Marché d’alimentation coréen MTL (Montreal, QC) recalls Shanghai Bok Choy Kimchi (900 mL and 2 L; all date codes) due to undeclared wheat.

Allergy Alert: Les Traiteurs BestSimcha (Montreal, QC) recalls various pastry products due to undeclared sesame seeds, soy, sulfites and milk.

Allergy Alert (Update): Erie Meat Products Limited updates its earlier recall of Butcher’s Selection brand Stampede Chicken Burgers (undeclared egg) to include additional distribution information. Please refer to the recall notice for details.

Allergy Alert (Update): Industry recalls Lotte brand Choco Pie – Green Tea (336g; All date codes; UPC 8 801062 006205) due to undeclared almond. The recalled product was supplied to retailers in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, and may have been distributed nationally.

Food Safety Recall: D’Lys sur le pouce recalls various jerky products due to lack of instruction on the product label regarding correct storage temperature. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Viandes Lauzon recalls various ground beef products due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were supplied to hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Ontario and Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Jacques Forget Ltée recalls Les Viandes Forget Beef Trimming 85% and Les Viandes Forget Beef Trimming NC 65% (27.22 kg; Packed on 18FEB21) due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled product was not distributed beyond warehouse level.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Urkraut recalls Den Grønne Blanding brand Sauerkraut (680 mL / net wt 410g; Best before 25/07/2018) due to undeclared celery.

Allergy Alert (France): Carrefour recalls Carrefour brand Tartine croustillante de seigle complet (Lot 48004DDM; Best by 03/01/2019) due to undeclared sesame.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Nuova Jolli SRL recalls Coop Minestrone de verdure (600g; Lot #150418; Best by 15-04-2018) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): Bioplanète recalls Bioplanète Protein-Leinmehl and Frühstücksheld due to undeclared gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for complete details of the affected products.

Allergy Alert (UK): SA Wholesale recalls four flavours of Robertson Rajah Curry Powder due to undeclared celery and mustard. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (UK): Mr. Dips recalls Mr. Dips Taramasalata (all pack sizes; All date codes up to and including 01/05/18) due to undeclared soya.

Allergy Alert (UK): Confectionery World recalls Turkish Delight – Rose and Lemon Flavours (200g; Batch code 251017; Best before 25 October 2019) due to undeclared nuts.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Tadal S.A. recalls SUNTAT/BAKTAT brand Pistachio Halvah (350g plastic pkg; Lot L24 L 17; Best by 31 octobre 2019) due to aflatoxin contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Finland): SOK recalls Rainbow yogurt, unpasteurized, 0.9% fat (250g; Best before 24.3.2018, 31.3.2018, 7.4.2018 and 14.4.2018) due to possible foreign matter (metal) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Manufacturer recalls Raoul Deschildre brand Toulouse-style sausages (3 x 120g; Lot #0031987; Best by 14/03/2018) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): DMK Deutsche Milchkontor GmbH recalls various quark products due to possible foreign matter (metal) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Vegan Vital Food recalls several products due to possible foreign matter (plastic) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): L’Acquachiara SRL recalls Cozze Spagna (Lot 18-B0602) due to presence of E. coli above acceptable levels.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Roberto Azzocchi SRL recalls Salamino Piccante (Lot #48LCP) due to possible microbiological hazard.

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Recall (Australia): Washed Rind Pty Ltd recalls several varieties of cheeses due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

What has changed?

From time to time, I am asked why food safety hazards seem more prevalent now than they were two, three or more decades ago.

Why are more types of food at risk?

Where were Norovirus, Listeria monocytogenes, and other foodborne pathogens back then?

Why were we able to sample raw cake batter and raw cookie dough when we were kids without our parents worrying about Salmonella?

Much has changed in food production, processing and distribution in the last fifty years.

When I was growing up (in the 50s and 60s), most food to be found in grocery stores was still sourced locally. Produce was seasonal; we never saw fresh blueberries and strawberries in the our local grocery store in mid-winter.

The coming of large-scale food production and distribution was the harbinger of significant change to the way produce was harvested and the way food animals were raised.

Back then, large cattle feedlots for ‘finishing’ beef were the exception rather than the rule. My mother bought her meat and poultry from a neighborhood butcher shop and her bread from a local bakery. In short, if a food was contaminated, the extent of the potential outbreak was limited to the local market reach.

Amassing cattle in large feedlots under crowded conditions enhanced the potential spread of infections, resulting in the need to introduce antibiotics into the feed. At the low levels used, these antibiotics promoted ‘growth’ (ie., cattle fattened more quickly); however, they also promoted the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

The accumulated excrement from the cattle contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of the feedlots, increasing the spread of bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli into the environment, including the wild animal populations.

Where fields were being farmed in the vicinity of feedlots, there was an increased potential for irrigation water (or run-off from rains) to spread the bacteria to the growing crops.

In the 50s and 60s, there was no effective method to detect Norovirus. Illnesses that today are attributed to Norovirus infections were written off as ‘stomach flu’ instead.

Some of the bacterial pathogens common today (notably, shiga-toxin producing E. coli, including E. coli O157:H7) are relatively recent mutations. The earliest report in the literature of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak dates from 1983.

Large-scale production requires large-scale distribution networks, including transportation of liquid ingredients in tanker trucks. A Salmonella outbreak resulted from the transportation of pasteurized ice cream mix in a tanker that had previously carried liquid raw egg, and that hadn’t been sanitized between uses.

Climate change also has played a role. For example, shellfish are known to harbor Vibrio parahaemolyticus. However, this pathogen is cold-sensitive and was not a food safety hazard in the waters off the coast off Canada’s west coast in the past. With the rise in water temperatures, Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been found more frequently in shellfish harvested in those waters.

In 2007, ASM Press published my book, Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives. Although now more than eleven years old, much of its content is still current.

As technology changes, so must the old habits we grew up with. By relying on yesterday’s food preparation methods, we lay ourselves open to tomorrow’s health threats.