Tag: E. coli O157:H7

Tenderized Beef Sickens 4 In Canada

Four Edmontonians became ill with E. coli O157:H7 after consuming Kirkland brand Strip Loin Grilling Steaks purchased from Costco Wholesale store #156 in Edmonton, Alberta. The beef originated from XL Foods processing plant in Brooks, Alberta.

CBC News reports that Alberta Health Services confirmed the connection after testing a steak provided by one of the outbreak victims. Officials are suggesting that the pathogen may have been introduced into the meat during a tenderizing process that is used by Costco stores in Alberta.

The steaks implicated in the four illnesses were identified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as Strip Loin Grilling Steak prepared and sold in variable weight packages from Costco Wholesale store #156, located at 13650, 50th street, Edmonton, Alberta, bearing Packed On dates 12/SE/04, 12/SE/05, 12/SE/06 or 12/SE/07. At the moment, only steaks from this one Costco store are affected.

No direct link has been established between the illnesses and the XL Foods plant that supplied the beef.

XL Food’s Brooks processing facility is the source of meat that has been under a steadily expanding series of recall notices across Canada, and a series of Public Health Alerts in the USA. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service detected E. coli O157:H7 in beef trimmings from XL Foods that were shipped from Canada to the USA.

There is no indication, either in the CBC report or from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as to whether the outbreak strain recovered from the steak in Edmonton is the same as the strain of E. coli O157:H7 found in XL’s beef trimmings.

For a consolidated list of beef products affected by the XL Foods recall, and information on retail distribution in Canada and the USA, please consult the Canada/USA Beef Recall tab.

Recalls and Alerts: September 24, 2012

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: Hanover Pike Enterprises, Inc. (Hampstead, MD) recalls Pepper Jelly (8-oz and 4-oz jars), Green Pepper Jelly (8-oz and 4-oz jars), Blackberry Brandy Jam (4-oz and 9-oz jars) and Peach Brandy Jam (4-oz and 9-oz jars), because the products may contain undeclared milk and soy. The items were distributed nationwide through retail stores and via the company website under the label “Jill’s Jams Mixes and More” or “Jill’s Jams and Jellies”.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: Trader Joe’s expands its earlier recall to include Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter (sku 97111), Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (sku 98927) and Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (sku 94079), because of potential contamination with Salmonella. The products are packed in 16-oz plastic jars; All code dates up to and including 24SEPT13 are affected. The CDC has named Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter as a ‘likely source’ of 29 cases of Salmonella Bredeney infections in 18 US states.
  • Food Safety Recall: Sunland, Inc. recalls Almond Butter and Peanut Butter products manufactured between May 1, 2012 and September 24, 2012, because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were distributed nationally to numerous large supermarket chains under a number of different brands, including Trader Joe’s.
  • Food Safety Recall: Haggen Northwest Fresh and TOP Food & Drug recall a number of ground beef items sold in Washington and Oregon, because the product contains trimmings that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Please consult the Canada/USA Ground Beef Recall tab for a detailed list of recalled products and retail distribution.
  • Food Safety Recall: Albertsons recalls ground beef products that contain beef trimmings that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled products were sold in Albertsons stores in Washington, Oregon and three Northern Idaho cities (Coeur d’Alene, Hayden and Lewiston. Please consult the Canada/USA Ground Beef Recall tab for a detailed list of recalled products and retail distribution.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Maison des viandes (Rouyn-Noranda, QC) recalls a number of pies and pâtés (sold up to 21 September 2012), due to the presence of undeclared eggs, sulfites, or mustard.
  • Food Safety Recall: Salaison La Maison du Rôti (Montréal, QC) recalls Sauce Viande et Champignons, La Maison du Rôti (2-liter and 3-liter glass jars; Best before 15 November), because the product was not prepared in a manner that would ensure its microbiological safety and was displayed and sold without refrigeration.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall (Israel): Tapugan Industries Company Ltd. recalls Waffles Frozen Mashed Potato Puree (500g package; UPC barcode 7290012884467; Expiry date 01.31.2014), because the product may be contaminated with plastic pieces.
  • Food Safety/Outbreak Notification Update (EU #2012.1302): Salmonella Dublin outbreak suspected to be caused by raw milk cheese from France; distributed to Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Nigeria, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Cerebos (Australia) Ltd. recalls Foster Clark’s Snak Pack – Chocolate (2 x 140gm; Best before 21 AUG 2013, 22 AUG 2013, 23 AUG 2013 and 06 SEP 2013), Foster Clark’s Snak Pack – Chocolate (4 x 140gm; Best before 23 AUG 2013, 24 AUG 2013, 06 SEP 2013 and 07 SEP 2013), Foster Clark’s Snak Pack – Strawberry (2 x 140gm; Best Before 03 SEP 2013), Foster Clark’s Snak Pack – Banana (4 x 140gm; Best before 27 AUG 2013 and 28 AUG 2013), and Foster Clark’s Custard Cups – Vanilla (4 x 140gm; Best Before 29 AUG 2013 and 30 AUG 2013), because the products may contain small pieces of plastic. The recalled items were distributed nationally through Woolworths/Safeway, Coles, Bi-Lo, Franklins, IGA, CCC and Pick N Pay (Qld).

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.

Recalls and Alerts: September 22, 2012

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: Makowski’s Real Sausage Co. (Chicago, IL) recalls Real Sausage Co. Cooked White Bratwurst 4-1 and Real Sausage Co. Cooked White Bratwurst 3-1 (10 lb pkgs; Est 68744; Julian dates 17812, 18812, 25112, 25712 or 26512), because the product contains undeclared milk. The recalled sausage products were manufactured on June 25, July 5, Sept 6, Sept 12 and Sept 20, 2012 and shipped to foodservice distributors for hotel, restaurant and other institutional use throughout Illinois.
  • Food Safety Recall: Fresh Express Incorporated recalls Leafy Green Romaine Salad (9 oz pkg; Use-by date September 16; Product code I246A5BMG), after Listeria monocytogenes was found by USDA as part of a random sampling testing program. The recalled product was distributed primarily in the Midwest and Eastern states.
  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Kasel Associated Industries (Denver, CO) recalls Boots & Barkley American Beef 5-inch Bully Sticks (6 ct in clear plastic bag; UPC 647263899189; ALL LOT CODES), after the Colorado Department of Agriculture found Salmonella in the following four lots: BESTBY20APR2014DEN, BESTBY01JUN2014DEN, BESTBY23JUN2014DEN, and BESTBY23SEP2014DEN. Production and distribution has been suspended while FDA and the company investigate the source of the contamination. The recalled product was sold from April through September 2012 at Target stores across the USA.
  • Food Safety Recall: Safeway recalls Ground Beef Products (Sell by dates of 09-07-12 to 09-23-12) sold in Oregon, Washington and Montana, because the products include trimmings from beef that was the subject of XL Food Inc.’s recall and may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Please consult the Canada/USA Ground Beef Recall page for a complete list of recalled products, including retail distribution information.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: Trader Joe’s recalls Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter (16 oz plastic jar; SKU 97111; All code dates), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. CDC reports 29 cases of Salmonella Bredeney infections in 18 states, including 4 people who were hospitalized. Fourteen out of the 14 case patients who were interviewed reported having shopped at Trader Joe’s locations; 12 of the 14 reported eating Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt in the week before becoming ill. The investigation is continuing. The peanut butter is sold at Trader Joe’s stores nationwide and on the internet.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall Update: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has expanded its Health Hazard Alert regarding ground beef products containing meat from XL Foods to include additional products and retailers. The ground beef products encompassed by the Alert may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Please refer to the Canada/USA Ground Beef Recall page for a current list of recalled products, including retail distribution.

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.