Tag: Food

Recalls and Alerts: December 9, 2011

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

  • Food Safety Recall: D’Orazio Foods, Inc. (Bellmawr, NJ) recalls Albertsons’ Sausage Ravioli, Jewel Sausage Ravioli, Albertsons’ Beef Ravioli, Jewel Beef Ravioli, and Our Family Beef Ravioli (all in 25-oz poly bags; Est 20146; Best if used by 12/01/11 to 12/01/12), because the frozen stuffed pasta products were produced without the benefit of federal inspection. The recalled products were manufactured between December 1, 2010 and December 1, 2011 and distributed to distribution centers in California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Utah.
  • Food Safety Recall: Crystal Geyser® (Calistoga, CA) recalls Tejava® Premium Iced Tea (12-oz glass bottles; Production lot code dates of 1BT220, 1BT221, 1BT222, 1BT223, 1BT252, 1BT253, 1BT254, 1BT255, 1BT277, 1BT278, 1BT279, 1BT280, and 1BT313), due to the possible presence of glass fragments. The recalled iced tea products were distributed nationwide.
  • Food Safety Recall: House of Raeford Farms (Raeford, NC) recalls Boneless Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (18 to 22-lb boxes containing two 9 to 11-lb pkgs; Est #P-239A; Product Code 94268; Package date 1270), because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled ready-to-eat chicken breasts were shipped to delicatessens and food service institutions for further processing in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
  • Outbreak Alert: More than 40 people who attended two events this week at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, MN reported becoming ill after eating at the ballroom. The outbreak is being investigated by the Minnesota Department of Health, which received the first report of the illnesses on Tuesday, December 6th.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Marché AMI (Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, QC) recalls Pâté au saumon, Pâté à la viande and Pâté au poulet, due to the presence of undeclared egg.
  • Allergy Alert: Marché du Faubourg St-Amable inc. IGA and Marché du Faubourg Ste-Julie inc. IGA Extra recall Barre maïs can/tourn (250g), due to the presence of undeclared milk.
  • Food Safety Recall: Canard Goûteux (Saint-Christophe d’Arthabaska, QC) recalls Rillettes de canard (250-mL glass jars; sold unrefrigerated on or before December 2, 2011), because the product was stored at a temperature that could render it unsafe for human consumption.

Europe

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (Vietnam): More than 300 workers at a Hanoi glove factory were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning after eating their lunch at work. The employees complained of dizziness and nausea.
  • Food Safety Enforcement (China): A Chinese dairy farmer will pay with her life for deliberately tainting her rival’s milk supply with sodium nitrite. The woman’s actions apparently resulted in the death of three children, and 36 hospitalizations. The woman’s husband was sentenced to a life term for purchasing the poison on behalf of his wife.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert (Australia): Simplot Australia Pty Ltd. recalls Neptune Frozen Crumbed Squid Rings (1kg; Product of China; All best before dates up to and including 20/06/13), due to the presence of undeclared egg. The product was distributed to wholesale grocery outlets nationally.
  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Resmi International Pty Ltd recalls Grandma’s Tapioca Chips (200g; Product of India; Date marking 08.2012) and Manjilas Tapioca Chips Spicy (180g; Product of India; Date marking 14.06.2012), due to high levels of naturally occurring cyanide. The recalled products were distributed in NSW, ACT, VIC, WA and 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.

Cast Your Votes For The Best of 2011

As this year limps towards the finish line, I invite all eFoodAlert readers to have their say about what I have written during the last year.

Please cast your votes on the following two poll questions, and feel free to add any comments you may have.

This poll will remain active for one week, after which I’ll post the final results and tell you what my own vote would have been.

Botulism Update: All Gaudiano Products Recalled

Botulism is a big deal. It is a rare – and potentially deadly – form of food poisoning that is caused by a potent neurotoxin produced during the growth of Clostridium botulinum.

In October 2011, two members of the same Finnish household developed symptoms of botulism after consuming commercially produced pasteurized olives stuffed with almonds (Bio-Gaudiano Olives Stuffed with Almonds; product of Italy). One of the two victims died two weeks after being admitted to hospital. The second victim also was hospitalized, but survived. One other family member also tasted the olives, but only suffered from diarrhea. A fourth member of the household had no symptoms – and never sampled the olives.

Lab analysis of the stomach contents and the stool of both hospitalized victims revealed the presence of the gene for botulinum toxin type B. Lab tests of various food samples retrieved from the patients’ household found botulinum toxin type B in the remaining contents of the jar of olives. All other food samples were negative for the toxin.

Finland’s Food Safety Authority (EVIRA) conducted a trace-back investigation of the implicated olives, and the offending batches were recalled from the market. During the trace-back, investigators found some leaking jars of Bio-Gaudiano olives; the contents of some jars were obviously spoiled. As a result, the Italian manufacturer withdrew all production batches of Bio-Gaudiano Olives Stuffed with Almonds, and suspended production pending investigation by Italian public health authorities.

The withdrawn products were distributed to several EU member countries, as well as to a number of countries outside the EU. Notification was sent to authorities in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Armenia, Barbados, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Taiwan and the USA. No country other than Finland reported even one case of botulism that could be associated with the stuffed olives.

Consumers following the Italian Ministry of Health web site could be excused if they thought that the story ended there. No updates have been released since the original notice was posted on October 21st. But that was definitely NOT the end of the story.

On December 1st, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland announced that “[i]nvestigations in Italy and in Finland have led to the decision to extend the withdrawal to include all products manufactured by Societa Cooperativa Agricola GMG F.lli Gaudiano arl, Italy.” Finland’s EVIRA followed with its own announcement on December 2nd.

Based on the information released by Ireland and Finland, the product withdrawal includes all batch codes and “best before dates” of the following products (different products may have been exported to other countries):

  • Bio Stuffed Olives Almonds
  • Bio Sundried Tomatoes in Sunflower Oil
  • Bio Green Olives Paté
  • Bio Stuffed Olives Peppers
  • Bio Semi-dry Tomatoes in Sunflower Oil
  • Bio Black Olives Paté
  • Bio Stuffed Olives Garlic
  • Bio Salted Capers 9/10 mm
  • Bio Sundried Tomatoes Paté
  • Bio Stuffed Olives Hot Chilli Peppers
  • Bio Hearts Artichokes in Sunflower Oil
  • Bio Artichokes Paté
  • Bio Stuffed Olives Cranberry
  • Bio Grilled Aubergines
  • Bio Garlic Paté
  • Gaudiano Black Olive in Salamoia (Brine)
  • Gaudiano Green Olive in Salamoia (Brine)

The withdrawn products were distributed to only one company in Ireland – Russell Gallery in New Quay, Co. Clare. In Finland, the products were supplied to K-food stores, KCM Big Apple (Espoo) KCM Jumbo (Vantaa) and KSM South Centre (Rovaniemi), and to three restaurants: Three Smiths (Helsinki), LaFamiglia (Helsinki and Vantaa), Rafaelo (Helsinki) and Apple (Helsinki).

No new Food Safety Alert has been posted as yet (December 8, 2011) on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). Nevertheless, it is safe to assume that many of the countries identified in the original notice (#2011.1479) also received one or more additional withdrawn products. The likely recipient countries include: Armenia, Barbados, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the USA.

eFoodAlert Consumer Advisory

Check your pantry and refrigerator for any product manufactured by Societa Cooperativa Agricola GMG F.lli Gaudiano arl, Italy. Discard all of these products in a safe manner. DO NOT TASTE THESE PRODUCTS. If you have consumed even a tiny amount of one of the withdrawn products and begin to experience any symptoms of botulism, including blurred vision or difficulty swallowing, seek immediate medical attention.