Tag: Health

Excedrin Recall Spills Into Canada

Novartis Consumer Health Canada Inc. has recalled two Excedrin products, according to a report released on January 13, 2012 by Health Canada.

The Canadian recall is part of a much larger recall of Excedrin, Bufferin, NoDoz and Gas-X Prevention products announced a week ago by Novartis Consumer Health in the USA. The Lincoln, Nebraska manufacturing plant where these products were made was the subject of a scathing inspection report issued by FDA in July 2011, and has been closed temporarily to allow for maintenance and improvements.

The Canadian recall encompasses all production lots of Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets and Excedrin Tension Headache Caplets (Expiration dates on or before December 20, 2014).

The recalled products were sold in Canada by Costco Canada and may also have been carried by other retail grocers, supermarkets and pharmacies.

For more information on the Novartis recalls, please select the Excedrin, Etc. Recalls tab.

Recalls and Alerts: January 13, 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: Glister-Mary Lee (Chester, IL) recalls Hill Country Fare Lasagna Dinner (6.4-oz pkg; Best by NOV 21 12 Y18), due to the presence of undeclared soy, after a Creamy Noodle Tuna Dinner seasoning pouch was found in a carton that should have contained a Lasagna flavored seasoning pouch. Distribution of the recalled product was limited to the state of Texas.
  • Allergy Alert: Herbadashery LLC (Casper, WY) recalls Pine Ridge BBQ and Dipping Sauce and Pine Ridge Jalapeño BBQ and Dipping Sauce (18-oz or 34-oz glass bottles and plastic gallon bottles; Lot #10111 through 90111) due to the presence of undeclared anchovies. The recalled products were distributed through retail internet sales and in retail stores from January 1, 2011 to September 1, 2011.
  • Food Safety Recall: Price Chopper recalls Central Market Classics Tres Leches Cakes (5-inch and 8-inch) after Rich Foods (provider of the cake layers reports the possible presence of plastic fragments.
  • Food Safety Recall: Alma Meats (Alma, MO) expands its earlier recall to include Cooked Head Sausage (Produced Sept 15, 2011; Lot #1085211), after an on-going investigation carried out by the Missouri Department of Agriculture determined that the product may not have been properly cooled to ensure food safety during processing.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Bedford Laboratories updates an earlier recall to include additional guidance. The recalls, which were initiated on August 2, 2011, include Polymyxin B for Injection USP (500,000 Units per vial; Lot 1942980/Exp August 2013 and Lot 1895027/Exp June 2013), Vecuronium Bromide for Injection (10mg per vial; Lot 1865067; Exp Date May 2012) and Vecuronium Bromide for Injection (20mg per vial; Lot 1865069; Exp Date February 2012). Some vials of the recalled products may contain visible particles of glass.
  • Outbreak Alert: Ninety-seven cases of gastroenteritis have been linked to Bob Chinn’s Crab House (Wheeling, IL), according to Cook County Department of Health. Lab tests are in progress.
  • Outbreak Alert: Jimmy John’s restaurant in Valparaiso, Indiana has been identified as the likely source of a Norovirus outbreak that has sickened approximately 60 residents of the area.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Marché Village (Ange Gardien, QC) recalls Wrap au thon/Tuna Wrap, Sous marin de la mer/Seafood Sub, Sous marin trois viandes/Three-meat Sub, and Sandwich poulet pressé/Pressed chicken sandwich, due to the presence of undeclared milk, eggs and/or soy.
  • Food Safety Recall: Metro/Supermarché Oka inc (Oka, QC) recalls Sauce Viande Maison (1-liter glass jars; sold before January 12, 2012), because the product was not manufactured in a way that assures its safety for human consumption.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Bønnelykken A/S recalls Alfalfa sprouts (70g, 100g, 500g and 1kg packs; All best before dates up to and including 13 January 2012), and Spiremix with alfalfa sprouts (150g; All best before dates up to and including 13 January 2012), after Salmonella was found in a package of the alfalfa sprouts.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall (Spain): Spain mandates the recall of several dietary supplement products, because they contain one or more of the following prescription medications: sildenafil analogues, tadalafil, and nortadalafil.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0059): Undeclared sulphite in frozen blanched headless shrimps from India; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0060): Omethoate and dimethoate in gourd from Kenya; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0061): Mercury in frozen sliced moro shark from South Africa; distributed to Italy.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0064): Undeclared gluten in sweet corn snacks from Poland; distributed to Poland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0068): Mercury in frozen sliced swordfish from Portugal; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0069): Excessive sulphite in dried fruits mix from Germany; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0070): Excessive sulphite in dried fruits mix from the Netherlands; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0071): Insect larvae infestation in hazelnut kernels from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0072): Undeclared sulphite in coconut juice with pulp from Thailand; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0073): Parasitic infestation with Anisakis of chilled anchovies from Italy; distributed to Italy and Spain.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0074): Milk traces in instant noodles from China; distributed to Norway.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0075): Excessive sulphite in dried fruit mix from Germany; distributed to Finland.

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: January 12, 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: Blount Fine Foods (Fall River, MA) recalls Blount Fine Foods Rip Roarin’ Crab Soup (16-oz cup; Lot #1202117D; Use or Freeze By 2/10/2012), due to the presence of undeclared milk, wheat and crab. The product was distributed to certain Whole Foods Market stores on the US Eastern Coast.
  • Allergy Alert: Sourdough Mining Co. recalls Alaska Sourdough’s Hot Buttered Rum Batter (16-oz containers; Package code 11/25/11; Sell by 4/23/12), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The product was distributed only to food retailers in Alaska.
  • Outbreak Alert Final Update: CDC reports that a total of 190 individuals were infected with Salmonella Typhimurium as a result of having consumed Kosher Broiled Chicken Livers produced by Schreiber Processing Corporation. The illnesses were reported from six states – New York (109), New Jersey (62), Pennsylvania (10), Maryland (6), Ohio (2), and Minnesota (1).

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Whole Foods Market (Toronto, ON) recalls Whole Foods Market Dairy Free Choc. Cup (4-pack; 300g), Whole Foods Market Dairy Free Chocolate Cake (600g), Whole Foods Market Dairy Free Orange Poppy Cake (300g) and Whole Foods Market Dairy Free Orange Poppy Cup (4-pack; 300g), because the products may contain undeclared milk. The recalled products were sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Mississauga (155 Square One Drive), Oakville (301 Cornwall Road), and Toronto (87 Avenue Road), Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall: Pantry Shelf Food Corp recalls Pantry Shelf Sliced Water Chestnuts (2.84L (Code 566 824 1; PRO 2010 03 30 4500/01053), due to microbiological contamination. The recalled products were distributed in Quebec and Ontario through retail stores.
  • Food Safety Recall: Viandes Giroux Inc. recalls an unspecified product due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled product was distributed in the province of Quebec. No further details are available on the CFIA web site at this time.

Europe

  • Food Safety Alert/Enforcement Action (Finland): EVIRA has banned meat, raw meat and meat products from Agali Oy due to deficiencies in the meat company’s operations. According to EVIRA, there is reason to believe that the company’s safety and hygienic quality are deficient. In addition, inaccuracies have been found in traceability, labeling, food storage and handling conditions. Affected products are marked with the name Agali and may also bear the identification mark EN 6282 EC and the batch identification AGO180. Please refer to the EVIRA notice for additional details.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Solhjulet recalls Organic Dried Beans (Product of Uganda; 500g bags; Best before 30-12-2012), due to residues of the pesticide malathion.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Advisory (China): A pair of 4-month old Chinese twins became ill with severe intestinal symptoms after weeks of consuming Synutra powdered milk formula products. One of the babies died from dehydration on January 7, 2012. The other has recovered. The Chairman and CEO of Synutra International has stated the company’s firm belief that the illnesses were an isolated incident and completely unrelated to Synutra’s products. No recall has been announced.
  • Chinese Medicine Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health advises the public not to buy or consume TangBaoKouFuYiDaoSuJiaoNang, which has been found to contain three undeclared Western drugs, including metformin, glibenclamide and phenformin (banned in Hong Kong).

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.