Tag: Health

Recalls and Alerts: June 17, 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: Truitt Bros., Inc. (Salem, OR) recalls Truitt Brothers Pacific Northwest Premium Navy Beans (15-oz can; UPC 8222524145; Can code MDSB S1GTD Best By: 7/18/14), due to the presence of undeclared soy, after it was discovered that a chili like product containing soy was labeled and distributed as Premium Navy Beans. The recalled product was distributed in Oregon, Washington and Northern California through retail stores between December 1, 2011 and June 15, 2012.
  • Outbreak Alert: Contra Costa County Environmental Health officials have ordered the closing of California Pizza Kitchen at Broadway Plaza (Walnut Creek, CA) after test results confirmed a norovirus outbreak among customers and staff that is connected with salad served at the restaurant on Thursday, June 7th.
  • Outbreak Alert: Oneida County (New York) Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of six confirmed cases of cryptosporidium that may be related to a recent Farmfest event, according to barfblog.
  • Outbreak Alert: Two river-running companies operating in the Grand Canyon have reported incidents of gastrointestinal illnesses typical of norovirus. Coconino County health workers are sampling latrines and other waste for norovirus, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Dole Foods of Canada recalls Dole Fruit Cocktail (2.84L size; Lot code IOMSO41BQ, 2224A FRTC; Costco Item #275589), because the product may contain small glass particles. The recalled product may have been sold by Costco Wholesale in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba provinces between April 1st, 2011 and June 14th, 2012.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Sanofi Pasteur recalls all Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, because of problems in the manufacturing facility that Health Canada believes may have affected the vaccine quality.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Hilton Foods Denmark A/S recalls Minced Pork and Minced Pork/Veal (500g; Produced 29.05.2012; Best before 05.06.2012 and 06.06.2012), due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Fa. Fromi GmbH recalls Chaource Tradition, Chaource Nu Tradition, Chaource Fromi, Chaource Fromi Nu, and Chaource AOC Lincet Metro cheeses (Product of France; 250g and 500g pkgs; Best before 07.07.2012, 08.07.2012, 09.07.2012 and 13.07.2012) due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Reimann Wurstliebhaber GmbH recalls Teewurst, loser Verkauf sausages, due to Salmonella detection. The recalled product was distributed in Thuringia.
  • Cosmetic Product Safety Recall (France): French authorities order the recall of “TCQ Plus Phase 2 – Nano Hydra Keratin” hair treatment (500mL; Product of Mexico), because the product contains excessive (2.5%) formaldehyde.
  • Cosmetic Product Safety Alert (Switzerland): The Federal Office of Public Health warns consumers that Pullach Hof Kartoffel-Erdäpfel Creme cosmetic cream (Manufactured by Stolz GmbH, Germany; 250ml; Lot #0370; Best before 30.11.2014 ) preseents a health risk, as it has been found to be contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and should not be used.
  • Medical Device Safety Alert (UK): The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency warns the public of the sale of fake digital thermometers that can give inaccurate readings. The agency seized more than 400 of these thermometers after raids in Harrow and Oxford, according to BBC.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0821): Listeria monocytogenes in chilled meat product from the Czech Republic; distributed to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0826): Mercury in chilled swordfish from Spain; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0827): Aflatoxins in roasted kernels from Turkey; distributed to Romania.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0829): Salmonella spp. in frozen pork meat from Germany; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0830): Histamine in canned tuna fish in sunflower oil from Thailand; distributed to Denmark.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): The Taiwan FDA is investigating whether shellfish imported from South Korea may be contaminated. At least four people have fallen ill in Taiwan since October 2011 after eating South Korean seafood, according to the China Post. Recently, the US FDA removed all South Korean shellfish from its list of approved countries and urged the removal of South Korean shellfish from the US market.
  • Food Safety Recall/Alert (Hong Kong): Great Pilot International Ltd. recalls ACE Family Grilled Grouper (original), imported from Thailand (95g pkg; Best before February 15, 2013), after the product is found to contain Tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxin. The company has surrendered its remaining stock to the Centre for Food Safety, who urges members of the public not to consume the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (China): Yili Group recalls Quan You Baby Formula (Produced between November 2011 and May 2012), due to an unusual level of mercury contamination, according to BBC.

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: June 15, 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 Update: USDA releases updated retail distribution list for Trader Joe’s Cranberry Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast products, recalled by Antonelli’s and Sons due to the presence of undeclared milk, soy and MSG. The recalled products were supplied to Trader Joe’s retail locations in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
  • Food Safety Alert: FDA urges food distributors, retailers, and food service operators to remove from sale or service all fresh, frozen, canned, and processed oysters, clams, mussels, and whole and roe-on scallops (molluscan shellfish) from Korea that have entered the United States. This includes molluscan shellfish from Korea that entered the United States prior to May 1, 2012, when the FDA removed such products from the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL), and that which may have inadvertently entered the country after that date. These products and any products made with them may have been exposed to human fecal waste and are potentially contaminated with norovirus.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Saladexpress (1995) Inc. recalls Saladexpress Garden Salad (340g; Best before 18 JUN 12) and Saladexpress American Blend (340g; Best before 18 JUN 12), due to extraneous material (metal) contamination. The recalled product was distributed to the warehouse level in Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: Erie Meat Products Limited recalls Golden Maple Extra Lean Ground Chicken (454g; Best before FEB 15/13) and Erie Meat Extra Lean Ground Chicken (454g; Best before FEB 15/13), due to extraneous material contamination. The recalled products were sold nationally.
  • Food Safety Recall: Distagro (Division of Metro Inc.) and Sobeys Inc. recall Popchips Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (85g; Code 13MA08), due to extraneous material (metal) contamination. The recalled products were sold in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec by Distagro and in British Columbia and Ontario by Sobeys.
  • Food Recall: Pepsico Beverages Canada recalls Gatorade Perform G Thirst Quencher – Orange (6 x 591 mL; code 1221TT1), due to a labeling issue. The recalled products were sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Denmark): Beauvais Foods A/S recalls Beauvais Beef Stroganoff (560g tin cans; Produced 18-11-2011/Best before October 2016, produced 14-12-2012/Best before October 2016, and produced 21-03-2012/Best before January 2017) and Beauvais Luxury Cocktail Sausages with skins (420g cans; Produced 26th October 2011 and 25th November 2011; Best before October 2016), due to the presence of undeclared soy in the cocktail sausages that are present in both recalled products.
  • Outbreak Alert (Belgium): Nineteen cases of E. coli O157 illnesses are reported in Limbourg. Three people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). All 19 illnesses are linked to the consumption of filet américain, a raw meat dish that is similar to steak tartare. Initial test results on samples of the filet américain and of sirloin from which it was prepared revealed the presence of E. coli O157. The contaminated meat was traced back to the cow from which it originated and the remaining meat was seized and will be destroyed.
  • Food Safety Alert (Italy): The Ministry of Health has extended for another 12 months a prohibition against the sale of eels from Lake Garda, due to contamination concerns.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0788): Aflatoxins in peanut paste from Côte d’Ivoire; distributed to Belgium.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0789): Salmonella Othmarschen in cumin powder from the United Kingdom; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0794): Atropine and scopolamine in buckwheat flour from Slovenia; distributed to Slovenia.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0795): Salmonella enteritidis in broiler leg meat from Lithuania; distributed to France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0796): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in razor clams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Spain and the United Kingdom.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0797): Salmonella Agona in soybean meal from Italy, via Switzerland; distributed to Austria.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0798): Unauthorized 1,3-dimethylamylamine in food supplement from the USA, via the Netherlands; distributed to Finland and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0799): Aflatoxins in spice mix from India; distributed to Ireland.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0800): Undeclared soya in chocolate biscuits from Italy; distributed to Iceland.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0801): Salmonella Agona in soybean meal from Italy; distributed to Austria.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.0802): Undeclared mustard in curry sauce powder from Germany; distributed to Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0803): Mold infestation in yoghurt from Germany; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0804): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in razor clams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0805): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked bacon from Poland; distributed to Poland and Sweden.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0806): Listeria monocytogenes in smoked halibut from France; distributed to France, Germany and Luxembourg.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0807): Campylobacter jejuni in whole fresh chicken from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0810): Unauthorized phenylbutazone in horse meat from the United Kingdom; distributed to France and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0813): Pieces of wood in ice creams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Ireland and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0814): Parasitic infestation with Anisakis of Atlantic mackerel from France; distributed to Italy.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0815): Salmonella Mbandaka in soy bean meal from Germany and Switzerland; distributed to Finland.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0817): Salmonella Group E in rape cake from Germany; distributed to Denmark and Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0820): Excessive Escherichia coli in chilled oysters from France; distributed to Belgium and France.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0804): Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in razor clams from the United Kingdom; distributed to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
  • Outbreak Alert (Zimbabwe): A total of 4,185 suspected cases of typhoid fever have been identified in Harare between October 25, 2011 and May 2, 2012. Fifty-two of the suspected cases were confirmed by blood or stool culture. Forty-three percent of the victims were hospitalized, and two people died. The outbreak is thought to be due to contaminated municipal drinking water.
  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection has received six reports of bacillary dystentery so far this month (June 1-14, 2012). Five of the six cases were determined to have been caused by Shigella sonnei infections. All five victims lived in Tuen Mun; three were hospitalized.
  • Food Safety Alert (Japan): The health ministry has decided to ban restaurants from serving raw beef liver, due to food poisoning concerns, according to a report in The Yomiuri Shimbun. The ban will go into effect on July 1st. Restaurant operators who ignore the ban could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined up to 2 million yen.
  • Food Safety Alert (China): The Beijing Food Safety Administration has accused a Beijing Wal-Mart store of selling sesame oil and squid with dangerous amounts of cancer-causing chemicals, according to a BBC report.
  • Food Safety Alert (Taiwan): Forty-seven percent (47%) of dried daikon slivers used in rick dumplings contain excessive levels of benzoic acid (a preservative), based on tests conducted by the New Taipei City health authorities, according to a report in The China Post.

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: June 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: Antonelli’s and Sons (South San Francisco, CA) recalls Trader Joe’s Cranberry Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast (Approx. 1-lb trays; Use by 06/13/12 through 06/23/12; Est. No. P-22018), due to misbranding and undeclared milk, soy and monosodium glutamate (MSG). The recalled products were sold at Trader Joes’s stores in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington.
  • Food Safety Recall: Golden Glen Creamery (Bow, WA) recalls Red Pepper with Onion & Garlic Cheddar (Pre-cut, random weight packages, ranging in size from 1/3 pound pieces to 1/2 pound pieces; Batch code 887; Produced August 30, 2012), due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled cheese was sold at various local area farmers markets in Skagit, Snohomish and King County, as well as independent retailers in Washington State and Oregon.
  • Food Safety Recall: Snyders of Hanover recalls Snyders of Hanover Pretzel Pieces in Tubes (2.25 oz; UPC 0-77975-08973; Lot SEP22FB2012 and SEP29FB2012). The recalled product was sold at Bi-Lo stores.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: McKesson Canada Corporation recalls Popchips Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (85g; Code 13MA08), due to extraneous material (metal) contamination. The recalled product was sold in Ontario.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): R&R Ice Cream Ltd. recalls certain varieties of Chokablok ice creams on sticks, because a small number of the ice creams may contain fragments of wood lolly stick broken during the production process.

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.