Tag: mycotoxins

Recalls and Alerts: December 13 – 16, 2020

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 (North Carolina): Cabarrus Health Alliance and Harris Teeter are investigating more than 150 reports of gastrointestinal illness linked to consumption of sushi purchased from free-standing AFC Sushi kiosks inside two Harris Teeter stores in Concord, North Carolina, according to a report in Food Safety News. The cause of the illnesses has not yet been determined.

Food Safety Recall: Tesoros Trading Co. recalls Trader Joe’s Lightly Salted Edamame, frozen (16 oz pkg; Lots 22LA102 M, 22LA102 N or 22LA102 P) due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Pet Food Safety Recall: PetSmart Inc. recalls Authority Savory Blends Turkey Formula Cat Food, Adult Ages 1-7 (3.5 lb & 7 lb bags; UPC 7 37257 83105 & 7 37257 85016 7, respectively; All lot codes; nationwide distribution) due to elevated levels of mycotoxin (Zearalenone). The recall was initiated on November 11, 2020. No public recall notice was released.

Pet Food Safety Recall: PetSmart Inc. recalls Authority Savory Blends Chicken Formula Cat Food, Adult Ages 1-7 (3.5 lb & 7 lb bags; UPC 7 37257 83108 & 7 37257 86107, respectively; All lot codes; Nationwide distribution). due to elevated levels of mycotoxin (Zearalenone). The recall was initiated on November 11, 2020. No public recall notice was released.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Shivani Sales Inc. recalls Shivani brand Bhatura Atta (500g; Best Before APR 2021; UPC 8 46072 02219 5) and Shivani brand Missi Atta (500g; Best Before APR 2021; UPC 8 46072 02220 1) due to undeclared wheat.

Food Safety Recall: Levitts Foods (Canada) Inc. recalls Compliments brand Montreal-Style Smoked Meat (175g; BEST BEFORE 2021JA20; EST 48; UPC 0 68820 13357 5), Levitts brand Corned Beef (150g; BEST BEFORE 2021JA20; EST 48; UPC 8 82756 72084 1) and Levitts brand New York Style Pastrami (150g; BEST BEFORE 2021JA20; EST 48; UPC 8 82756 73084 0) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall: IGA Famille Déziel inc recalls Cheddar fort fumé / Sharp smoked cheddar (8 slices / ~180g; Sold December 1-15, 2020) due to undeclared unpasteurized milk in the cheese.

Food Safety Recall: Hilly Acres Farm recalls specific batch codes of Farmer John Eyking brand shell eggs and Nova Eggs brand shell eggs due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected package configurations and batch codes.

Food Safety Recall: Lauri’services recalls Piment dans l’huile / Hot pepper in oil (In glass jars; Sold up to and including 16 December 2020) because the item may be unsafe to consume, due to production and/or packaging conditions.

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Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Industry recalls Danival brand Ketchup (560g; Lot #E087; Expiry date 27/03/2022) due to undeclared mustard.

Allergy Alert (Iceland): Industry recalls Nawras brand Gele Vermicelli (400g; All batch codes; Product of Turkey) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Marks & Spencer recalls Marks & Spencer brand Balanced For You Red Thai Chicken Curry (380g; Use by 14 December 2020 and 15 December 2020) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Tesco recalls Tesco Finest Festive Fruit & Nut Selection (225g; Batch code L0075004; Best before end May 2021) due to undeclared sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites.

Allergy Alert (UK): Tesco recalls Tesco Finest Festive Fruit & Nut Selection (225g; Best before end May 2021) due to undeclared sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites.

Allergy Alert (UK): Marks & Spencer recalls M&S Balanced For You Red Thai Chicken Curry (Use by 14 December 2020 and 15 December 2020) due to undeclared milk.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Colruyt Group recalls Haché de porc bio / Organic ground pork (400g; Use by 18/12/2020) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Colruyt Group recalls Viande pour pita / Meat for pita (±500g; Use by 17/12/2020, 18/12/2020, 19/12/2020, 20/12/2020, 21/12/2020 & 24/12/2020) due to foreign matter (pieces of glass) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Courses U recalls U brand Morceaux de filets de poulet panés / Breaded pieces of chicken breast (200g; Lot #344060; Use by 02/01/2021) due to possible foreign matter contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Colruyt recalls Haché de porc bio / Organic ground pork (400g; Use by 18/12/2020) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Sweden): KLS Ugglarps recalls Ugglarps brand Julskinka, lättrökt, kokt och rimmad / Christmas ham, lightly smoked, cooked and salted (Batch 492; Best before 06.01.2021) because the ham was not cooked.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Lidl GB recalls Red Hen Breaded Chicken Nuggets (450g; Best before end February 2022) and Red Hen Southern Fried Chicken Pops (210g; Best before 05 February 2022) due to Salmonella contamination.

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Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Allergy Alert (Hong Kong): Alf Retail Hong Kong Limited recalls M&S brandBalanced For You Red Thai Chicken Curry (380g; Use by December 14, 2020; Product of UK) due to undeclared milk.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Aust Aria Pty Ltd recalls Naderi Traditional Cookie (210g; Best Before 16 April 2021) due to undeclared peanut.

Latin America and the Caribbean

OUTBREAK ALERT (Venezuela): Almost 250 people have been affected with an outbreak of salmonellosis in the state of Bolívar, according to a report in Food Safety News. The source of the outbreak has not been determined.

Shocked and Saddened

Dear Readers,

On March 31, 2013, I announced that I was “moving on,” and I ended my daily posts on eFoodAlert. Since then, I have been concentrating on my creative writing projects. Nevertheless, I’ve continued to monitor food safety stories, muttering under my breath from time to time about the quality of some of the coverage. But I have not been motivated to comment publicly on any of these stories until today’s release of a pet food safety study carried out under the auspices of The Association For Truth In Pet Food (ATPF). I decided that I could not let this report stand unchallenged and unanswered.

The Association for Truth In Pet Food (ATPF), headed by Susan Thixton, has just released a report that details the results of mycotoxin, nutrient and bacteria tests carried out on a number of brands of canned and dry cat foods and dog foods. According to James Andrews, writing for Food Safety News, the testing program was sponsored by consumers through crowdfunding and coordinated by ATPF.

Susan Thixton, writing in her TruthAboutPetFoods.com blog, describes the results of the study as “shocking and sad.” In my opinion, her adjectives are correct, but misapplied. What I find “shocking and sad” is the waste of consumers’ money in a wild goose chase after low-level pathogens of minimal risk to either humans or their pets.

Consider the “qualifying pathogens” reported in the detailed study:

  • Acinetobacter. This is a low-grade pathogen that is mainly associated with hospital-acquired infections (especially in intensive care units), or with community-spread outbreaks in war zones and natural disaster areas.
  • Pseudomonas. These bacteria are present in the environment, in our water, and in food. It is a cause of “swimmer’s ear.” Otherwise, Pseudomonas is an opportunistic pathogen, typically either hospital-acquired or affecting individuals with compromised immune systems or respiratory systems, such as cystic fibrosis patients.
  • Streptococcus. While some species of Streptococcus are pathogenic (eg., Streptococcus pyogenes), others are benign. Some species of Streptococcus are used in the production of fermented dairy products, and are considered to be probiotic.
  • Staphylococcus. While Staphylococcus aureus is associated with food poisoning (via its production of enterotoxins), and with infections, other species of Staphylococcus are either benign or are low-grade pathogens associated with hospital-acquired infections. Staphylococcus epidermidis is a common inhabitant of the skin of humans and animals. Even Staphylococcus aureus is carried on the skin and in the nasal passages of many individuals.
  • Bacillus. Most species of Bacillus are benign and are widely dispersed in the environment. Bacillus is a spore-former and very heat-resistant. It can be found with great frequency in dried foods, including spices, flour, and powdered dairy products. Bacillus cereus is a source of foodborne illness, but it must attain high concentrations before it can cause illness.

In addition to these “qualifying pathogens,” the study organizers decided to troll through the foods for a long list of other irrelevant microbes, including: Anaerococcus, Comamonadaceae, Corynebacteriaceae, Halomonas (another low-risk pathogen associated with contamination of intravenous lines), Cloacibacterium, Bifidobacterium (a probiotic), Pantoea, Gemella, Peptoniphilus, Actinomyces, Sphingobium, Bradyrhizobium, Tumebacillus, Paracoccus, Paenibacillus, Lactococcus, Acetobacter, Chloroplast, and Lactobacillus (a probiotic).

The author of the study provided absolutely no rationale for this selection. Nor was any explanation offered for excluding known human and animal pathogens, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, from the list. Where was the logic in this? What was the point in throwing money at a laundry list of irrelevant microbes? The funding did not allow species-level identification of any of the bacteria, according to the study report. Yet, without species-level identification, the results of the bacterial testing of the pet foods are worthless.

I also take issue with the presentation of the mycotoxin test results. The results are reported at levels of parts per billion (PPB), whereas these results are usually reported as parts per million (ppm) . By changing the manner of reporting the results, the study makes the data appear more shocking. For example, FDA recommends a limit of 10ppm for fumonisins in grain destined for pet food. This is the same as saying10,000 parts per billion. Even the worst performing pet food sample was well within this guidance level. Furthermore, the comparison table presents an arbitrary set of risk values generated using a proprietary formula developed by Alltech, an animal nutrition company. There is no way to substantiate the validity or the significance of these so-called risk levels.

I have refrained from commenting on the portion of the report dealing with nutritional analysis, as this is outside of my expertise. I sincerely hope that someone else will put this portion of the report under a microscope.

I acknowledge the good intentions of Susan Thixton and the Association for Truth in Pet Food, but I am appalled at the way in which this study was designed and carried out. The portions of the study relating to bacterial analysis and presentation of the mycotoxin results are the epitome of junk science. The pet-loving consumers who funded this study – and their dogs and cats – deserved far better.