Tag: Pet Health

Dog Treat Illness Complaints Continue To Flood FDA

Since January 1st, 2012, FDA has received 184 reports of pets who became ill after being fed chicken jerky dog treats. That’s on top of the 353 reports lodged with the federal agency in calendar year 2011, according to information provided  to eFoodAlert by FDA Spokesperson Laura Alvey.

Most of the 2011 reports – 283 of them – were filed after FDA issued an updated warning to dog owners on November 18th, 2011.

As I reported last November, FDA continues to warn pet owners that chicken jerky products imported from China may be associated with the development of Fanconi-like syndrome in dogs who eat the treats on a regular basis. Similar problems have been reported in Canada, according to the Canadian Veterinary Medicine Association.

Unfortunately, neither FDA nor the Canadians have been able to identify an ingredient or contaminant in the chicken jerky dog treats that would account for the illnesses. “Testing is ongoing,” Alvey reported to me yesterday by email. “We have tested samples from all over the country for microbial pathogens (salmonella) and chemical toxicants and so far, nothing has come back positive,” she added.

FDA is encouraging consumers to submit illness-linked samples of pet treats to them for analysis. “[w]e would most certainly want to try to obtain a sample of a consumer’s pet product if they still had it and they were reporting it in association with a pet illness to the FDA,” Alvey stated.

Unfortunately, unless and until FDA can determine the presence of an adulterant (microbiological or chemical) in the pet treats, the agency is unable to request a recall. As always, suspects – including pet treats – are innocent until proven guilty.

Mollie Morrissette has been following this story closely, and has written several informative articles, which can be found on her Poisoned Pets blog site.

Recalls and Alerts: February 7, 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

  • Food Safety Recall: Bost Distributing Company, dba Harold Food Company (Bear Creek, NC) recalls Harold Food Co. Grand Strand Deluxe Chicken Salad (30-lb boxes; Sell by 2/15/2012; Est No. P-20479), because the products contain hard-cooked eggs that were recalled by Michael Foods Inc. due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: USDA releases retail distribution list for Cobb and spinach salads that were recalled by F&S Produce Company Inc. due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Conservas La Torre S.A. de C.V. (Mexico) that an August 2011 inspection of the company’s acidified foods facility revealed serious deviations from the acidified food regulation (21 CFR Part 114) and emergency permit control regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Ocean Food Company Ltd. (Toronto, Canada) that an evaluation of the company’s two submitted HACCP plans and the additional supporting documentation revealed serious deviations from the requirements of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Seattle Roll Bakery (Seattle, WA) that an August 2011 inspection of the company’s bakery revealed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Visoy Food, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) that an October/November 2011 inspection of the company’s manufacturing facility revealed serious violations of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 110 (21 CFR 110), the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Frog Island Seafood Inc. (Barco, NC) that environmental samples analyzed as part of an August 2011 inspection of the company’s food manufacturing facility revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the facility, including on food-contact surfaces. In addition, the inspection significant violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Sam’s Marketing Inc. dba CoCo’s Fish Market (Honolulu, HI) that a March/April 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Inter-Fret Importers recalls Hafiz Habib-Ur-Rehman brand Kafiz Ka Multani Sohan Halwa (500g; square and circular containers; No lot/date codes), due to the presence of undeclared tree nuts. The recalled products were distributed in Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: New Middleast Supermarket (1755 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON) recalls Finely ground beef used for making Kebbeh (served from the fresh meat counter in plastic bags wrapped with paper; variable weight packaging), because the product may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. One confirmed illness has been associated with the consumption of this product. The recalled finely ground beef was sold on December 28th and 29th from the New Middleast Supermarket, 1755 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): Natco Foods Limited withdraws Gluten Free Gram Flour (2kg; Best before October 2012; Batch code 110420 BN0509), due to the presence of elevated levels of gluten in the product.
  • Food Safety Recall (Belgium): ISFI recalls Ground Nutmeg (500g; Lot #PO18793 and PO17301; Use by 12/2015 and 11/2015, respectively), due to levels of aflatoxin B1 that are slightly in excess of allowable limits.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Hilton Foods Denmark recalls Minced pork/veal, 8-12% (500g pkgs; Batch #400246504A; Produced 24.01.2012; Best before 31.01.2012), because Salmonella was detected in a sample of the product.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Spain): Kern Pharma, S.L. recalls Inzitan, 6 ampoules (Lot #E003; Expiry March 2013), due to the presence of glass particles in an ampoule.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Spain): Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals S.L. recalls Hidrocloruro de Bendamustina, 2.5 mg/ml concentrated powder for perfusion solutions (Investigational medicine; Lot #1010035; Expiry 31/10/2013), due to the presence of glass particles in several vials.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0190): Aflatoxins in ground nutmeg from Germany; distributed to Belgium and France.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0191): Inadequate vacuum packaging of Ardennes pate from Belgium; distributed to the United Kingdom.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0193): Salmonella Livingstone in meat and bone meal from France; distributed to Italy.
  • Pet Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0194): Insect (larvae and beetles) infestation of dog food from Sweden; distributed to Iceland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0195): Unauthorized Rhodamine B in Indian sweet mix from Italy; distributed to Austria.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0196): Salmonella Tennessee in organic soybean expeller from India, via Canada; distributed to Sweden.

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: February 2, 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: S&M USA Enterprise recalls ZHANG ZHOU BRAND TREMELLA (150g plastic bag; Product of China), due to the presence of undeclared sulfites. The recalled product was sold in New York and New Jersey.
  • Food Safety Recall: W & C International Import Inc. recalls Rely Sardine Anchovies (7-oz plastic packages; Product of China) and Rely Dried Yellow Croaker (bulk cartons; Product of China), because the products were not properly eviscerated prior to processing and represent a heightened risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall: Wegmans Foods Markets, Inc. recalls Hard-Cooked Eggs, and several prepared foods that contain hard-cooked eggs (sold at Wegmans’ Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Canandaigua, Newark, Geneva, Corning, Elmira, Geneseo, and Hornell stores between January 23 and February 1, 2012), because the eggs may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and were recalled by Michael Foods, Inc. The following items are included in this recall notice: Hard-Cooked Eggs (sold by the pound in prepared foods or as a choice on the Fresh Foods Bar), Eggs (special-order deli tray or 6-pack, 12 pack), Cobb Salad (10 oz, 43 oz, and 6.5 lb), Garden Salad (10 oz, 20 oz, 2 lb, and 5 lb), Baby Spinach Salad (9 oz, 1.8 lb, and 3.9 lb), Chef Salad (9 oz. and 18 oz.), Egg Salad (sold by the pound in prepared foods), Egg Salad Sub (Sub Shop), Kosher Macaroni Salad (sold by the pound in kosher deli), and Kosher Pickled Eggs (sold by the pound in kosher deli).
  • Food Safety Recall Update: ShopRite reminds consumers that ShopRite of Stanton (1600 West Newport Pike, Wilmington, DE) recalled store-made ground beef (80/20 and 85/15; various packages sizes; Sell by January 22, 2012), because the product may pieces of blue glove. Customers are asked to check their freezers and return any of the recalled meat to the store.
  • Pet Food Safety Recall Update: Advanced Animal Nutrition updates its December 13, 2011 notice alerting consumers to the recall of Dog Power Dog Foods to correct the affected lot numbers. The affected products were manufactured between Jan 4, 2011 and Nov. 18, 2011 and can be identified by lot numbers 4K1004 through 4K1322. The recalled products were distributed in Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has confirmed the presence of Campylobacter jejuni in two unopened samples of raw milk purchased from The Family Cow farm. Maryland has reported 4 confirmed cases of Campylobacter illnesses linked to the consumption of raw milk from this Pennsylvania farm, and Pennsylvania has confirmed 19 cases.
  • Outbreak Alert: CDC and the Pennsylvania State Health Department are cooperating in an ongoing investigation of human Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi B var. L (+) tartrate + infections associated with pet turtle exposures.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: JB’s Sausage Making Supplies Ltd. recalls various flavors of marinades due to the presence of undeclared soy or wheat. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products. The recalled items were distributed in Saskatchewan.
  • Food Safety Recall Update: Phoenicia Group (St-Laurent, QC) updates its earlier recall notice to correct the lot codes. The company has recalled Alkanater brand Tahini (454g containers; UPC 6 92551 00002 0; Prod: 5/7/2011; Exp: 5/7/2013), due to possible contamination with Salmonella. The recalled product was distributed across Canada.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Fredsted The A/S recalls Xtra brand Chamomile Tea (Boxes of 20 bags; Lot #889 and 1327; Best before 31/12-2012 and 30/4-2013, respectively), due to pesticide residues in excess of the permitted limit.
  • Outbreak Alert (France): Consumption of dried pork sausage was linked to a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype 4,[5],12:I:- in November and December 2011. In all, 337 outbreak cases were identified.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0163): Insect infestation in dried figs from Turkey; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0164): Dead insects in frozen spinach leaves from Belgium; distributed to Greece.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Notification (EU# 2012.0165): Unauthorized tadalafil in food supplement from Norway; distributed to Andorra, France, Portugal and Spain.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0166): Ethephon in seedless grapes from South Africa, via Belgium; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0167): Metal fragments in chocolate pralines from Italy; distributed to Italy and Switzerland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0168): Listeria monocytogenes in crab bread from France; distributed to France and Spain.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Allways (Germany) Medicine Ltd. recalls the pharmaceutical products Centiplex-B Tab and Abacod Cod Liver Oil Cap, as the products bear unapproved labels.
  • Food Safety Alert (Philippines): The Department of Health has announced a shellfish ban in the waters of Wawa, Bani in Pangasinan, in addition to already announced bans in Dumanquillas Bay, Murcielagos Bay, Masinloc Bay, Matarino Bay, and in Bataan costal waters of Mariveles, Limay, Orlon, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay and Samal. The ban were triggered by the finding of paralytic shellfish poison in excess of the regulatory limit.

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.