Recalls and Alerts: October 8 – 10, 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.

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

OUTBREAK ALERT (Minnesota): Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports 9 cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B infections in the state linked to the NéktƏr Juice Bar in Woodbury, MN. Two people have been hospitalized. Health officials say anyone who is experiencing severe symptoms of salmonellosis after consuming menu items from NéktƏr should talk to their health care provider.

OUTBREAK ALERT FINAL UPDATE: CDC reports a total of 1,127 confirmed cases of Salmonella Newport infections and 167 hospitalizations in 48 states. The illness outbreak was linked to red onions from Thomson International, Inc., of Bakersfield, California. FDA, CDC and state investigators have found various Salmonella strains in multiple Thomson International Inc. locations and surrounding areas. The root cause investigation is on-going.

Public Health Alert: FSIS issuesa public health alert for ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry bowl products, produced by Taylor Farms in Dallas, Texas on Oct 5 and Oct 6, 2020, due to concerns that the products may be contaminated with extraneous material, specifically glass. No recall was requested, as it is believed that the products are no longer available for consumers to purchase. Please refer to the Alert for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: B&G Foods recalls Back to Nature Organic Rosemary & Olive Oil Stoneground Wheat Crackers (6 oz; Best by APR 25 2021; UPC 8-19898-01015-8) due to undeclared peanut.

Pet Food Safety Recall Update: Sunshine Mills, Inc. recalls certain Champ®, Field Trial®, Good Dog, Hunter’s Special®, Old Glory®, Paws Happy Life®, Pet Expert, Principle, Retriever®, River Bend, Sportsman’s Pride®, Sprout®, Thrifty®, Top Runner® or Whiskers & Tails products that were made with corn that contained Aflatoxin at levels above FDA’s action levels. This is an expansion of an earlier recall. Please refer to the FDA Alert for a consolidated list of recalled products.

Canada

Food Safety Recall: Hilly Acres Farm recalls eggs with best before dates from September 2, 2020 to October 31, 2020 inclusively where the lot code contains “38” or “N38” or where there is no lot code on the package due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The recall was triggered by the company’s own test results.

Food Safety Recall: Au Palais sucré recalls certain soups and sauces that were prepared, packaged or stored under conditions that could render the items unsafe for human consumption. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Griffith Foods Ltd. recalls various Griffith Foods brand seasonings and sauces due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Colruyt recalls Boni Selection houmous mangue-coco / mango-coconut hummus (150g; Use by 27/10/2020) due to undeclared sesame.

Allergy Alert (France): Lidl recalls several batch codes of Select & Go brand Salade Buddha Bowl Chèvre / goat cheese salad bowl due to undeclared peanut. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected batch codes.

Allergy Alert Update (Ireland): Industry recalls Dunkin Boston Kreme Donuts (148g 2-pack; All date codes) due to undeclared egg, gluten (wheat), milk, nuts (almond, hazelnut, pistachio nut), and soya in the English labeling.

Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): Colruyt recalls Boni Selection houmous mangue-coco / mango-coconut hummus (150g; Use by 27/10/2020) due to undeclared sesame.

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): Lidl recalls Ons & Pond dropstaafjes / licorice bars (250g; Expiry date 11-02-2022) due to undeclared wheat (glluten).

Allergy Alert (UK – Northern Ireland specific): North South Retail recalls Dunkin Boston Kreme Donuts (148g 2-pack; All date codes) due to undeclared egg, gluten (wheat), milk, nuts (almond, hazelnut, pistachio nut), and soya in the English labeling.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): La Ferme Fromagère de Chertin recalls Boulette de Chertin fromage au lait cru écrémé de vache / skimmed raw cow’s milk cheese (200g; Best before 10.10.2020, 15.10.2020, 18.10.2020, 20.10.2020, 01.11.2020, 05.11.2020, 10.11.2020) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Amanda Seafoods A/S recalls Bornholms Hummersuppe / Lobster soup (375g; Production date 03-04-2020; Time stamps 1432 to 1637) due to inadequate heat processing.

Food Safety Recall (France): La Brasserie Licorne recalls Jalisco brand Bière saveur tequila RED / tequila-flavoured beer (3 x 33 cl; Expiry date 17/10/21) due to foreign matter (glass fragments) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Firma Dr. Schröter Feinkost GmbH recalls Mühlenhof Delikatess Kräuterfleischsalat / delicatessen herb meat salad (Best before 24.10.2020) due to foreign matter (transparent pieces of plastic) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Teaflower Marktstand Shuster Viktualienmarkt recalls Teaflower Teufelskralle gemahlen / ground devil’s claw (200g; Expiry date 10.22) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): CASEIFICIO CEIRANO – VILLOSIO SRL recalls CASEIFICIO CEIRANO – VILLOSIO SRL brand RASCHERA DOP cheese (Lot code 06-06-2020; Best before 09-11-2020) due to Salmonella Brandenburg contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Pet Food Safety Recall Update: Sunshine Mills, Inc. recalls certain Champ®, Field Trial®, Good Dog, Hunter’s Special®, Old Glory®, Paws Happy Life®, Pet Expert, Principle, Retriever®, River Bend, Sportsman’s Pride®, Sprout®, Thrifty®, Top Runner® or Whiskers & Tails products that were made with corn that contained Aflatoxin at levels above FDA’s action levels. This is an expansion of an earlier recall. Please refer to the FDA Alert for a consolidated list of recalled products. Some of the recalled products were supplied to a distributor in Jordan.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (New Zealand): Bin Inn Kapiti recalls Air Popped Buckwheat Seeds (Bullk bins; All batches and dates sold up to and including 9 October 2020) due to undeclared gluten.

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Foodstuffs Own Brands Ltd recalls Value Brand Viva Italia Chopped Tomatoes in Juice (400g cans; Batch codes SMS1 J213, TTA1 J214, TTA1 J215, TTA1 J217) due to foreign matter (stones) contamination.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Pet Food Safety Recall Update: Sunshine Mills, Inc. recalls certain Champ®, Field Trial®, Good Dog, Hunter’s Special®, Old Glory®, Paws Happy Life®, Pet Expert, Principle, Retriever®, River Bend, Sportsman’s Pride®, Sprout®, Thrifty®, Top Runner® or Whiskers & Tails products that were made with corn that contained Aflatoxin at levels above FDA’s action levels. This is an expansion of an earlier recall. Please refer to the FDA Alert for a consolidated list of recalled products. Some of the recalled products were supplied to a distributor in Colombia.

Recalls and Alerts: October 1 – 3, 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.

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

OUTBREAK ALERT: CDC reports 13 cases of Salmonella Muenster infections in 8 states linked to pet bearded dragons. Seven people have been hospitalized.

OUTBREAK ALERT: CDC reports 32 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium infections in 17 states linked to pet hedgehogs. Five people have been hospitalized.

Food Safety Alert: The Rhode Island Department of Health warns the public to avoid juices, smoothies, and sea moss gel purchased from Health is Wealth Nutrition Center located at 1674 Cranston Street in Cranston because inadequate processing of these products has made them susceptible to contamination with Clostridium botulinum.

Food Safety Recall: Country Fresh recalls a limited quantity of watermelon chunks from select Walmart and RaceTrac stores due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Canada

OUTBREAK ALERT FINAL UPDATE: PHAC reports that the Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to red onions imported from the United States appears to be over. Between mid-June and late August, there were 515 confirmed cases of salmonellosis in British Columbia (121), Alberta (293), Saskatchewan (35), Manitoba (26), Ontario (14), Quebec (25) and Prince Edward Island (1). Seventy-nine individuals were hospitalized and three people died, but Salmonella did not contribute to the cause of these deaths, according to PHAC.

Food Safety Recall Update: Sunsprout Natural Foods recalls Sunsprout brand Micro – Greens, Alfalfa (100g; All best before dates up to and including BBOCT13; UPC 0 57621 13511 6) due to possible Salmonella contamination. This recall notice has been update to indicate that the recalled product was distributed in Nova Scotia.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Germany): Günthart & Co. KG recalls Blüten, dunkle Schokolade 3D / Dark chocolate flowers (Best before 13.12.2021) due to undeclared casein and lactose.

Allergy Alert (Iceland): Stjörnufugli recalls Stjörnufugl Sous vide kjúklingabringur, Hvítlaukspipar Parmesan / Starbird Sous vide Chicken Breast, Garlic Parmesan (All Best before dates up to 15.11.20) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall (Austria): Hans Adler OHG recalls Dulano Delikatess Lyoner, strips (2 x 200g; Lot #230920LYG M: 2 246 with time stamps of 08:40:00 to 13:00: 00; Best before 23 September 2020) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall Update (Belgium): Sequoia recalls Le picoreur brand Cuisse de poulet fermier bio BLC / Organic chicken leg (Best before 27, 28 & 30/09/20 – Lot #25801101 and Best before 5/10/2020 – Lot #26501501) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall Update (Belgium): Deliflanders recalls various varieties of Sola brand Fuet Extra due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Chasal srl recalls various varieties of Sola brand Fuet Extra due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Hans Adler OHG recalls Dulano Delikatess Lyoner, strips (2 x 200g; Lot #230920LYG M: 2 246 with time stamps of 08:40:00 to 13:00: 00; Best before 23 September 2020) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): GARTENFRISCH Jung GmbH recalls Gut&Günstig Salatmischung Blattsalat Mix / salad mix (150g; Best before 05.10.2020) due to shigatoxin-producing E. coli.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): PICO Food GmbH recalls certain Feine Sterne baked goods due to foreign matter (metal pieces) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): AUCHAN recalls Barquette de 3 escalopes de dinde Halal / Halal turkey cutlets (3-pack; Lot #0340068875; Best before02/10/2020 & 04/10/2020) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): Albert Heijn recalls AH runderhamburger / beef burger (2-pack; Expiry date 25 september 2020) due to E. coli contamination.

Thomson Onion Salmonella Outbreak: Is CDC Missing in Action?

On July 21, 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed the public of an outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections.

On July 24th, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) informed the public of an outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections apparently caused by the same outbreak strain as CDC was finding in the United States.

At the time of the initial reports, neither agency had determined the source of the outbreak.

On July 30th, PHAC updated its outbreak advisory, informing Canadians that the outbreak was linked to consumtion of red onions imported from the United States. That same day, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) posted a recall notice for red onions imported by Sysco in Western Canada.

Using the Canadian data as its starting point, on July 31st, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC announced that the US outbreak was linked to consumption of red onions produced by Thomson International, Inc. of Bakersfield, California.

Thomson International is a family-owned business, incorporated in California.

On August 1st, Thomson recalled its entire harvest of red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions from the 2020 growing season – approximately 18,750 tons of onions. The onions were distributed across the United States and exported to Canada.

CDC issued status updates of the size and scope of the US outbreak on August 3rd, August 7th, August 18th and September 1st, and has not been heard from since.

PHAC issued status updates of the size and scope of the Canadian outbreak on August 2nd, August 7th, August 14th, August 21st, August 31st and September 14th.

By August 7th, FDA had initiated its on-site investigation of Thomson’s Bakersfield facility, looking for the source of the Salmonella Newport contamination. By August 11th, FDA personnel had submitted 370 samples to the agency’s lab for Salmonella testing, including 278 swab samples, 82 onion samples, and 10 miscellaneous environmental samples, according to information obtained by eFoodAlert in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Not a single sample contained Salmonella.

The FDA investigation is still in progress. However, with the growing season complete and the packing plant idle, the chances of finding the source of the Salmonella Newport diminish day by day.

As of the last report from CDC, 1012 individuals in 47 states have been infected with Salmonella Newport as a result of having consumed contaminated onions. Only Louisiana, Oklahoma and Vermont have not reported any outbreak cases. Although there have been no deaths associated with this outbreak, 136 (more than 13%) of the victims have required a hospital stay.

In Canada, there have been 506 confirmed cases of Salmonella Newport in seven provinces, and 71 people (14%) have been hospitalized.

Canada v. USA – A Performance Comparison

Why was CDC unable to determine the link between red onions and the Salmonella Newport outbreak until after PHAC had made the connection?

Why has CDC not provided an update to its outbreak status report in three weeks?

Why does Canada appear to have been much harder hit by this outbreak than the United States – 13.7 cases per million Canadians versus only 3.1 per million Americans? Is this due to some quirk of distribution, or have PHAC and its provincial partners done a better job of reporting than CDC and the various state health agencies?

Has the Covid-19 pandemic hit CDC so hard that it no longer has the resources to follow-up on illness outbreaks elsewhere?

 

IF CDC IS MISSING IN ACTION, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE US POPULATION?