What has changed?

From time to time, I am asked why food safety hazards seem more prevalent now than they were two, three or more decades ago.

Why are more types of food at risk?

Where were Norovirus, Listeria monocytogenes, and other foodborne pathogens back then?

Why were we able to sample raw cake batter and raw cookie dough when we were kids without our parents worrying about Salmonella?

Much has changed in food production, processing and distribution in the last fifty years.

When I was growing up (in the 50s and 60s), most food to be found in grocery stores was still sourced locally. Produce was seasonal; we never saw fresh blueberries and strawberries in the our local grocery store in mid-winter.

The coming of large-scale food production and distribution was the harbinger of significant change to the way produce was harvested and the way food animals were raised.

Back then, large cattle feedlots for ‘finishing’ beef were the exception rather than the rule. My mother bought her meat and poultry from a neighborhood butcher shop and her bread from a local bakery. In short, if a food was contaminated, the extent of the potential outbreak was limited to the local market reach.

Amassing cattle in large feedlots under crowded conditions enhanced the potential spread of infections, resulting in the need to introduce antibiotics into the feed. At the low levels used, these antibiotics promoted ‘growth’ (ie., cattle fattened more quickly); however, they also promoted the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

The accumulated excrement from the cattle contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of the feedlots, increasing the spread of bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli into the environment, including the wild animal populations.

Where fields were being farmed in the vicinity of feedlots, there was an increased potential for irrigation water (or run-off from rains) to spread the bacteria to the growing crops.

In the 50s and 60s, there was no effective method to detect Norovirus. Illnesses that today are attributed to Norovirus infections were written off as ‘stomach flu’ instead.

Some of the bacterial pathogens common today (notably, shiga-toxin producing E. coli, including E. coli O157:H7) are relatively recent mutations. The earliest report in the literature of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak dates from 1983.

Large-scale production requires large-scale distribution networks, including transportation of liquid ingredients in tanker trucks. A Salmonella outbreak resulted from the transportation of pasteurized ice cream mix in a tanker that had previously carried liquid raw egg, and that hadn’t been sanitized between uses.

Climate change also has played a role. For example, shellfish are known to harbor Vibrio parahaemolyticus. However, this pathogen is cold-sensitive and was not a food safety hazard in the waters off the coast off Canada’s west coast in the past. With the rise in water temperatures, Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been found more frequently in shellfish harvested in those waters.

In 2007, ASM Press published my book, Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives. Although now more than eleven years old, much of its content is still current.

As technology changes, so must the old habits we grew up with. By relying on yesterday’s food preparation methods, we lay ourselves open to tomorrow’s health threats.

Recalls and Alerts: March 19 – 20, 2018

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

Allergy Alert: Piggie Park Enterprises Inc. recalls Gourmet Carolina Gold Honey Sauce (18-oz. clear plastic bottle; All product with expiration date before 3/12/18) due to undeclared wheat and soy.

Allergy Alert: Piggie Park Enterprises Inc. recalls Maurice’s Southern Gold Honey Sauce (18-oz. clear plastic bottle; All product with expiration date before 3/12/18) due to undeclared wheat and soy.

Allergy Alert: Vietti Foods recalls Southgate Hot Dog Chili Sauce (15-oz cans; Lot #P642 M1217 70026; 0 71846 95242 6) due to undeclared wheat and eggs.

Food Safety Recall: Mickey Brown, Inc. recalls Mickey Brown’s A Taste of Cajun 3 Beef Burritos (1-lb 2-oz pkgs; EST. 33915; produced on various dates from March 28, 2017 through March 6, 2018), produced without the benefit of federal inspection. The recalled products were shipped to distributors in Louisiana, which then distributed the product for further retail and internet sales.

Food Safety Recall: Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc. recalls National Grocers brand Coconut Smiles Organic (10 oz; All pack dates prior to 18-075; UPC 8034810) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The product was distributed to Natural Grocers stores in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming

Pet Food Safety Recall: Radagast Pet Food, Inc. recalls Rad Cat Raw Diet Free-Range Chicken (8, 16 & 24 oz; Lot 62762; Best by 10/19/18) and Rad Cat Raw Diet Free-Range Turkey Recipe (8, 16 & 24 oz; Lot 62926; Best by 05/03/19) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Canada

Food Safety Recall: Goodfood Market Corp. recalls Good Boucher brand Lean Ground Beef (285g & 510g, Lot #18-03-07, Best before 2018-03-21; and 510g, Lot #18-03-05, Best before 2018-03-19) due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled products were supplied to consumers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and possibly nationwide.

Food Safety Recall: Viandes Lauzon recalls Viandes Lauzon brand Medium Ground Beef N/O (2.5 kg; Product code 18-03-05) and Triple A brand Lean Ground Beef Triple A (8 x 454g; Packed on 18-03-05) due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled products were supplied to consumers in Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: 9369-5989 Québec Inc. recalls Dubé Loiselle Maison brand Ground Beef Lean and Dubé Loiselle Maison brand Ground Beef Medium Lean (2 x 2.5 kg; Production date 07-03-18) due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled products were supplied to hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Scott Bathgate Ltd. recalls Nutty Club brand nut products due to aflatoxin contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were supplied to retailers, hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Food Safety Recall: Le Lunch Box (Montreal, QC) recalls La Sauce du Boss bolognaise sauce (1 L glass bottles; all product sold up to 19 March 2018) because the product does not carry a warning to keep under refrigeration and, therefore, presents a health hazard.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Coop Danmark A/S recalls three varieties of salad due to undeclared groundnuts, sesame, pistachio, walnut, peanuts and almond. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Condeli GmbH recalls various sweet dumplings due to undeclared cashew nuts. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Pichler Biofleisch – Vertriebs-GmbH & Co KG recalls Bruderhahn Wurzen Klassik (Expiration date 20.03.2018) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Scandic Food A/S recalls Frozen Raspberries (300g; Best before 29/11/2018) due to Norovirus contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Midsona Danmark A/S recalls Nutana Sweet Berry Müsli (500g; Lot 17328; Best before 25/12-2018; Product of Belgium) due to foreign matter (glass splinters) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Manufacturer recalls CAILLAOU D’ESCANECRABE brand Raw Goat Milk Cheese (3 x 40g wheels/pkg; Product code/Lot No. 31/03/2018) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Four Seas Mercantile Limited recalls Lotte brand Choco Pie Banana (336 grams/11.85 ounces per box; Best before June 14, 2018 and October 23, 2018; Product of Korea) due to undeclared almonds.

Recalls and Alerts: March 15 – 18, 2018

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United States

Allergy Alert: Chris’s Cookies recalls Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (12-oz/340g bag; Lot #2060; Sell by 031218 through 031818) due to undeclared peanuts. The recalled product was sold in Trader Joe’s stores in CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, Northern Virginia, PA, RI, VT and Washington D.C.

Food Safety Recall: Oregon Food Bank recalls pumpkin seeds due to possible contamination with Listeria species. Please refer to the recall notice for complete product details.

Food Safety Recall: Oregon Food Bank recalls Nutritional Yeast. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details.

Food Safety Recall (Update): PDX Aromatics, dba Kraken Kratom, Phytoextractum, and Soul Speciosa, expands the scope of their 3/9/2018 voluntary recall of certain kratom white vein powder and capsule products and red vein powder products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: International Harvest, Inc. recalls Organic Go Smile! Raw Coconut (9-oz bags; 010118, 020118, 030118, 040118, 050118,060118, 070118, 080118, 090118, 100118, 110118, 120118, 010119, 020119, 030119 and 25-lb bulk case; Lot #OCSM-0010, OCSM-0011, and OCSM-0014) due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed to customers via online retailers, retail stores, and distributors and was directly distributed to NY, NJ, CT, CA, CO, OK, GA, VT, IL, FL, ME, WA, NH, and UT.

Food Safety Recall: River Valley Sprouts recalls several sprout products due to potential Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed in Minnesota and Wisconsin and were sold through various grocery stores.

Food Safety Recall: SMI Holdings, Inc., dba Stampede Meat, Inc. recalls approximately 484,800 pounds of beef products due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for complete details of the recall.

Food Safety Recall: Standard Meat Company recalls up to 53,154 pounds of raw beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella. Please refer to the recall notice for complete details of the recall.

Food Safety Recall: Johnsonville, LLC recalls JALAPEÑO CHEDDAR Smoked Pork Sausage (14-oz/6 pieces; Batch ID 1001124486 or 1001124487; Best by 04/04/2018) due to potential foreign matter (hard, green plastic) contamination. The recalled product was shipped to retail locations nationwide.

Canada

Outbreak Alert: Public Health Agency of Canada is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis illness reported in four provinces. The outbreak, which has been linked to consumption of poultry, including frozen raw breaded chicken products, encompasses 30 illness in Alberta (2), Ontario (17), Quebec (7), and New Brunswick (4). Four people have been hospitalized. A specific source of the outbreak has not yet been identified.

Allergy Alert: Boucherie Premium (Laval, QC) recalls HUMMUS CITROUILLE/ Pumpkin Hummus (All lots sold up to 15 March 2018) due to undeclared nuts and peanuts.

Allergy Alert: The Spice Tailor (Canada) Limited recalls The Spice Taylor Fiery Goan Curry (285 mL; Best before 31 March 2019; UPC 5 052675 000620) due to undeclared mustard. The recalled product was distributed to retailers in Ontario.

Allergy Alert: Erie Meat Products Limited recalls Butcher’s Selection Stampede Chicken Burgers (1.4 kg; All product codes; UPC 8 29810 93280 2) due to undeclared egg. The recalled product was distributed to retailers in Ontario and Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Organic Matters recalls Organic Matters brand Organic Cardamom Seed Whole Green Pods (113g and 454g; Lot #W5934) due to Salmonella contamination. This recall follows a recall of the same product in the USA. The affected product was distributed to retailers nationwide.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Germany): Ölmühle Moog GmbH recalls BIO PLANÈTE Protein Linseed (250g; Best before February and March 2019) and BIO PLANÈTE Breakfast Herb – Protein Powder (300g; Best before December 2018 to March 2019) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Intersnack Knabber-Gebäck GmbH & Co. KG recalls Chipsfrisch ungarisch/Hungarian Fresh Chips (175g; Batch LGQ 07 E 25.06.2018) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (Germany): Jahnke Süsswaren GmbH recalls Salmiak Salz Lakritz Bonbons/Salmiak Salz Licorice Candies (125g) due to undeclared dairy (cream). Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected production lots.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Ultralife recalls five varieties of their food supplement products due to undeclared wheat, milk, egg, nuts and soya. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Western Brand Products NI Ltd recalls Western Brand Garlic Kiev and Western Brand Creamy Garlic Kiev (260g; Please see recall notice for list of affected batch codes and Best By dates) due to undeclared egg.

Allergy Alert (UK): C&K Meats recalls C&K Meats Country Style Pork Sausages and C&K Meats Sage & Caramelised Red Onion Pork Sausages (400g; All ‘Use by’ dates up to and including 23 March 2018) due to undeclared sulphur dioxide.

Allergy Alert (UK): Ultralife recalls five varieties of their food supplement products due to undeclared wheat, milk, egg, nuts and soya. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Czech Republic): Encinger SK, spol. s.r.o. recalls Albert brand Dried Raisins (200g; Lot #E15180017A; Best by 09/10/2018; Product of Iran) due to ochratoxin in excess of permitted levels.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Lidl Danmark recalls Golden Sun Bio Organic Amaranth (500g; All best before dates) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Hersteller Estyria Naturprodukte GmbH recalls Golden Sun Bio Organic Amaranth (500g; All best before dates) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): DE-VAU-GE Gesundkostwerk Deutschland GmbH recalls GUT&GÜNSTIG brand Knusper Müsli weniger süß (600g carton; Best by 12.11.2018) due to possible foreign matter (wood pieces) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Manolo´s Food GmbH recalls REWE Fine World Risotto with Saffron (280g; Best before 09/2019; Lot #L247 E40502) and REWE Fine World Risotto with porcini mushrooms (280g; Best before 09/2019; Lot #L261 E40501) due to possible foreign matter (glass) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Estyria Naturprodukte GmbH recalls Golden Sun Organic Grains Assorted (Amaranth) (500g; All Best before dates; Product of Austria) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Delhaize recalls Delhaize Bio Burger Noisette (2 pieces/pkg; Best by 14/3/2018, 21/3/2018, 28/3/2018, 4/4/2018) and Delhaize Bio Pavé Mil (2 pieces/pkg; Best by 14/3/2018, 21/3/2018, 28/3/2018, 4/4/2018) due to foreign matter (plastic) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Lidl recalls Golden Sun Organic Grains Assorted (Amaranth) (500g; All Best before dates; Product of Austria) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Multiple countries): Estyria Naturprodukte GmbH recalls Golden Sun Organic Grains Assorted (Amaranth) (500g; All Best before dates; Product of Austria) due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled products were manufactured in Austria and distributed in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Etak International Ltd recalls Johnsonville JALAPEÑO CHEDDAR Smoked Sausage (14-oz pkg; Lot #1001124486; Use by April 4, 2018; Product of USA) due to suspected foreign matter contamination.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Home Ice Cream Pty Ltd recalls Coconutters Mango Vanilla (15-pack box; Best before 25/1/2020 or 25 JAN 2020) due to undeclared milk. The recalled product was sold through Home Ice Cream outlets across QLD, NSW, ACT, and VIC.

Allergy Alert (New Zealand): Importers recall Lotte brand Choco Pie (all batches and packaging variations) due to undeclared tree nuts.

Food Safety Recall (Australia): Unique Health Products Pty Ltd recalls The Whole Foodies SEA VEGETABLES Mixed Seaweed (170g; Expiration date 2019 JAN 30) due to the level of Arsenic being above the permitted level in the Food Standards Code.