Tag: Salmonella

Recalls and Alerts: March 26, 2013

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

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Uncle T Food Ltd. recalls G7 brand instant coffees due to undeclared milk.
  • Food Safety Recall: Pensée Santé (St-Éphrem, QC) recalls croquants à la caroube (crunchy carob), because the product was manufactured using YUM brand peanut butter that has been recalled due to potential contamination with Salmonella or another harmful bacterium.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Denmark): Santa Maria Denmark recalls Santa Maria Nacho Chips due to undeclared milk.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Crowing A/S recalls Organic Minced Chicken, frozen (Produced by Hanegal A/S), due to pieces of plastic in one of the packages.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): KD Food ApS recalls Skagen Salad due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Horse Meat Recall (Greece): The Department of Rural Economy and Veterinary (southern sector) has ordered the recall of several products after undeclared horse meat (DNA) was detected in samples.
  • Medical Device Safety Recall (UK and Ireland): LifeScan UK/Ireland recalls several OneTouch blood glucose meters, due to inaccurate display of extremely elevated blood glucose level readings.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Allergy Alert (Hong Kong): Kofco Enterprise (Asia) Co. Ltd. recalls Mixed Soybean Paste, Sesame & Garlic (Manufactured by Daesang Corporation, Korea), due to undeclared peanuts.
  • Food Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Nestle recalls Kit Kat Chunky Collection Giant Egg, as the chocolate waffle inside the egg may contain small pieces of plastic.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health urges the public not to buy or consume a slimming product named “Conting Qianweisu Slimming Herbs Capsule” as it may contain undeclared and banned drug ingredients that are dangerous to health.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Allergy Alert: Pams recalls Pams Fruit Nut Bars due to undeclared milk chocolate.

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 website.

*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.

Food Safety Recalls: March 1-24, 2013

Here is a summary of food safety recalls from around the world. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each one.

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

  • Byron Center Wholesale Meats (Byron Center, MI) recalls approximately 6,586 pounds of ham products that were produced without a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan.
  • Home Market Foods recalls Cooked Perfect Homestyle Meatballs because the product may contain pieces of metal.
  • La Preferida, Inc. recalls 4,734 cases (56,808 cans) of La Preferida Whole Pinto Beans 29 oz. (Water & Salt), because the manufacturer’s preliminary inspection indicates 420 cans may not have been fully processed.
  • Bumble Bee Foods, LLC recalls specific codes of 5-ounce Chunk White Albacore and Chunk Light Tuna products, because the products do not meet the company’s standards for seal tightness.
  • Tri-Union Seafoods LLC recalls a limited amount of Chicken of the Sea brand 5-ounce cans of chunk white albacore tuna in water, because the seams on the lids of the cans do not meet the standard for seam quality.
  • Tri-Union Seafoods LLC expands its earlier recall to include a limited amount of Chicken of the Sea brand 5-ounce chunk light tuna in oil, because the seams on the lids of the cans do not meet the standard for seam quality.
  • Hot Springs Packing Co., Inc. (Hot Springs, AR) recalls approximately 6,120 pounds of chicken Polish sausage and chicken breakfast link products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • FPL Food, LLC (West Columbia, SC) recalls approximately 5,820 pounds of ground beef chuck that may contain small pieces of plastic.
  • Ben-Lee Processing, Inc. (Atwood, KS) recalls ready-to-eat and heat-treated bacon and ham products that were produced without a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan.
  • Grippo Foods Inc. recalls all bags and boxes of their Plain Potato Chips, Bar-B-Q Potato Chips, Cheddar Cheese with a touch of Jalapeno Potato Chips, Hot Dill Pickle Potato Chips, Sweet Bermuda Onion Potato Chips and Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, because these products may have the potential to contain metal fragments.
  • FDA warns consumers not to eat ProtiDiet High Protein Chocolate Dream Bar, sold in 210 gram (7.4 oz.) packages, 7 bars per package, bearing UPC 6 21498 42238 1, lot code CR 18 13B, and Best Before date of 2015-08, because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella and has been recalled by the Canadian manufacturer (Pro-Amino International Inc.).

Canada

Europe

  • Belgium: Ponroy Vitarmonyl BENELUX recalls Argile – Ventre Plat dietary supplement from Laboratoires Vitarmonyl due to excessive lead in the product.
  • Belgium: Haute Cuisine recalls marmites sold through l’Action-Epargne in stores belonging to the group AD Delhaize, because the enamel seals break on first contact.
  • Belgium: Kaasaffineurs Van Tricht recalls raw milk Goat cheese produced by Hardy de Selles Sur Cher (France) due to possible contamination with shiga-toxin producing E. coli.
  • Belgium: Colruyt recalls Everyday Salade de viande, 275g due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Czech Republic: Verner Kotula recalls two kinds of deli products due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Czech Republic: dm drogerie markt Ltd recalls Alnatura příkrm dýně, brambor, fenykl due to possible occurrence of glass fragments in the baby food.
  • Denmark: Lembcke recalls Fresh Mini Corn from Thailand due to Salmonella contamination.
  • Denmark: delica as recalls Carl Vollstedt eftf brand Deer Salami due to metal fragments.
  • Denmark: KD-Food recalls Hummus due to Listeria contamination.
  • Denmark: Reitan Distribution A/S recalls Rema1000 Red cheddar due to mold contamination.
  • France: Carrefour recalls Carrefour BIO brand Jus d’Orange BIO and Jus de Pomme BIO because the bottles may contain glass fragments.
  • France: Casino recalls Casino / Tous les Jours Brioche Tranchée and Pain au Lait due to possible presence of steel shavings.
  • France: IKEA recalls TÅRTA CHOKLADKROKANT chez IKEA brand Almond, Chocolate and Caramel tart, due to possible fecal contamination.
  • France: Etablissements HARDY recalls SELLES SUR CHER AOP FERMIERS Fromages de Chèvre (150g) due to contamination with Escherichia coli.
  • Germany: Firma Werz Wurst-Fleisch-Convenience GmbH recalls Pfälzer Leberknödel (Palatine Liver Dumplings) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Germany: Iglo GmbH recalls Viva Italia Tortelloni Käse-Sahne due to contamination with small metal fragments.
  • Germany: Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH recalls Alnatura Babygläschen Kürbis mit Kartoffeln und Fenchel nach 4. Monat because of glass fragments.
  • Germany: Nestlé Kaffee & Schokoladen GmbH recalls KitKat Chunky der Sorten Hazelnut, Caramel und Peanut Butter due to foreign body (plastic fragment) contamination.
  • Greece: I & S Sklavenitis S.A. recalls Marata Plums without stone, dried, after stones were found in packages of the prunes.
  • Ireland: Food Safety Authority of Ireland announces the recall of prohibited products containing Non-Food Grade Grapefruit Seed Extract supplied by The Aisling Foundation in breach of a Prohibition Order.
  • UK: Edward Gray of Dudley Ltd, aka Teddy Grays, is recalling certain date codes of their sweet products (rock and boiled sweets) because of a possible rodent infestation at the manufacturing premises.
  • UK: Loch Arthur Creamery recalls all of its dairy products because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. This is an expansion of earlier recalls.
  • UK: Nestle recalls four Kit Kat Chunky special varieties (48g size bars in Peanut Butter, Hazelnut, Choc Fudge and Caramel flavours) and Kit Kat Chunky Collection Giant Egg due to seven people reporting small pieces of plastic in the bars.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Israel: Strauss recalls Strauss Cottage 250, 5% fat with an expiration date of 21/03/2013 due to excessive coliform levels.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Australia: Melbourne Kosher Meats recalls Chicken and Veal Wurst from Melbourne Kosher Meats in St Kilda and Meal Mart in Balaclava (Victoria) due to  Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
  • Australia: Shaw River Buffalo Cheese recalls Shaw River Buffalo Yoghurt from some small gourmet retailers and health food stores in NSW, VIC, TAS and SA due to microbial (E. coli) contamination.
  • New Zealand: Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltd. recalls in store processed Trevally Fish Fillets due to possible high levels of Histamine which may result in Scombroid (histamine) poisoning.

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 website.

*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.

FDA Bares Teeth. Kasel Flinches.

In case anyone hasn’t yet figured it out, the Mandatory Recall Authority that Congress granted FDA under the Food Safety Modernization Act was responsible for Kasel’s ‘voluntary’ recall of Salmonella-contaminated pet treats.

Earlier today, FDA released the letter in which the agency threw down its gauntlet and demanded that Kasel Associates Industries, Inc. recall contaminated pet treats. The  February 13, 2013 “Notification of Opportunity to Initiate a Voluntary Recall”, was hand-delivered to Raymond J. Kasel. The letter stated the basis for FDA’s determination that “…there is a reasonable probability that the affected pet treats are adulterated under section 402(a)(1) and (a)(4) of the FD&C Act and that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to the pet treats will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals…” A sampling of the findings include:

  • Multiple finished product samples of Kasel pet treats obtained by the State of Colorado’s Department of Agriculture in September and October 2012, were tested and subsequently found to be positive for Salmonella.
  • In response to the state of Colorado’s Salmonella-positive results, FDA conducted an inspection of Kasel’s manufacturing facility from September 19-28, 2012. During the inspection, the FDA investigators collected various samples for further testing, including bulk and finished product samples and numerous environmental samples. Many of these samples tested positive for Salmonella.
  • Salmonella is a pathogenic organism that can cause serious adverse health consequences or death in humans and animals. The presence of Salmonella in pet food can pose a particularly acute health risk to children and people who are elderly or immunocompromised.
  • [E]vidence collected by FDA and the state of Colorado, including environmental and product samples collected and analyzed by Colorado and the FDA, and observations made by FDA during the inspection of [Kasel], establishes the following:
    • Pet treat products manufactured, processed, packed, or held by [Kasel] from April 20, 2012, through September 19, 2012, are contaminated with Salmonella, or are at risk for contamination with Salmonella, based on the conditions in your facility and multiple Salmonella-positive results from environmental samples, including positive results on food contact surfaces within your facility, and from samples of your finished product. Test results indicate there are more than a dozen different Salmonella serotypes in your firm’s manufacturing facility and finished products. In addition, the test results indicate that various Salmonella positive samples from finished products are serotype matches to, and in some cases share a Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern with, other finished products and/or various environmental swabs taken at the facility during the September 2012 inspection. Due to this widespread Salmonella contamination and/or risk of contamination, FDA has determined that there is a reasonable probability these products are adulterated under section 402 of the FD&C Act and there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to these pet treats will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.
    • [Kasel] created, caused or was otherwise responsible for this reasonable probability of adulteration: under section 402 of the FD&C Act. Specifically, FDA has determined that the conditions within your facility (e.g., the presence of Salmonella in various locations throughout the facility and multiple sanitation deficiencies) that could lead to cross contamination between raw materials and finished products caused the reasonable probability.”

The letter, which was signed by Michael R. Taylor (FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine), demanded action within two (2) business days of its receipt by Mr. Kasel, and concluded with the following two statements:

“If you do not voluntarily cease distribution and conduct a recall in the time and manner described in this section, FDA may, by order, require you to immediately cease distribution of the affected pet treats. Additionally, FDA may, by order require you to immediately notify all persons manufacturing, processing, packing, transporting, distributing, receiving, holding, or importing and selling the affected pet treats to immediately cease distribution of such articles; and to immediately notify all persons to which such articles have been distributed, transported, or sold, to immediately cease distribution of the affected pet treats.”

“If a response is not received from you within two (2) business days of your receipt of this letter, FDA may by order require you to immediately cease distribution and notify applicable parties, as explained above.” 

The food and pet food industries are now on notice. FDA is ready, willing and able to use its mandatory recall authority to achieve the removal of dangerously contaminated food and pet food from the marketplace.