Tag: smoked salmon

Recalls and Alerts: November 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.

For current information on retail distribution of peanut butter products recalled due to Salmonella Bredeney, please consult the Trader Joe’s/Sunland Peanut Butter Recalls tab.

For current information on retail distribution of beef products containing Canadian beef recalled due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination please consult the Canada/USA Beef Recall tab.

United States

  • Allergy Alert: Perdue Foods, LLC (Bridgewater, VA) recalls Perdue Original Chicken Breast Nuggets (3 x 12-oz tray packs bundled packages; Est P.369; Sell by Dec 16, 2012), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled products were distributed to BJ’s Club Stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
  • Food Safety Recall: Bolthouse Farms recalls Bolthouse Farms® Carrot Chips (16 oz; UPC 71464 17209; Best if used by Nov 12 2012 and Nov 13, 2012; Lot codes 04T XXXX BF 212 J11 and 04T XXXX BF 212 J12, respectively), after North Carolina detected Salmonella in a sample of the product. The recalled Carrot Chips were distributed to retail customers in the USA and Canada.
  • Outbreak Alert: Food Safety News reports that at least 16 people in New York state have fallen ill with E. coli O157:H7 after eating Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach and Spring Mix. The retailer recalled 5-oz and 11-oz size containers of the spinach product on November 1st. Illnesses have been reported from four New York counties: Monroe, Niagara, Steuben and Wayne. CDC and FDA are investigating.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Nikol Poulin Inc. recalls Extra brand Bridge Mixture (250g; UPC 0 28109 01252 6), due to the presence of undeclared tree nuts, and Jalousie brand Mélange Bridge Mix (235g; UPC 0 57449 71106 6), due to the presence of undeclared peanuts. The recalled products were sold in Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: La P’tite Charcuterie inc (Longueuil, QC) recalls Chorizo Sausage (sold up to and including October 17, 2012), because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • Food Safety Recall: Highland Packers Ltd. recalls BBQ Sized Pigs (Sold between August 14 and 18, 2012), due to the presence of chemical drug residues.
  • Food Safety Recall: Dollarama Inc. recalls Triton Sardines in Vegetable Oil (106g; Code PL 22111853; Lots L-801-2067-1, L-801-2068-2, L-801-2069-1 and L-801-2072-1; UPC 6 67888 08713 6), due to unspecified microbiological contamination. The recalled product was sold in Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: Olymel S.E.C./L.P. recalls Le Petit Charcutier Cooked Turkey Breast (4.4 kg; Best before 2012 OC 05, 2012 OC 12, 2012 OC 19, 2012 OC 26, 2012 NO 03, 2012 NO 09, 2012 NO 19, 2012 NO 23) and Le Petit Charcutier Smoked Turkey Breast (4.4 kg; Best before 2012 OC 05, 2012 OC 12, 2012 OC 19, 2012 OC 26, 2012 NO 04, 2012 NO 09, 2012 NO 16, 2012 NO 30), due to microbiological spoilage. The recalled products were sold in Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: Loblaw Companies Ltd. recalls Larabar Gluten Free Cashew Fruit & Nut Energy Bar (48g, 50g, and 16 x 48g; Use by 30MAY2013), due to microbiological spoilage. The recalled products were sold nationwide.
  • Food Safety Recall: Bolthouse Farms recalls Bolthouse Farms® Carrot Chips (Product of USA; 16 oz; UPC 71464 17209; Best if used by Nov 12 2012 and Nov 13, 2012; Lot codes 04T XXXX BF 212 J11 and 04T XXXX BF 212 J12, respectively), after North Carolina detected Salmonella in a sample of the product. The recalled Carrot Chips may have been distributed across Canada.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Finland): HOK-Elanto recalls Halloween donuts, due to the presence of undeclared egg and, possible traces of undeclared hazelnut.
  • Allergy Alert (UK): Asda recalls Asda 14 Caramel Bites (280g pack; Best before 14 September 2013; Batch No. L523732), due to the presence of undeclared peanuts.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Danish Supermarket recalls Budget brand Chocolate Mousse (2 x 70g cups; Best before 6 November, 13 November and 19 November; Produced by Limelco in Belgium), due to mold contamination in some cups.
  • Food Safety Recall (Italy): Life S.R.L. recalls Raw Pistachios (Lot L 219.12; Expiry 30/10/2013), due to the presence of aflatoxin B1 above the acceptable limit.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Netherlands): Another 37 people have been confirmed to be infected with Salmonella Thompson, bringing the total number of illnesses linked to the consumption of contaminated smoked salmon to 1,063 since the outbreak began. The death toll has risen to four.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety Recall (Philippines): Asia Pacific News reports that Philippine authorities have ordered the recall of six brands of South Korean noodles made by Nongshim Co. after they were reported to contain benzopyrene, a carcinogen.
  • Food Safety Recall (Taiwan): The China Post reports that King-Town Co. has recalled all packaged rice products from the first harvest of the year – some 500 metric tons – after tests showed that some of the rice products contained excessive levels of pesticide residues.
  • Food Safety Recall (Countries unknown): Spring Bay Seafoods Pty Ltd. recalls Spring Bay Live Blue Mussels (500g & 1 kg vacuum plastic packed; Use by dates between 31 October 2012 and 10 November 2012), Spring Bay Live Blue Mussels (net bag packed; 1Kg & 2 Kg; Use by dates between 29 Octoer 2012 to 6 November 2012), Spring Bay Live Blue Mussels (Bulk-packed for loose sale, 10 Kg and 15 Kg; Packed on dates between 22 October 2012 and 31 October 2012) and Coles Cooked Tasmanian Mussels with Cream White Wine (500g; Use by 12 November 2012), due to the presence of the naturally occurring marine toxin known as paralytic shellfish toxin (PST). The recalled mussels were sold at retail outlets, including Coles in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and ACT, and were exported to some Asian countries.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Spring Bay Seafoods Pty Ltd. recalls Spring Bay Live Blue Mussels (500g & 1 kg vacuum plastic packed; Use by dates between 31 October 2012 and 10 November 2012), Spring Bay Live Blue Mussels (net bag packed; 1Kg & 2 Kg; Use by dates between 29 Octoer 2012 to 6 November 2012), Spring Bay Live Blue Mussels (Bulk-packed for loose sale, 10 Kg and 15 Kg; Packed on dates between 22 October 2012 and 31 October 2012) and Coles Cooked Tasmanian Mussels with Cream White Wine (500g; Use by 12 November 2012), due to the presence of the naturally occurring marine toxin known as paralytic shellfish toxin (PST). The recalled mussels were sold at retail outlets, including Coles in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and ACT, and were exported to some Asian countries.

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.

More Than 1,000 Ill in Dutch Salmonella Outbreak

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) reported today that 1,026 people are now confirmed to have been infected with Salmonella Thompson, in an outbreak of salmonellosis that has been linked to contaminated smoked salmon. This represents an increase of 76 cases in the past week.

RIVM notes that the number of new patients is significantly lower than the week before, suggesting that this major outbreak is finally waning.

According to a report in today’s issue of Eurosurveillance, Dutch authorities first became aware of the outbreak on August 2nd, when RIVM staff noticed an increase in the number of Salmonella Thompson cases. This particular Salmonella normally causes only four illnesses annually in the Netherlands.

The index patient developed symptoms of salmonellosis on June 20th. A few more scattered illnesses occurred over the next several weeks; however, the number of illnesses spiked noticeably only in early August. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the confirmed outbreak victims were female, and 36% were hospitalized. The median age of case-patients was 44 years (range of 0 – 95 years).

While the official case total stands at 1,076, the true number of cases is undoubtedly far higher. RIVM advises that Salmonella is NOT a notifiable disease in the Netherlands. There is no requirement that doctors, hospitals or laboratories report Salmonella infections to  the authorities.

The outbreak was first linked to consumption of smoked salmon as a result of questionnaires administered to patients and to a cohort of healthy individuals (matched to the victims by age, gender and municipality), either by telephone or in person. The results of the questionnaires pointed to consumption of smoked fish – especially smoked salmon. Victims also were more likely to have consumed raw salads and also identified several supermarkets more often than did the healthy control individuals.

Traceback investigations carried out by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (nVWA), which focussed on smoked salmon and on the highlighted supermarkets, determined that all of the identified supermarkets purchased at least some of their smoked salmon from the same producer –Foppen Paling en Zalm. Lab tests confirmed the presence of the outbreak strain in four of nine batches of smoked salmon from this producer.

A recall of smoked salmon was announced on the nVWA website on September 28th, and expanded a few days later to include a number of additional items – such as salads – that contained the recalled smoked salmon.

The implicated salmon originated in Norway, according to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), and was shipped to a Foppen production plant in Greece for processing before traveling in a northwesterly direction to the Netherlands. The smoked salmon was distributed in Belgium, Canada, Curacao, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA. Nevertheless, the Netherlands remains the only EU country to have noted an increased incidence of Salmonella Thompson infections.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been investigating a spike in salmonellosis due to this outbreak strain but, as of a few days ago, has not been able to establish a link between the illnesses and the consumption of smoked salmon – or of any other specific food item. This particular strain of Salmonella Thompson is not uncommon in the United States, making determination of a single outbreak source problematic.

For a complete list of recalled smoked salmon products, please consult my earlier post, “Smoked Salmon and Salmonella Thompson – Update #3.“

Recalls and Alerts: October 9, 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: The Kellogg Company recalls Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Original Cereal (18-oz carton with UPC 3800331829, or 3800073444, 24-oz carton with UPC 3800031834, 30-oz carton with UPC 3800046954; Best before APR 01 2013 KB – SEP 21 2013 KB), Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Original Cereal (70-0z club store carton; UPC 3800031921; Best before APR 01 2013 KB – JUL 29 2013 KB), Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Original Cereal (single-serve bowl; UPC 3800004961; Best before 04013 KB – 09213 KB), Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Original Cereal (single-serve carton; UPC 3800021993; Best before AP 04013 – AP 09213 or FK 04013 – FK 09213), Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite Size Cereal (single-serve carton; UPC 3800021983; Best before FK 04013 – FK 09213) and Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite Size Cereal (18-oz carton; UPC 3800035982; Best before APR 01 2013 KB – SEP 21 2013 KB), because of the possible presence of fragments of flexible metal mesh from a fault manufacturing part. The recalled products were distributed nationwide to retailers and food service suppliers, including US Foods.
  • Food Safety Recall: General Mills recalls Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Peanut Pretzel Bars, Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Mixed Nut Granola Bars, Cascadian Farm Peanut Butter Chip Chewy Granola Bars, Cascadian Farm Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars, and Cascadian Farm Trail Mix Dark Chocolate Cranberry Chewy Granola Bars (Best if Used By: 01NOV2012 and 02NOV2012), because these products may contain peanut pieces from Sunland, Inc., and may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Millington Seafood, LLC that an August 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Nick & Katie’s Inc. (New Orleans, LA) That a May-June 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility found serious deviations from FDA’s Low-Acid Canned Food regulations and Acidified Foods regulations, and with applicable parts of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) provisions.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (Finland): FK Trube Oy Kuopiosta recalls Blueberry-Raspberry Filled Bun (225g; Best before 16/10/2012), due to a packaging error that may have resulted in some packages containing Apple-filled buns. These incorrectly filled packages contain undeclared apple and cinnamon.
  • Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): Revogan recalls Valpiform pain de mie (Lot #12144; Best before 14/08/2012, 05/09/2012, 21/08/2012) because the “peanut-free” products contain traces of peanut.
  • Food Safety Recall (Germany): Johma Salades BV recalls Salmon Salad due to possible contamination with Salmonella Thompson. The recalled salad was sold by Aldi Nord in the regions of Bremen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Germany): The outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that sickened more than 11,000 people was traced to contaminated strawberries that originated in China.
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Alert/Recall (UK): Sanofi Pasteur MSD recalls 16 batches of Typhim Vi typhoid vaccine (distributed from 7 January 2011 onward) following filling problems in the manufacturing process that may have reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1400): Salmonella Dublin in beef meat from Ireland; distributed to Denmark.
  • Allergy Alert Notification (EU #2012.1401): Undeclared sulphite in dried goji berries from China; distributed to Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1403): Pseudomonas aeruginosa in spring water from Poland; distributed to Poland and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1404): Salmonella Amersfoort in laurel leaves, oregano, basil from Turkey, via Germany; distributed to Norway.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1405): Parasitic infestation with Anisakis of chilled monktail from the United Kingdom; distributed to Italy.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.1406): Salmonella infantis in processed animal proteins from the Netherlands; distributed to Belgium.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.1408): Arsenic in food supplement from Belgium; distributed to Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
  • Food Safety/Outbreak Notification (EU #2012.1409): Foodborne outbreak suspected to be caused by frozen strawberries from China; distributed to Germany.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1411): Glass fragments in mackerel fillet with olive oil from Spain; distributed to Austria and Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.1412): Aflatoxins in dried figs from Turkey; distributed to Denmark.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Proprietary Medicine Safety Recall (Hong Kong): Yeung Ng Tong Medical Manufactory Limited recalls Tiao Jing Bu Xue Pills and Yeung Ng Tong Tin Hee Pills, after the Department of Health laboratory detected the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs diclofenac and indomethacin in a sample of the product.
  • Outbreak Alert (India): An outbreak of gastroenteritis in Gandhi Camp area of Batala in Gurdaspur district has claimed eleven lives. Thirty other people are recovering in hospital, and twenty others who also were hospitalized have since recovered. The outbreak was due to the mixing of sewage with potable water.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Pharmaceutical Product Alert/Recall (Australia): Sanofi-Aventis Australia Pty Ltd recalls Typhim Vi 0.025mg/0.5mL Salmonella typhi Vi polysaccharide vaccine injection syringe (Syringe Batch #E1246, G0461, H0078, H0101, H0198 H0507; Expiry 10/2012, 08/2013, 01/2014, 02/2014, 04/2014, 09/2014 respectively, because the affected batches may have lower than expected antigen content, which may result in reduced efficacy. The results of recent investigations by Sanofi Pasteur suggest heterogeneity (non-uniformity) in the content of the active component (polysaccharide) in some syringes within these batches.

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.