Tag: sprouters northwest

Recalls and Alerts: February 2, 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.

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United States

  • Allergy Alert: Tropical Nut and Fruit Co. (Orlando, FL) recalls Chia ReCharged Stix Mix snack mix (5-oz pouches; UPC 0 94184 01014 6; Lot #052112, 060512, 071712, 080212, and 081612) due to undeclared peanuts. The recalled product was supplied between June 6th and October 23rd, 2012 to wholesalers and retail stores nationwide.
  • Food Safety Recall: Sprouters Northwest (Kent, WA) recalls all varieties of Sprouters Northwest brand and LifeForce brand sprouts products, wheatgrass and pea shoots (packaged in plastic clamshell containers, plastic cups, plastic trays in 3 oz., 4 oz., 5 oz., and in plastic 1 lb. 2lb, or 5lb. bags; All best by dates up to and including 2/17/2013), due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled products, which include 3-Bean Munchie, Alfalfa, Bean, Broccoli, Brocco Sandwich sprouts, Clover, Deli, Spicy; Wheatgrass and/or Pea Shoots, were distributed through 1/30/2013 in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia, Canada through retail stores and food service distribution chain.
  • Food Safety Recall: GoldCoast Salads recalls Gold Coast Fresh Crab Spread (8 oz; UPC 83355500325; Expiration date 1/31/2013), due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled product was supplied to Giant Food LLC, The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC, and Giant Food Stores, LLC (for sale in Giant® Food and Martin’s® Food markets, and may also have been supplied to other retailers.

Canada

  • Food Safety Recall: Sprouters Northwest (Kent, WA) recalls all varieties of Sprouters Northwest brand and LifeForce brand sprouts products, wheatgrass and pea shoots (packaged in plastic clamshell containers, plastic cups, plastic trays in 3 oz., 4 oz., 5 oz., and in plastic 1 lb. 2lb, or 5lb. bags; All best by dates up to and including 2/17/2013), due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled products, which include 3-Bean Munchie, Alfalfa, Bean, Broccoli, Brocco Sandwich sprouts, Clover, Deli, Spicy; Wheatgrass and/or Pea Shoots, were distributed through 1/30/2013 in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia, Canada through retail stores and food service distribution chain.
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.
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Sprouters Northwest Sprout Mix – Salmonella and Listeria

Sprouters Northwest fails FDA follow-up inspection after sprout recall

On January 3rd, Sprouters Northwest, Inc. (Kent, WA) announced a recall of all of its clover and clover mix sprout products after learning that some of its sprouts had been linked by Washington and Oregon state health authorities to six cases of Salmonella gastroenteritis.

At the best of times, raw sprouts are a high-risk food – easy to contaminate and impossible to clean. That’s why FDA and some state agencies have issued a series of sprout Guidance Documents aimed at sprout producers.

FDA began a nearly 3-week long inspection of Sprouters Northwest on January 3rd – the same day that the recall was announced. An inspection report released by the agency on January 26th provides clear evidence that Sprouters ignored many of the basic sanitation and production recommendations included in those Guidance Documents.

Here are just a few of the FDA inspection team’s observations:

  1. Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of a table in the packing room;
  2. Raw sprouts stored in unlined plastic crates and in direct contact with pallets that had been stored on the floor;
  3. Brown mass of old, thick food grime on support plate inside the rinse tank incline belt;
  4. Listeria seeligeri (a benign Listeria species) on the grimy support plate;
  5. Equipment in the seed disinfection room not cleaned between uses;
  6. Rodent droppings in the warehouse;
  7. Seeds on the floor in standing water in front of the door leading into the seed disinfection room;
  8. Water build-up along walls and the floor; and
  9. “An abrupt stream of water followed by intermittent drips … falling from the ceiling …” in a corner of the warehouse.

With producers like this around, perhaps it’s time for warning labels on sprouts?