Recalls and Alerts: July 25 – 27, 2019

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

OUTBREAK ALERT/FOOD SAFETY RECALL: CDC is investigating an 11-state outbreak of 132 Cyclospora illnesses linked to consumption of fresh basil from Mexico. FDA has requested a recall of fresh basil exported by Siga Logistics de RL de CV located in Morelos, Mexico. Outbreak victims were exposed to the contaminated fresh basil at restaurants in Florida, Minnesota, New York and Ohio.

Allergy Alert: JuJu Bakes, LLC, DBA The Cookie Dough Cafe recalls Chocolate Chip Chilled Gourmet Edible Cookie Dough Bars (1.6 oz; Lot #19177; Expiration date 01/22/20; UPC 850967006531) due to undeclared peanuts.

Allergy Alert: Home Market Foods, Inc. recalls approximately 53,217 pounds of frozen ready-to-eat beef and pork meatball products due to undeclared milk and wheat.

Allergy Alert: Euphoria Fancy Food Inc recalls Tainy Vostoka Assorted Dry Fruits-Apple (500g; Container code #21 01 19 SS; UPC 4605932006197) due to undeclared sulphites.

Food Safety Recall: Williams Foods LLC recalls Great Value Mild Taco Seasoning Mix (1 oz; Best if used by 07/08/21 & 07/09/21; UPC 0 78742 24572 0) and HEB Taco Seasoning Mix Reduced Sodium (1.25 oz; Better by 07/10/21, 07/11/21 & 07/15/21; UPC 0 41220 79609 0) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall: Premium Foods USA, Inc. recalls approximately 76,025 pounds of various Siluriformes fish products that were not presented for import re-inspection into the United States. In addition, the products were imported from Bangladesh and Myanmar, countries ineligible to export Siluriformes fish product to the United States. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details.

Pet Treat Safety Recall: Lennox Intl Inc recalls Natural Pig ears (All product shipped to nationwide distributors and/or retail stores from May 1st, to July 3rd, 2019) due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled product appear to be linked to two dog illnesses, which may be associated with an outbreak of multiple Salmonella serotypes illnesses in humans associated with bulk pig ear dog treats.

Canada

Allergy Alert: TJX Canada recalls Skinnygirl brand Belgian Dark Chocolate Truffles – Dark Chocolate Almond (102g; UPC 8 51342 00660 7; Lot #9035 & 9063; Best by 07/04/2020 and 09/04/2020, respectively) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert: Redfrog Enterprises Ltd. recalls Wang Korea Buldak Bong Fish Sausage (340g; Product code FEB.08.2020; UPC 087703221536) and Wang Korea BBQ Bong Fish Sausage (340g; Product Code FEB.08.2020; UPC 087703221543) due to undeclared egg.

Food Safety Recall: Agropur Cooperative recalls Idéale brand, Iceberg Premium brand and Originale Augustin brand ice cream and frozen yogurt products due to foreign matter (fine metal particles) contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall: Boucherie J.C. Fortin inc. recalls PEPPERETTE MAISON (All product with best before dates up to and including August 1, 2019) due to inadequate storage temperature.

Food Safety Recall: Delta Pacific Seafood Ltd. recalls Western Family brand Original Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon Nuggets (150g; Product codes 11720516 and 11720517; UPC 0 62639 35065 9) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall: Associated Grocers recalls certain Celebrate brand frozen profiteroles and eclairs due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): Nordisk Kellogg ApS recalls Kellogg’s Rice Krispies (375g; Best before 17/05/20) due to lack of Danish labeling and undeclared barley.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Natura’ Srl recalls VIVIBIO MIGLIO DECORTICATO SOFFIATO (100g; various lot codes and Best before dates) due to undeclared gluten, soy, sesame and nuts.

Allergy Alert (Italy): Coop Italia Soc. Coop. recalls Benesì COOP brand Plum Cake preparato con yogurt – senza glutine / Gluten-free plum cake made with yogurt (6 pieces / 216g; Lot #CL164P; Best before 11-10-2019) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (UK – Wales specific): Tan Y Castell recalls Tan Y Castell Chocolate Chip Griddles (6 cakes/pkg; Batch code 5060001830018; Best before 7 July 2019, 13 July 2019, 21 July 2019, 24 July 2019, 29 July 2019, 4 August 2019, 11 August 2019, 17 August 2019) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (UK – England specific): Flames Foods recalls various types of frozen products due to undeclared or inadequately declared mustard, nuts (almond), sesame, soya, egg, wheat (gluten), milk or milk constituents, sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Rokkedahl Food ApS recalls Free-range Whole Chicken from De Danske Familie Gårde (1200-1600g; Lot #23-07-19; Last day of use 03-09-19) due to incorrect date marking.

Food Safety Recall (France): Les Fumoirs de Saintonge recalls Maison Peneau brand Truite fumée de France / Smoked trout from France (250g; All lots; All Best before dates) and Maison Peneau brand Saumon fumé au sel de l’Ile de Ré / Smoked salmon with sea salt from Ile de Ré (120g; All lots; All Best before dates) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): La société Bioporc recalls Bonjour Campagne brand Demi Jambonneau BIO / Organic half-ham (300g; Lots J168 – 24/07/19, J170 – 26/07/19, J171 – 27/07/19, J172 – 28/07/19, J175 – 31/07/19, J176 – 01/08/19, J179 – 04/08/19, J182 – 07/08/19, J183 – 08/08/19, J184 – 09/08/19, J191 – 16/08/19) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): t’Dischhof recalls Petit Fleur organic raw milk cheese (block and 360g; Lot #24.5; Best before 14.08.2019) due to shigatoxin-producing E. coli contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Delizza GmbH recalls Trader Joe’s Röstzwiebeln / Trader Joe’s Roasted Onions (200g; Best before 20.05.2020 to 22.05.2020) due to foreign matter (metal) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): BWG Foods recalls SPAR Water Still Sport (750ml; Batch code 177) and Londis Water Still (1 litre; Batch code 177) due to elevated arsenic levels.

Pet Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Flamingo Pet Products SA recalls specific batches and package sizes of Mélanges de graines pour lapins / Mixed grains rabbit food due to excessive levels of vitamin D3. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected batch codes and packaging.

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Recall (Australia): Gippsland Jersey recalls Gippsland Jersey Full Cream Milk (2L; Batch 1907033; Use by 29/07/2019) and Gippsland Jersey Light Milk (2L; Batch 1907034 Use by 29/07/2019) due to a processing failure associated with pasteurization.

FDA reveals name of Hill’s vitamin D premix supplier

DSM Nutritional Products Inc. (DSM) was the supplier of vitamin D premix to Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

DSM is an international corporation that is “…a world leading supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and other nutritional solutions…”, according to the company’s website. Its US headquarters are in Parsippany, New Jersey.

According to the FDA Weekly Enforcement Report released this morning (June 19, 2019), DSM was notified by Hill’s Pet Nutrition (Hill’s) that a dog had become ill after consuming Hills Prescription Diet W/D canned dog food, manufactured using the DSM vitamin premix.

On January 30, 2019, DSM initiated a recall of 2217 Canned Canine PMX Product Code: NP15268025, net weight: 25 Kg per package, package type: Woven polyethylene bag.

The recall encompassed two production lots – 9100058130 and 9100058131 – comprising a total of 2500 Kg (~2.75 tons) of premix.

The premix was produced on August 18, 2018.

DSM notified Hill’s of the recall by telephone. There were no other consignees, and no public recall notice was released.

Hill’s first notified FDA about potentially toxic levels of vitamin D in its canned dog foods on January 31, 2019 and initiated a recall of 25 products manufactured during the months of September 2018 through December 2018.

On March 20, 2019, Hill’s expanded the initial recall to include additional products and lot codes. A second expansion was announced on May 20, 2019.

The recalled products were distributed in the USA and around the world.

FDA initiated an inspection of Hill’s manufacturing facility in February 2019. According to the inspection report, Hill’s blamed a manufacturing error by its premix supplier (DSM) for the toxic levels of vitamin D in its canned dog foods.

Although the Hill’s written procedures called for testing of vitamin D levels in the premix, the company was unable to provide any evidence to FDA inspectors that those tests had been carried out.

Subsequent tests conducted on a retained sample of the premix revealed a level of vitamin D that was roughly 30 times the target range for this ingredient.

As of February 11, 2019, Hill’s acknowledged having received 85 consumer complaints reporting pet deaths.

More than 20 civil lawsuits have been filed against Hill’s Pet Nutrition by grieving pet owners.

FDA offers the following information regarding vitamin D toxicity to pet owners and veterinarians.

If your pet is having symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, contact a veterinarian immediately. Provide a full diet history to your veterinarian. You may find it helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number.
Don’t feed the recalled products to your pets or any other animal. Contact the company listed on the package for further instructions or throw the products away in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them.
Consumers can report suspected illness to the FDA electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. It’s most helpful if you can work with your veterinarian to submit your pet’s medical records as part of your report. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
The FDA encourages veterinarians treating vitamin D toxicity to ask their clients for a diet history. We also welcome case reports, especially those confirmed through diagnostics. You can submit these reports electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
Veterinarians should also be aware that vitamin D toxicity may present as hypercalcemia, similar to dogs that have consumed rodenticide. In these cases, FDA suggests that veterinarians confirm diet history to verify whether the dog has been eating any of the recalled products.

For a comprehensive list of Hill’s Pet Nutrition canned pet foods recalled due to excessive Vitamin D, please visit Hill’s Pet Nutrition recalls: Country-by-country breakdown on eFoodAlert

Hill’s quietly adds to pet food recall list

Nearly two months after its last update, Hill’s Pet Nutrition has added another lot code to the list of products recalled due to elevated levels of vitamin D.

The company has expanded its recall of Hill’s® Prescription Diet® i/d® Canine Chicken & Vegetable Stew 12.5oz (SKU 3389) to include Batch code 102020T21.

The item was sold in the USA and Canada.

The series of recalls was triggered by reports of pet deaths and pet illnesses due to toxic levels of vitamin D in the pet foods. The first recall was announced on January 31, 2019. An expansion of the recall was announced on March 20, 2019.

The recalled products were distributed around the world. A breakdown of recalled products by country was posted on eFoodAlert on March 21st, and has since been updated.

The Hill’s recalls have triggered more than 20 class action lawsuits across the USA. A motion for a multidistrict litigation has been submitted, which would transfer all the actions related to the Hill’s recall to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The hearing date for the motion is set for May 30, 2019.

According to information obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the source of the excessive vitamin D was an error in the formulation of the vitamin pre-mix by a Hill’s supplier.

The identity of the pre-mix supplier has not been revealed.