Category Archives: FDA

Product Recalls Because of Gills Onions – Listeria monocytogenes

FDA – Publix Publix Super Markets is issuing a voluntary recall for custom sub sandwiches that contain onions because they may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes. Publix received notification from their supplier, who receives sliced onions from Gills Onions LLC. This recall involves any custom made sub sandwich with onions sold from the Publix Deli department between July 7, 2012 through July 26, 2012 in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Publix stores in Florida are not involved with this recall.

FDA – Kens Foods The manufacturer of Golden Corral Tartar Sauce, Dickey’s BBQ Bean Sauce, Lee’s Cole Slaw Dressing, Fatz Tartar Sauce, Ken’s Tartar Sauce.  These items contain onions from Gills Onions, which may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

FDA – Garden Fresh Foods Garden-Fresh Foods is initiating a voluntary recall on various ready-to-eat salads, slaw, salsa, bean and dip products sold under various brands and code dates (see attachment). The products may contain onions from Gills Onions, which may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes-fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

CDC 2011 Foodborne Disease Figures

CDC

The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) conducts active population-based surveillance in ten areas (Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and selected counties in California, Colorado, and New York) for laboratory-confirmed cases of infection caused by Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC, including STEC O157 and STEC non-O157), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia.

FoodNet also conducts surveillance for postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of STEC infection characterized by renal failure and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, through a network of pediatric nephrologists and infection-control practitioners. Hospital discharge data are reviewed to validate HUS diagnoses and verify the presence of diarrhea in the 21 days before HUS onset. This report contains preliminary postdiarrheal HUS data for 2010, rather than for 2011, because additional time is needed to review hospital records.

US FDA – Recall More Romaine Lettuce – Salmonella

FDA

Pacific International Marketing (“Pacific”) is voluntarily recalling 19 cases of bulk Romaine Lettuce sold at Vons and Pavilions stores in California and Nevada due to potential Salmonellacontamination. The bulk Romaine Lettuce was sold in bulk produce bins from July 2, 2012 through July 4, 2012. The lettuce heads are banded with a red twist tie marked “Safeway.”

Consumers who may have purchased this product should discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. No Illnesses have been reported to date.   This recall is being conducted out of an abundance of caution. The recall is the result of a positive Salmonella test taken at the field level.  The source of contamination is unknown.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

US – Recall Cheese Expanded – Listeria monocytogenes

FDA

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine today warned consumers in the metropolitan New York area, including Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, to not consume certain cheese products made by Mexicali Cheese Corp. located at 91-52 87th Street in Woodhaven, New York due to possible Listeria contamination.  This alert, originally issued on Friday, June 29, 2012, has been expanded to include two additional product names that are noted below.

The product is packaged in a rigid 14 oz. plastic tub that displayed the plant number 36-0128 and a code of 071512.  This consumer warning affects all packages with this code.  The product was packaged in containers bearing the following product names: 

  • Mexicali Queso Fresco Mexicano, Mexican Style Fresh Cheese;
  • Acatlan Queso Fresco, Fresh Cheese;
  • Mi Quesito Mexicano, Mexican Cheese; and 
  • Quesillo Ecuatoriano, Ecuadorian Style Cheese.

A routine sample of the cheese, taken by an inspector from the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services on June 20, 2012, was subsequently tested by the Department’s Food Laboratory and discovered to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. On June 25, 2012 the manufacturer was notified of a preliminary positive test result and voluntarily recalled the product from their customers. Test results were confirmed on June 29, 2012.  Subsequent samples will be taken to verify that the product is free of pathogens.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail, or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy persons may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

To date, no illnesses are known by the Department to be associated with this product.

US Dole Fresh Vegetables Third Recall this Year – Listeria

FDA

Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling 1,077 cases of bagged salads. The products being recalled are Kroger Fresh Selections Greener Supreme coded N158 211B 1613 KR04 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91039, Kroger Fresh Selections Leafy Romaine coded N158 111B KR11 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91046 and Wal Mart Marketside Leafy Romaine coded N158111B with Use-by date of June19 and UPC code 81131 02781 due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

Sprout Safety Alliance – Launches Website

SSA

Four months into its $100,000 yearlong federal grant, the Sprout Safety Alliance has a website and is recruiting people to help develop best practices materials for sprout growers.

Food and Drug Administration officials announced the alliance Feb. 28, saying it is similar to other public-private alliances for seafood, juice, produce and preventive controls set up by the agency. It created the Produce Safety Alliance in 2010 and the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance in 2011.

US Bans Korean Shellfish – Faecal Matter – Norovirus

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Korean shellfish is not safe to eat and Korea has been removed from the U.S. list of approved  shellfish shippers after officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered unsanitary conditions  that exposed molluscan growing areas to human fecal matter, norovirus and pollution, the agency announced yesterday.

FDA – Red Pepper & Onion Garlic Cheese – Listeria monocytogenes

FDA

Golden Glen Creamery of Bow, WA, in cooperation with the WSDA is voluntarily recalling Red Pepper with Onion & Garlic Cheddar produced on August 30, 2011 because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The Creamery agreed to recall the product after a sample taken by the WSDA returned with a positive result. Samples of the same batch have tested negative through an independent, state-approved lab that Creamery has submitted samples to. No illnesses have been reported to date. L. monocytogenesis an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

To date, no illnesses have been reported.

US Dietary Supplement Recalled – Salmonella

Oregon Live

A company in Ferndale, Wash., announced a recall Thursday of certain bottles of a liquid dietary supplement that could be contaminated with salmonella.

Botanical Laboratories is pulling a limited number of its Digestive 3-in-1 Health supplement after a supplier said one of the ingredients could be contaminated with the bacteria, which can be fatal in young children and frail and elderly people. The supplier, Corn Products International, said its Purimune — galacto-oligosaccharide, a soluble fibre shown to be helpful in digestion — had tested positive for salmonella.

The recall affects 38 bottles of the 33.8 oz. size and 275 bottles of the 16 oz. size of the liquid dietary supplement.

The bottles were sold nationally in retail stores and online after May 1.

FDA Recall Link

Oysters Recalled – USA – Norovirus

Food Poisoning Bulletin

As a result of the FDA ban on Korean shellfish for unsanitary conditions and the presence of norovirus, Crown Prince Seafood is recalling oyster products. All of the company’s wholesalers are instructed to suspend shipments, and retailers should remove these products from their shelves.