Category Archives: Laboratory

USA – FDA Recall – Frozen Sliced Fruit – Salmonella

FDA Salmonella

Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. of Albany, OR has voluntarily recalled 59,780 cases of Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit, produced exclusively for Costco Wholesale Stores. In cooperation with Costco, the company issued the recall after determining the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Precautionary recall measures began on Saturday, March 8, 2014. Consumers who may have purchased the product were contacted by phone and US. Mail, and a letter regarding the voluntary recall was posted on the Costco website. Furthermore, the affected product was removed from Costco floors. No confirmed cases of Salmonella poisoning from consumption of this product have been reported at this time, Any Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit that is currently available for purchase has been rigorously tested and is safe for consumption. No other products made by Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. are affected.

Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit is sold in a red and white case containing 20 pouches of freeze-dried snacks. Consumers who have purchased Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit with the following “Best Before Dates,” listed on the upper left corner of the front panel of the case, are urged to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Best Before Date: FEB 14 2015 – MAR 11 2015 (which reads FEB142015 – MAR112015)

Customers with questions may contact the company at recall@ofd.com. or 1-888-641-2933 (this line is staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time).

RASFF Alert – DSP – Risotto with Mussels – Histamine – Tuna – Sardines

RASFF-Logo

RASFF -Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins – okadaic acid (190.8 µg/kg – ppb) in risotto with mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy

RASFF -histamine (721 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen yellowfin tuna bits (Thunnus albacares) from India in Italy

RASFF -histamine (470 mg/kg – ppm) in canned sardines in soja oil (Sardinella spp.) from Indonesia in Germany

Australia Recalls – Organic Sprout Salad – Salmonella – Blue Cheese – Listeria monocytogenes

FSANZ FSANZ3

Energetic Greens has recalled Organic Sprouts Salad (Broccoli, sunflower and radish) from local greengrocers and IGA stores in northern NSW and the Mullumbimby, Bangalow and Glorious Organic Farmers Markets due to Salmonella contamination. Food products contaminated with Salmonella may cause illness if consumed. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.

Food type

Mixed sprouts salad

Product name

Organic Sprouts Salad (Broccoli, Sunflower, and Radish) Energetic Greens

Package description & size

50g plastic punnet

Best Before 08/03/14
Australia
Salmonella contamination.
Whitestone Cheese (NZ) has recalled Whitestone Windsor Blue Cheese 110g from Woolworths Supermarkets in QLD, NSW, ACT and VIC due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.  Listeria monocytogenes may cause illness in
pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems. Consumers should not eat this product. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full cash refund

RASFF Alerts – Listeria in Mushrooms – Norovirus in Clams – Salmonella in Chicken and Sesame

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in mushrooms from Ireland

RASFF -norovirus (GII) in frozen clams (Venus gallina) from Vietnam in Italy

RASFF -Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen salted chicken breast fillet from Thailand in Denmark

RASFF -Salmonella spp. (present /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from India in Italy

Research – Poultry Food Safety Control Interventions in the Domestic Kitchen

Wiley Online Library imagesCAYZ5I84

Research was undertaken to investigate cross-contamination of the domestic kitchen environment during poultry fillet preparation using a streptomycin-resistant strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens as a model organism. The potential role of a cook-in-the-bag technology to control this cross-contamination was also investigated. Poultry fillets were inoculated with P. fluorescens (6.06 log10 CFU/cm2). Six people were challenged to unpack, defrost, cut and cook without contaminating the preparation environment. After preparation, the chopping board, knife blade, dishcloth, refrigerator handle, oven handle, oven buttons, draining board, tap, microwave handle, microwave buttons, plate, tinfoil and press handle were tested for the presence of the P. fluorescens strain, before and after washing. The experiment was then repeated with a precut cook-in-the-bag product. In a separate experiment, the effect of freezing and frozen storage (−20C) on Campylobacter and the sensory attributes of chicken fillets were investigated. The cook-in-the-bag approach considerably reduced the incidence and levels of cross-contamination in the domestic kitchen. Freezing significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the Campylobacter counts on inoculated fillets after 7 days at −20C (1.73 log10 CFU/g). While there was no adverse effect on taste, fillets that had been frozen were significantly more “firm” and “less moist” as compared with fresh product.

Canada – Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled – Salmonella

CFIA Eurofins

Aquafuchsia Foods Inc. is recalling Aquafuchsia brand alfalfa sprout product from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The following product has been sold in Quebec.

 Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Aquafuchsia Salad Plus – Alfalfa with a touch of radish! 125 g 041 0 551176 1

Canada Recall – Caesar Salad products recalled due to Listeria

CFIA Eurofins Food Testing UK

Safeway and Buy-Low Foods are recalling Caesar salad products from the marketplace due to possible Listeria contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

The products shown in the link above have been sold in Alberta and British Columbia (Buy-Low Foods and Nesters Market) and in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan (Safeway and St. Martin’s Family Foods).

USA – FDA – Recall – Curly Parsley – Salmonella

FDASalmonella

ROTH FARMS Inc. of Belle Glade, Fl , is recalling its “ bunched Curly Parsley” because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, 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.

The recalled “Curly Parsley” was distributed in South Florida distribution centers.

The product comes in a 3 Wire Wooden Crate with the lot # AG01GN on the outside tag.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the company revealed the presence of Salmonella in some Curly Parsley samples.”

UK -Four more E.coli O157 Cases in Scotland Linked to Burgers

STV NewsBurger

Four more cases of E coli have been linked to the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, health bosses said.

The new cases bring the total number to 15 and are all linked to events at the venue on January 17, 18 and 19.

An investigation by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) alongside other public health bodies has indicated that burgers sold at the Hydro could have been the cause of the outbreak.

UK – FSA Recall – Cheese Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

FSAfood_standards_agency_logo

Loch Arthur Creamery has recalled batches of its Criffel unpasteurised cheese, because Listeria monocytogenes has been detected in the product. Listeria monocytogenes can cause illness in certain groups of people, such as pregnant women, unborn and newborn babies, and anyone with reduced immunity, particularly the over-60s.