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FDA

Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animal has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The single lot involved in this voluntary recall is:

Vital Essentials Frozen Chicken Patties Entrée for Dogs, Net wt. 6 lbs.
UPC 33211 00807, Lot # 11475, Best by date 20161108 (11/08/16)

The “Best By” date code and lot # is located on the back of the package. The affected product was distributed in CA, FL, GA, RI, TX and WA.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) selected and tested product as part of a national collection initiative, which was issued by the Center of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) on June 3, 2015. The FDA notified Carnivore Meat Company that one of samples collected, tested positive for Salmonella, bacteria commonly associated with fresh and frozen poultry, in human and in pet products. The company has received no complaints or reports of illness. No other product manufactured by Carnivore is involved in this voluntary recall.

USDA

Sometimes it takes time to find a winning formula. That’s how it was with First Step+ 10, according to Joshua Gurtler, an Agricultural Research Service scientist at the Eastern Regional Research Center, in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania.

Gurtler and his collaborators at NatureSeal, Inc., tested hundreds of antimicrobial formulations, in a series of carefully designed laboratory experiments, before they found the right combination of lactic acid, fruit acids, and hydrogen peroxide for a wash that reduces the risk of food-borne pathogens contaminating fresh produce in food processing operations.

“It’s an exacting process, finding the right organic compounds and formulating them into a solution that will perform effectively,” says Gurtler.

Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella and other food-borne pathogens sicken approximately 48 million people each year, or about 1 in 6 Americans. Food-borne pathogens caused an estimated 4,200 hospitalizations and 80 deaths in 2013, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A recent U.S. outbreak associated with cucumbers sickened over 765 people in 36 states and killed 4.

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 10.1; Tot. = 11.1 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts in shell from Egypt in Italy

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 15.88; Tot. = 17.65 µg/kg – ppb) in nut mixture from Turkey in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 113; Tot. = 132 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts in shell from Egypt in Italy

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 21.8; Tot. = 22.9 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Iran in Spain

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 88.1; Tot. = 99 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 21.6 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachio nuts in shell from the United States in Italy

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 101.3; Tot. = 114.4 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 72.5; Tot. = 81.7 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 11.7; Tot. = 12.6 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 10.8; Tot. = 11.7 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 182.6; Tot. = 189.9 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachio nuts in shell from Iran in Poland

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 73.44; Tot. = 239.57 µg/kg – ppb) and ochratoxin A (66.35 µg/kg – ppb) in paprika powder from Ethiopia in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 50.92; Tot. = 55.18 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachio nuts from Iran  in Germany

RASFF-Salmonella (present /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparation from Thailand in the Netherlands

RASFF-Salmonella kastrup (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from India in Greece

RASFF-Salmonella typhimurium (1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled beef from Germany in Finland

RASFF-Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in whole frozen chicken without giblets from Poland in Malta

RASFF-Salmonella (in 2 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India

RASFF-Salmonella (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India

RASFF-Salmonella (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India

RASFF-Salmonella (1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India

RASFF-ochratoxin A (45.9 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Germany

RASFF-ochratoxin A (8.9 µg/kg – ppb) in milling rye from Russia in Finland

RASFF–deoxynivalenol (DON) (5600 µg/kg – ppb) and zearalenone (1120 µg/kg – ppb) in corn flour from Serbia in Switzerland

RASFF-histamine (1334 mg/kg – ppm) in marinated anchovies from Morocco, via Spain in France

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in frozen pink salmon roe in skein (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from the United States in Lithuania

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) held a webinar on January 13, 2016 to discuss how to control Listeria monocytogenes in the retail environment. A risk assessment showed that “more than 80% of Listeria illnesses associated with ready-to-eat meat or poultry products sold at delis (i.e., deli meat) were attributed to product sliced or otherwise handled at the retail store.” There is zero tolerance for Listeria bacteria in food products.

Pilot Project