Category Archives: Uncategorized

Canada – Updated Food Recall Warning – Ryding-Regency Meat Packers Ltd. brand raw beef products recalled due to E. coli O157:H7

CFIA CIFA

Recall details

Ottawa, October 8, 2019 – The food recall warning issued on October 4, 2019 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Ryding-Regency Meat Packers Ltd. (EST. 99) is recalling Ryding-Regency Meat Packers Ltd. brand raw beef products from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Food service establishments, retailers, distributors and manufacturers should not serve, use, or sell the recalled products described in the link above.

Background

This recall was triggered by the CFIA’s inspection activities. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Canada – Updated Food Recall Warning – Certain chicken products recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, October 8, 2019 – The food recall warning issued on October 4, 2019 has been updated to include additional product and distribution information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Industry is recalling certain products containing diced chicken from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination of the diced chicken used to make these products. Consumers should not consume and distributors, retailers and food service establishments such as hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals and nursing homes should not sell or use the recalled product described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size UPC Code(s) on Product Additional Info
The Kitchen – Prepared for Longo’s Chicken Caesar Penne Salad 300g 7 76393 55958 5 2019 OC 09
2019 OC 15
Distribution
Ontario

Background

This recall was triggered by the CFIA’s surveillance activities following an investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.

Illnesses

Imported diced chicken used in these products has been associated with an outbreak investigation, however, at this time, there have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the products identified in this Food Recall Warning.

USA – Update: Tip Top Poultry, Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Poultry Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination

USDA USDA

Editor’s Note, Oct. 8, 2019: This release is being updated to alert consumers that the recalled ready-to-eat poultry products were used in additional products. Some of the products may have been served from the deli counter in grocery stores. A list of retailers can be found in the linked spreadsheet. Additional labels have also been made available here.  FSIS will update the retailer list and labels as more information becomes available. Some products that may have been affected by this recall are listed on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website at https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts.

Research – Fate of Spoilage and Pathogenic Microorganisms in Acidified Cold-Filled Hot Pepper Sauces

Journal of Food Protection

ABSTRACT

Consumption of spicy foods and hot sauces is currently a popular trend worldwide. Shelf-stable acidified sauces are commonly hot-filled to ensure commercial sterility, but cold-fill-hold processes might also be suitable if microbial safety and stability are ensured. For this study, model acidified hot pepper sauces were developed and characterized. The effects of sauce pH and of two different organic acids on the survival of Pichia manshurica and Lactobacillus curvatus isolated from contaminated commercial hot sauces and on pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes were assessed. Full factorial designs with three levels for pH (3.2, 3.5, and 3.9) and two for organic acid (citric and acetic) were used to determine the effects of these factors and their interactions on the survival of the microorganisms. Commercially sterile sauces were independently inoculated and kept at ambient temperature. Microbial counts were determined at different sampling times, depending on the treatment evaluated. Sauces acidified to pH 3.2 with citric or acetic acid were inoculated with cocktails of five strains or serotypes of the three pertinent pathogens, and inactivation curves were determined. Trials were performed in triplicate. A greater than 5-log reduction of P. manshurica and L. curvatus was achieved in less than 6 h in sauces adjusted to pH 3.2 with acetic acid. Greater than 5-log reductions of pathogenic bacteria were achieved 0.5 h after inoculation in sauces acidified to pH 3.2 with acetic acid. In contrast, at least 48 h was required to guarantee the same inactivation for the most tolerant pathogen when citric acid was used. Thus, a cold-fill-hold process may be a suitable alternative for acidified hot pepper sauces. Based on survival of the microorganisms evaluated in this study, microbial safety and stability can be achieved by adjusting the pH to 3.2 or less by the addition of acetic acid.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • pH and acidifier influence safety and stability of cold-filled acidified sauces.

  • Safe and stable cold-filled sauces were obtained at pH 3.2 with acetic acid.

  • Results help establish science-based conditions for cold-filled products.

Canada -Updated Food Recall Warning – Various raw beef and raw veal products recalled due to E. coli O157:H7

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, October 7, 2019 – The food recall warning issued on October 6, 2019 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Industry is recalling various raw beef and raw veal products from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Consumers should not consume and distributors, retailers and food service establishments such as hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals and nursing homes should not sell or use the recalled products described in the link above.

Background

This recall was triggered by the CFIA’s inspection activities. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

USA -The J. M. Smucker Company Issues Voluntary Recall of Specific Lots of Robin Hood® All Purpose Flour Distributed and Sold in the U.S. Only

FDA

Company Announcement

Out of an abundance of caution, The J. M. Smucker Company today announced a voluntary recall of specific lots of Robin Hood® All Purpose Flour distributed and sold in the U.S. due to possible E. coli contamination. This recall does not impact any Robin Hood® items sold in Canada.

No other items manufactured by The J. M. Smucker Company, including other Robin Hood® products distributed and sold in the U.S. or Canada, are impacted by this issue. No illnesses related to this issue have been reported to date.

The impacted products are as follows:

Product Name

UPC Code – Case

UPC Code – Item

Lot Codes

Best if Used By Dates

Robin Hood® All Purpose Flour (5 lb) 0 51500 18010 2 0 51500 18010 5 8350 513
8351 513
8354 513
8355 513
6/16/2020
6/17/2020
6/20/2020
6/21/2020

These products were distributed by The J. M. Smucker Company to a variety of retailers in the U.S.

Consumers who have impacted product should stop using the products and should dispose of them. If consumers have questions or have products covered by this recall, they should email the Company by completing this formExternal Link Disclaimer or calling 888-569-6728, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

USA -Cheese recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

Food Poison Journal

Consider Bardwell Farm has reported Listeria contamination in its raw milk cheese.

Consider Bardwell Farm reported to state and federal authorities that it had found Listeria monocytogenes,

E.B. Flory, the dairy section chief at the state Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets said Oct. 7 that the contamination was found through routine testing and none of the contaminated cheese reached any market.

Consider Bardwell sells its raw cow and goat milk cheese at several stores in New York City, and at stores in Dorset and West Pawlet. Whole Foods markets issued its own recall notice for the company’s Dorset cheese for its stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The FDA said the products were also distributed in California and Texas.

Consider Bardwell, which makes the cheese on its 300-acre farm in Vermont and New York, said in a statement that it was working to recall and account for all Dorset, Slyboro and Experience cheeses aged in the farm’s washed rind cave.

Research – Hepatitis E virus genotype 3 strains and a plethora of other viruses detected in raw and still in tap water

Science Direct

In this study, next generation sequencing was used to explore the virome in 20L up to 10,000L water from different purification steps at two Swedish drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), and in tap water. One DWTP used ultrafiltration (UF) with 20 nm pores, the other UV light treatment after conventional treatment of the water. Viruses belonging to 26 different families were detected in raw water, in which 6–9 times more sequence reads were found for phages than for known environmental, plant or vertebrate viruses. The total number of viral reads was reduced more than 4-log10 after UF and 3-log10 over UV treatment. However, for some viruses the reduction was 3.5-log10 after UF, as for hepatitis E virus (HEV), which was also detected in tap water, with sequences similar to those in raw water and after treatment. This indicates that HEV had passed through the treatment and entered into the supply network. However, the viability of the viruses is unknown. In tap water 10–130 International Units of HEV RNA/mL were identified, which is a comparable low amount of virus. The risk of getting infected through consumption of tap water is probably negligible, but needs to be investigated. The HEV strains in the waters belonged to subtypes HEV3a and HEV3c/i, which is associated with unknown source of infection in humans infected in Sweden. None of these subtypes are common among pigs or wild boar, the major reservoirs for HEV, indicating that water may play a role in transmitting this virus. The results indicate that monitoring small fecal/oral transmitted viruses in DWTPs may be considered, especially during community outbreaks, to prevent potential transmission by tap water.

Europe -E. coli and Listeria concerns prompt cheese recall in five countries

Food Safety News

Raw cow’s milk cheese distributed to at least five European countries has been recalled due to possible E. coli and Listeria contamination.

A warning was issued by German authorities about E. coli O26:H11 and Listeria monocytogenes in the raw cow’s milk Bethmale cheese from France. There have been no illnesses linked to the recall.

Affected cheese has also been distributed to Austria, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, according to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

Recalled Moulis cremier cheese

The French company Le Moulis SAS recalled products with the names “Moulis vache, Moulis vache prestige” and “Bethmale de marterat” due to Listeria. The items have lot numbers 19163112, 19170119, 19177126, 19184103, 19191110, 19199118 and 19205124 plus best before dates Nov. 29, Dec. 1, 5, 8, 13, 20 and 22, 2019. They have the product code FR 09.214.001.CE.

The firm, based in Luzenac, Moulis in France, also recalled “Moulis vache and Moulis vache prestige” with batch number 19228116 and dates Dec. 20 and 27, 2019 due to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) concerns. The items can be identified by the number FR 09.214.001 CE on the pack.

Spanish authority’s warning

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) issued an alert on certain batches of the raw cow’s milk cheese.

Recalled Le Moulis cheese

Distribution in Spain includes “Moulis cremier” with lot number 19163112 and expiry date Dec. 1, 2019; “Moulis Vache” with lot number 19199118 and expiry date Dec 5, 2019 and “Bethmale de Marterat Vache” with lot number 19199118 and expiry date Dec. 20, 2019.

Canada – E.coli outbreak reported in Newfoundland and Labrador

Outbreak News Today ecoli

Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are reporting an E. coli outbreak in the province. The Department of Health and Community Services advises that there have been 22 confirmed cases of E.coli in the province this week, and Public Health officials within the department, as well as the regional health authorities are working with Service NL to investigate.