Category Archives: Uncategorized

FDA

Progressive Gourmet Inc. of Wilmington, MA, is recalling its 6 ounce packages of Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Cheese on English Muffin breakfast sandwiches manufactured for Starbucks Coffee Co. out of the abundance of caution because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes, 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.

The product comes in a 6 ounce, clear plastic labeled package marked with Best Before: 07-AUG-2016 on the top. Note, no other production runs of this product are impacted by this recall.

These potentially impacted sandwiches were possibly sold to consumers by select Starbucks stores in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma Starbucks Stores on 3/3/16 and 3/4/16. The sandwiches may be heated at the store level for immediate consumption.

This recall is limited to impacted 250 stores in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma only. (The recalled sandwiches were distributed to warehouses in Maryland, North Carolina, Texas and Louisiana).

As soon as Starbucks was informed of this potential issue, the impacted product was removed from the 250 stores that potentially received it. The scope of this issue is limited to these stores.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the company revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on a contact surface within the production facility.

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

Progressive Gourmet is working closely with FDA and the Massachusetts Department of Health and continues to investigate the source of the problem.

Consumers who have purchased 6 ounce packages of the sandwich are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-224-7630 (9:00 am-5:00 pm Monday through Friday EST).

FDA

Fresh eggs, even those with clean, uncracked shells, may contain bacteria called Salmonella that can cause foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 79,000 cases of foodborne illness and 30 deaths each year are caused by eating eggs contaminated with Salmonella. FDA has put regulations in place to help prevent contamination of eggs on the farm and during shipping and storage, but consumers also play a key role in preventing illness linked to eggs. Protect yourself and your family by following these safe handling tips when buying, storing, preparing, and serving eggs—or foods that contain them.

FSA

Scotch Smoked Salmon Co. Ltd is recalling two of its smoked salmon products because the bacterium known as Listeria monocytogenes has been found in them. Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness. This means the products should not be eaten.

Risk

The potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the products detailed below. Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness, particularly among key vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, unborn and newborn babies, those over 60 years old, and anyone with reduced immunity.

Product details

Products: Smoked Scottish Salmon and Smoked Scotch SalmonPack sizes: 100g, 200g and 400gBatch code: 219dsDate code: 14 March 2016

Action taken by the company

Scotch Smoked Salmon Co. Ltd is recalling the above products. The company has told its wholesale customer that distributed the product and issued a recall notice to consumers. The recall notice issued by the company explains to consumers why the product is being recalled and tells them what actions to take if they have bought the product. A copy of the point-of-sale notice can be found at the link below. No other Scotch Smoked Salmon Co. Ltd products are known to be affected. – See more at: http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2016/14952/scotch-smoked-salmon-co-ltd-recalls-smoked-salmon-products-due-to-the-presence-of-listeria-monocytogenes#sthash.WMJHQWAT.dpuf

RASFF-aflatoxins (Tot. = 51.3 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted pistachios and almonds from Turkey in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 15.7; Tot. = 16.4 µg/kg – ppb) in spice mix from Pakistan  in Ireland

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 11.2; Tot. = 11.6 µg/kg – ppb) in ground chilli from India in the UK

RASFF-aflatoxins ( M1 tot. = 0.152 µg/l) in milk and milk products from Italy  in Italy

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 6.9; Tot. = 8.6 µg/kg – ppb) in organic unshelled peanuts from Egypt in the Netherlands

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 6; Tot. = 16.18 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut paste from Turkey  in Germany

RASFF-too high count of Escherichia coli (460 MPN/100g) in live mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy

RASFF-too high count of Escherichia coli (700 MPN/100g) in live mussels (Mytillus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy

RASFF-norovirus (GI, GII) in live Japanese carpet shells (Ruditapes philippinarum) from Spain in France

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

RASFF-Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in fresh chicken breast fillet from Poland in the Czech Republic

RASFF-Salmonella enteritidis (presence 1 out of 5 /25g) in frozen chicken breast from Poland in Denmark

RASFF-Salmonella Virchow (presence /25g) in organic moringa leaf powder used in raw meal organic shake and meal replacement products from the United States in the UK

RASFF – Campylobacter (between 200 and >100000 CFU/g) in chilled chicken breasts from France in Denmark

Food Safety Magazine

In the United States, very few people die from eating sushi. Death from eating bad sushi is usually attributed to fugu, a type of poisonous fish rarely eaten in the United States. People do get sick from eating sushi, but the cause for illness is usually poorly handled fish. An example of this occurred earlier this year with a Salmonella outbreak caused by raw tuna. Salmonella is caused when food is exposed to feces. It is highly likely that the fish processor, in China or Indonesia, washed the tuna with dirty water. Raw fish to be used in sushi must be handled with care. Salmonella bacteria will not die if the fish is frozen, it will only stop growing.

A guide was released in 2004 through the Association of Food and Drug Officials, which had spent 3 years studying food safety and sushi operations. This was a special project funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research and Extension at the University of Florida. This guide is called “Guidance for Processing Sushi in Retail Operations.” It is a thorough and complete explanation of the processes needed to make safe sushi in any retail or commercial setting. On page 8 of this guide, it states: “Properly acidified rice is not considered a potentially hazardous food.”

RASFF-Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in flavoured butter  in Ireland