Your Recall Hit Parade

Sprouts recalled

It’s Friday, so there must be a batch of sprouts being recalled someplace. As a matter of fact, there is. Chang Farm of Whatley, Mass., is recalling soy bean sprouts because of possible Listeria Monocytogenes contamination. The 10-pound and 12-ounce bags, with a sell-by date of July 17, were distributed throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. No illnesses have been reported. Chang Farms issued a similar recall in April of 2008. Additional information

Raisins contain undeclared sulfites

Maya Overseas Foods, Inc., is recalling Maya Overseas Foods Golden Raisins, which are sold in uncoded, 1-pound bags and distributed throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. The raisins contain sulfites which are not listed on the labels. Sulfites can cause severe reactions in people with sulfite sensitivities and asthmatics. Additional information

Plainview recall continues to grow

The Plainview Milk Products Cooperative recall is still in the lead of the ongoing recall race. The Minnesota dairy cooperative issued a recall June 29 of several products going back two years. While none its products – instant nonfat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums or thickening agents – were sold directly to consumers, they have been used widely in numerous foods by companies around the United States. As of today, 261 products which included ingredients from Plainview have been recalled, and that number should continue growing for a while. The recalled foods fall into seven categories so far: cake products, candy, drink mixes, instant nonfat dry milk, oatmeal, instant sauces, and toppings. Additional information

Your Recall Hit Parade

Plainview Milk Products recall surpasses 200 products

The Plainview Milk Products Association recall continues, ensnaring more than 200 products so far. After issuing a recall going back two years, this recall – like the one for Peanut Corporation of America earlier this year – will continue to grow, pulling in quite a few different companies. Two weeks ago, Plainview issued a recall for several of its products after one of its customers found traces of Salmonella contamination in a product containing ingredients from Plainview.

Plainview doesn’t sell directly to consumers, but its products – whey protein, milk powder, gums, and fruit stabilizers – are sold to food processors around the country. So far, the most widely recalled product is powdered milk often sold under store brand names. There are plenty of additional foods being pulled in, however: cake mixes, instant sauces, oat meal, and more.  Additional information

JBS Swift recall now includes Costco

The JBS Swift Beef Co. recall continues, as well. The Colorado meat processor has recalled more than 400,000 pounds of whole muscle cuts – the larger cuts from which stores and other processors derive the more familiar, smaller cuts such as chuck roasts or processed foods such as sausage – because of possible contamination with E. coli.  The most recent addition? Costco customers in northern California are being warned that two Morton’s of Omaha products are now on the list: Classic Tri-tip and Rosemary, Garlic and Chardonnay seasoned tri-tip are being recalled. Additional information

Nestlé investigation finds no E. coli in factory or equipment

The Nestlé Toll House cookie dough recall is still underway, as is the investigation at the plant in Danville, Va., where the ready-to-bake cookie dough is made. Nestlé today announced that investigators with the Food and Drug Administration have not found any E. coli contamination in either the plant or the equipment after more than a week of tests.

Nestlé is now planning to do a few production test runs using new batches of flour, margarine, and eggs, according to company spokeswoman, Edie Burge, but no date has been set yet for renewed production. Not yet, anyway. Nestlé has no plans to leave the ready-to-bake cookie dough market, Burge added. Additional information

Your Recall Hit Parade

Dairy recalls two years worth of product

A major recall by a Minnesota dairy cooperative is now beginning to play out across the country. Plainview Milk Products Association last weekend issued a recall for several of its products after one of its customers found traces of Salmonella contamination in a product containing ingredients from Plainview (FDA recall info here). Environmental tests conducted at the Plainview plant by the Food and Drug Administration “found some positive test results for Salmonella” in swabs from “walls, ceilings, floors, and equipment” according to a release from the cooperative. Plainview is recalling product from the last two years of production, as a result.

The company doesn’t sell directly to consumers but, instead, produces whey protein, milk powder, gums, and fruit stabilizers for sale to food makers across the United States. The cooperative also produces fluid milk products, but these are not affected by the recall. Plainview customers who have issued recalls so far include:

• CPI Foods, which is recalling 15,000 packets of non-fat dry milk distributed to various community service companies in Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia.
• NOW Foods, a nationwide producer of dietary supplements and natural foods, has recalled 12 of its whey protein products.
• Stop & Shop Supermarkets, a New England chain, has recalled Stop & Shop Nonfat Dried Milk, which is sold in 5 and 10 packs of 16-ounce and 32-ounce packets, respectively.
• Traditions, which has recalled ILS Meals Home Delivery Meal Service prepackaged meal kits, and Traditions Meal Solutions prepackaged meal kits. These were distributed nationwide and were made between January 28, 2008, and June 5, 2009. Tradition’s products were distributed to food distributors and regional nutrition service providers.

Pierogis with a little something extra

These dumplings may contain a bit more than you bargained for. Grandma’s Food of Buffalo, N.Y., is recalling more than 200,000 pounds of its frozen pierogies, pelmenis, and other assorted dumplings because they contain Amaranth #2, a dye which has been banned in the United States since 1976. The dumplings were made between June 1 and 5. Additional information

Tuna steaks recalled

New Englanders have been cautioned by the Food and Drug Administration about a bad batch of tuna steaks. North Coast Seafood is recalling tuna steaks sold between June 20 and 24 at Shaw’s, Star Market, and Big Y Stores, located throughout the region. The fish may have high levels of histamine and could cause scombroid poisoning. There were three cases reported by July 1. Additional information

Nestlé disputes Wall Street Journal story

Nestlé USA is disputing the accuracy of a story that appeared in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal. The article, written by health reporter Shirley Wang, reported that Nestlé “refused to give the FDA access to certain records, such as those involving pest-control and consumer complaints, during earlier inspections in recent years”.

Nestlé has been in the midst of a massive recall of its ready-to-bake Toll House cookie dough after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control found what they believe is a link between the cookie dough and at least 70 cases of E. coli contamination in 30 states around the country. The FDA is still investigating the company’s Danville, Va., plant where Nestlé has suspended production of the ready-to-bake dough until they receive an all-clear.

The inspection in question, however, took place over two days in September, 2006, during which an inspector identified “four objectionable conditions or deficiencies” he felt needed attention, ranging from a few “ant-like insects” in a sugar dumping station, to a leaking pipe. The matters were discussed with a plant supervisor who agreed to take care of the problems, apparently to the inspector’s satisfaction.

At the same inspection, the FDA investigator also requested access to various records, which the FDA’s report says was denied by Nestlé.

“Companies can attempt to make conditions on what they will or will not permit during an inspection,” said Stephanie Kwisnek, a spokesperson for the FDA, “and some companies have a policy that they will outline this for our investigator at the beginning of the inspection. However, by law, they must provide the FDA with access to the records that the agency is entitled to under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and associated regulations.”

The Wall Street Journal story is “very misleading” said Laurie McDonald, a spokeswoman for Nestlé USA. “It looks as if we’re not cooperating and we are.”

The FDA agreed.

“Nestlé is cooperating fully with the FDA in this current inspection and is providing the necessary documentation,” said Kwisnek. “The company is also taking its own sampling, including both product and environmental swabs and is sharing its test results with the FDA.”

Your Recall Hit Parade

41,000 pounds of beef recalled

JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., has recalled more than 41,000 pounds of various beef products because of possible E. coli contamination but there’s a catch: the beef products recalled were produced back in April and were shipped to distributors and stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. Eleven products are being recalled. The problem was discovered as the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service was testing for samples in an investigation of other products. Additional information

Tortilla chips may contain allergens

Tortilla chips are under recall in Washington State. La Mexicana has recalled Solena tortilla chips because they may contain undeclared allergens: milk and milk products. Solena chips are distributed to restaurants and retails stores throughout Oregon and Washington.  Additional information

Sprouts recalled in SoCal

A California company has recalled three of its products because of possible Salmonella contamination. Kowalke Family Sprouts of Culver City has recalled its alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts, and dinner salad mix with sell-by dates of June 18-30. Their products are distributed primarily to Gelsen’s and Whole Foods groceries in southern California. Additional information

Ongoing recalls

Pistachio recall
Peanut recall

Anyone up for a game of Clue?

Speculation about the source of the E. coli 0157:H7 is still up in the in air, but it might make for an exciting parlor game. Anyone up for a game of Clue?

“So, how the hell does cow shit (E. coli O157:H7) get into Nestles’ Toll House cookie dough?” wonders Seattle attorney Bill Marler, in his blog.

“For starters, we don’t really know yet whether raw cookie dough is the source of this E. coli outbreak,” replied nutritionist and writer Marion Nestle in Food Politics. “It could be something else, and Nestlé will have recalled 300,000 cases purely out of precaution.  The most likely source of bacterial contamination is eggs, but eggs typically carry Salmonella, not E. coli O157:H7.   And besides, the eggs in raw cookie dough are undoubtedly pasteurized, which ought to kill any bacteria that happen to be present.”

More than 65 people in 28 states have been made ill since March, according to the Food and Drug Administration, and 25 of those were hospitalized. No one has died, but seven people have suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, as a result.

For the record, Nestlé does use pasteurized eggs in its cookie dough, according to Edie Burge, a spokesperson for the company in Glendale, Calif.

What’s significant about this particular outbreak is the contamination, itself. E. coli, as Marler so eloquently noted, is typically found in meat. The major ground beef recalls over the past several years have almost all been linked to E. coli contamination after fecal-contaminated muscle tissue is ground in with meat from other animals.

“A single fast food hamburger now contains meat from dozens or even hundreds of different animals,” journalist Eric Schlosser wrote in Fast Food Nation. Of course, we’re not talking about hamburger, here. The ingredients for Nestle Chocolate Chip Toll House cookie dough certainly don’t list any ingredients that could raise suspicion, except for the eggs (Thanks to Fooducate for the ingredients listing).

“Bleached Enriched Flour, Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Nestle Toll House Morsels, Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin – an Artificial Flavor, Natural Flavor, Sugar, Margarine, Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Water, Salt, Whey, Soy Lecithin, Mono-, Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Beta-Carotene Color, Vitamin A Palmitate Added, Water, Eggs, Molasses, Baking Soda, Salt, Vanilla Extract, Vanillin – an Artificial Flavor.”

A Dutch study published in 2002 even suggests that milk fats may inhibit growth of food-borne pathogens, although it noted that E. coli was less vulnerable to milk fat’s bactericidal properties. Vegetable oils, too, can inhibit growth of pathogens. Other ingredients, such as water, are being tested by the FDA.

It’s possible, then, that contaminated eggs somehow made it into the product, or that the contamination came from in house. It’s too early to speculate, as Burge noted, and the investigation at Nestle’s Danville, Va., plant is really just getting underway. Until then, it could very easily have been Col. Mustard in the library – with the candlestick, no doubt.

Nestlé plant under investigation

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating the production plant in Danville, Va., where Nestlé makes its Toll House cookie dough. Nestlé recalled 48 varieties of its Toll House cookie dough after it learned last Wednesday about a possible connection between a 28-state outbreak of E. coli 0157:H and its popular ready-to-bake product.

Nestlé announced the recall Friday morning, telling customers not to consume the dough and encouraging customers to return any product they might have for refunds. More than 65 people have fallen ill since March, according to the FDA, and 25 of those were hospitalized. No one has died, but seven people have suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, as a result.

Nestlé suspended production last Thursday so the FDA could examine the plant, as well as the equipment and the company’s procedures to pinpoint the source of the contamination, said Edie Burge, a spokesperson for Nestlé. The company’s consumer analysis group has been poring over customer comments and feedback dating back to March looking for any information about the outbreak that might have come to them earlier.

For now, nothing in the plant has been changed since production ended and the FDA started its investigation, said Burge.  “We want them to come into our factory and see the conditions as they are,” she said.

Your Recall Hit Parade

Nestle recalls  Toll House cookie dough

Twenty-five people have been hospitalized in an outbreak the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control believe is related to E. coli contamination of Nestle Toll House cook dough. Seven of those hospitalized suffered a condition known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which can cause kidney failure. Sixty-six people in all have been made ill since March, according to Marler Blog. The illnesses span 28 states.

Today, Nestle USA recalled 48 products in its prepared cookie dough line.

“No other Nestlé Toll House products are impacted,” Nestle said in a release, ”including already baked Toll House cookies purchased outside the home, all varieties of Nestlé Toll House morsels, chocolate baking bars, or cocoa, and Dreyer’s and Edy’s ice cream products with Nestlé Toll House cookie dough ingredients.”

Remember the warning about not eating raw cookie dough because it might make you sick? Typically, that concern is linked to eating raw eggs which, in the past 25 years or so, have been a source – albeit a rare one – for Salmonella. This outbreak is being caused by E. coli 0157:H7, which is linked to bacteria living in the guts of ruminant animals such as cattle. While these bacteria don’t sicken animals, they can be very serious for humans.

“Infections start when you swallow STEC—in other words, when you get tiny (usually invisible) amounts of human or animal feces in your mouth,” according to the CDC. “Unfortunately, this happens more often than we would like to think about.”  Indeed.

So far, neither the FDA, nor the CDC, has pinpointed the source of the contamination. Additional information

Knorr Kosher Soup

Unilever United States, Inc. is recalling Knorr Kosher Soup Mix – Chicken Vegetable Flavor with Pasta because it may contain eggs, an undeclared ingredient. People with allergies to eggs could suffer a serious reaction to its presence in food. There have been no reported illnesses as a result. Additional information

Iced tea may contain milk

Another possible allergen has been discovered in iced tea distributed in Ohio. Smith’s Dairy Products Co. has recalled its 1-gallon containers of Smith’s Tea with Lemon because they may contain milk which is not listed among its ingredients. Additional information

Listeria found in fresh cheese

A Michigan company is recalling all lots of its fresh, Mexican-style cheeses because of possible Listeria contamination. Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese is recalling its Aguas Calientes brands of fresh cheeses after the FDA found a sample of queso fresco to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes on May 26. Additional information

House-made cioppino recalled

Sea Harvest Fish Market and Restaurant of Carmel, Calif., is recalling its house-made cioppino sauce, distributed in Ball wide-mouth jars. The sauce, made available to customers upon request, may be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, better known as botulism. Additional information

Your Recall Hit Parade

Nirav Golden Raisins

An Illinois importer of Indian foods and spices is recalling Nirav Golden Raisins because they may contain undeclared sulfites. Indian Groceries & Spices, Inc. of Skokie distributed the raisins to retail outlets in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee between Jan. 6 and Jan. 31. The recall, however, affects all Nirav Golden Raisins sold from Jan. 6 until June 10. Additional information

Smoked salmon recalled

NY Fish is recalling its I ♥ NY Fish brand Imperial-European Style Smoked Salmon in a variety of sizes and packaging. The fish, distributed to stores and wholesale distributors in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, is possibly contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The contamination was discovered during an inspection by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Additional information

Le Pain Quotidien

That little dash of morning luxury just picked up an edge of danger.  The manufacturer of Le Pain Quotidien’s Noir Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread is recalling a limited amount of the product because it may contain undeclared milk among its ingredients. The recall was issued after one customer experienced an allergic reaction. The recall affects all Le Pain Quotidien’s stores in California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington DC. Additional information

Kroger buffalo wings

Pilgrim’s Pride, the Texas-based poultry giant, is recalling Kroger brand frozen Buffalo Style Chicken Wings because they may contain undeclared allergens. Pilgrim’s Pride is recalling 608,188 pounds of frozen poultry products because they may contain milk, soy, and wheat, which are not listed on the ingredient labels. The recall covers product made from July 25, 2008 to June 8, 2009. Additional information

Ready-to-eat foods recalled

Cameco, Inc. of Verona, N.J., is recalling approximately 80,000 pounds of various ready-to-eat, precooked meat and poultry products sold under a wide range of brand names. The problem is that the items recalled may have come into contact with undercooked ham on the surfaces of equipment in the factory. The brand names effected include Appleton, Bridgford,  CV Clear Value,  Dean’s, El Primero, Fas √ Chek, Food Club, IGA, Lay’s Classic Meats, Meijer, Mrs. Stratton’s, Pro’s Ranch, Red Osgood, Quality Meats, Thank You By Cameco, and Valu Time. These products were distributed to whole sale distributors in Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, but not to private consumers. Additional information

Your Recall Hit Parade

Ground beef is on the recall list again this week, while an upstate New York dairy specializing in raw milk has suspended sales as it attempts to clear a possible Listeria contamination.

E. coli contamination in Oregon

For the first time in its 130-year history, an Oregon meat processor has issued a recall. SP Provisions of Portland has recalled nearly 40,000 pounds of ground beef after spot sampling by the USDA’s Food Sampling and Inspection service detected E. coli O157:H7. SP Provisions distributes its products to restaurants, hotels, and other institutions in Oregon and Washington, but does supply one store, Riley’s Market in Bend. Additional information

Raw milk sales suspended

Breese Hollow Dairy, an upstate New York dairy, has suspended its sale of raw milk after officials from the New York Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services found Listeria monocytogenes in a test sample. Breese Hollow is permitted by the state of New York to sell raw milk and is tested monthly by the DMCDS. Additional information

Ongoing recalls

The pistachio and peanut recalls are still underway, although there haven’t been any recalls related to the Salmonella contamination of product from Peanut Corporation of America in several weeks.

Pistachio recall information
Peanut recall information