There are two produce related recalls.
- Wegman’s is recalling it Organic Spinach and Spring Mix Blend after it was linked to now 19 cases of E. coli O157:H7 cases in New York. The product was co-packed for Wegman’s by Massachusetts based Spring Garden. The product was sold between Oct 14th and Nov 1st.
- Bolthouse Foods of Bakersfield CA is recalling carrot chips. A sample of the carrot chips were tested by NC Health and found to be positive for Salmonella. There have been no reported illnesses. Product was co-packed for store brands including Safeway Farms and Supervalu’s Farm Stand.
Three more E. coli cases added to outbreak
Wegmans recalled spinach and spring mixes due to outbreak
Democrat and Chronicle.com 10:05 PM, Nov 5, 2012http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20121105/NEWS01/311050058
Three additional cases of E. coli have been linked to organic spinach and spring mix blends sold by Wegmans Food Markets.
Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the state Department of Health, said the number of cases associated with the outbreak has grown to 19 in Monroe, Niagara, Steuben, Wayne and Erie counties. He said five people had been hospitalized with the illness and that all but one had been released as of Monday afternoon.
There were 16 cases of E. coli confirmed on Friday that may have stemmed from contaminated 5- and 11-ounce clamshell packages of salad mix sold at Wegmans between Oct. 14 and Nov. 1. On Friday, the grocery chain announced a voluntary recall of nearly 31,000 pounds of the salad mix.
“We are so sorry for the worry and concern this has caused our customers,” Wegmans spokesperson Jo Natale said Monday in an email. “We will move mountains to get to the bottom of why this happened so that we can prevent it from happening again.”
While Wegmans has stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts, State Garden Inc., of Chelsea, Mass., said packages with the affected code dates were sold only in New York. Affected products were sold between Oct. 14 and Nov. 1.
The first report of E. coli associated with the spring mix, which was supplied to the grocery chain by State Garden, came to the Monroe County Department of Health on Oct. 25, said department spokesman John Ricci. Within days, the number of cases had grown to 10 — about as many as usually occurs here in a year — and officials knew they had a potential outbreak on their hands.
That set in motion a Health Department investigation, with patients being interviewed about what they had eaten, where they had eaten and where they had obtained what they ate in order to see whether there was a common factor, said Ricci.
“People often ask ‘when did you get the first case and why did it take two weeks or something for you to tell us there was an outbreak?’ ” he said. “We get reports of illnesses every day, and they’re just that at the time: reports of illnesses. We don’t really know that they’re part of an outbreak because it takes time for that to develop, then it takes time to do the investigation.”
In this case, there was an easily found common factor, but more testing needs to be done to make a definitive determination about the source of the illness. That could include DNA fingerprinting the E. coli found in the spring mix and found in the sickened people to see if they match.
In a press release, State Garden said it was fully cooperating with all federal and state authorities in connection with the matter.
Hammond said the state Department of Health is continuing to work with the local county departments to investigate the illnesses.
Joe Morrissey, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, said his agency was collecting product samples and working with Wegmans, the Department of Health and the federal Food and Drug Administration
“Generally speaking, when there is a food recall, we conduct trace back and trace forward investigations of the specific food involved,” he said. “If the product is produced within New York state, we investigate at the point of manufacture or packing. If it is manufactured outside of New York state, we refer the case to the FDA and work with them.”
According to the Wegmans website, the spring mix recall is the fifth this year of one of the grocer’s house-brand products. The other items were separately recalled due to production or processing errors: pumpkin rolls were recalled on Oct. 30 due to possible contamination with pieces of plastic; various gluten-free baking mixes were recalled Oct. 26 because they may have contained soy that was not mentioned on the label; licorice snaps were recalled Sept. 6 due to possibly elevated levels of naturally occurring lead in some ingredients; and cans of corn chowder were recalled July 13 because they may have contained pieces of a marker pen.
There have been more than 100 food products recalled nation-wide just within the past 60 days, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s website. Many of those recalls are related to a massive, ongoing recall related to a New Mexico peanut butter producer and co-packer of nut butters linked to nearly three dozen salmonella cases across 20 states. Others were recalled for production problems such as mislabeling, undeclared allergens and possible contamination with food-borne pathogens.
Natale said customers are usually notified of product recalls through phone calls — if they purchased items using their Shopper’s Club card — or through postings inside the stores and on the company’s website, and through social and traditional media.
“We are doing everything we know to prevent such occurrences, and we are constantly asking ourselves ‘What more can be done?’ ” she said.
FDA News Release
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. Announces Recall of 5 oz. and 11 oz. Organic Spinach &
Spring Mix Blend - May be Contaminated with E.coli O157 H:7
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm326782.htm?source=govdelivery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 2, 2012 - Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is recalling approximately 31,000 lbs. of Wegmans Organic Spinach and Spring Mix sold in 5 oz. (UPC 77890 16437) and 11 oz. (UPC 77890 16411) clam shell packages in the produce department of its stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts between October 14 and November 1 due to possible E.coli O157 H:7.
The product is supplied to Wegmans by State Garden, Inc. based in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
The product, a blend of organic spinach and spring mix, has been associated with 16 reported illnesses in New York State from E.coli O157 H:7, which may cause a diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. The symptoms usually appear about three days after exposure, but can range from one to nine days. Although most people recover without specific treatment in five to 10 days, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death. If you have consumed Wegmans Organic Spinach & Spring Mix and have experienced any symptoms such as diarrhea or abdominal cramps, please contact your health care provider.
Wegmans has worked closely with the New York State Department of Health and Department of Agriculture and Markets since learning that illnesses may be associated with this product.
Test results indicate that only product with a use-by-date of October 23 is connected to the reported illnesses, but out of an abundance of caution Wegmans has removed all code dates of the product from its stores and has placed phone calls to all customers who purchased the product using their Shopper Club card, regardless of the code date purchased.
Consumers who have purchased this product should discard any that remains in their homes and visit the service desk at Wegmans for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Wegmans consumer affairs department toll free at 1(800) WEGMANS (934-6267) Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is an 81-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
Bolthouse Farms amends to carrot chip recall
The Packer 11/05/2012 12:07:25 PM
Pamela Riemenschneiderhttp://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/Bolthouse-Farms-adds-to-carrot-chip-recall-177284991.html
Bakersfield, Calif.-based Bolthouse Farms added two product codes to a voluntary recall of 5,600 cases of its 16-ounce bags of carrot chips.
The two new products are private labels, Safeway Farms and Supervalu’s Farm Stand, and are from the same use-by dates of Nov. 12-13 mentioned in the original Nov. 1 recall.
Bolthouse Farms spokesman Todd Putman said the additions were made after the company combed its records.
"As we got into the details, we realized there were substitutions of Bolthouse Farms product in the Safeway and Supervalu brands," he said. "The product was exactly the same, but the packaging of the product was different."
Putman said the recalled product accounted for les than 2% of the company’s sales during the timeframe it was produced.
A routine sample conducted Oct. 22 by a North Carolina official triggered the voluntary recall due to a possible salmonella contamination. The company was notified Oct. 31 of the sample, and it initiated the recall on Nov. 1. No other Bolthouse Farms products are affected by this recall.
About 5,600 cases were affected, and were shipped to retail customers in the U.S. and Canada.
Lots included in this recall have use-by dates of Nov. 12 and Nov. 13, Universal Produce Code 71464 17209 and lots BF 212 J 11 and BF 212 J 12. The amended lots include Safeway Farms use-by Nov. 13, 06 T XXXX S2682 BF 212 J12 286 and Farm Stand use-by Nov 12-13 BF 212 J11-12.
According to an FDA news release, the Safeway Farms Carrot Chips were sold in Safeway stores in Ketchikan, Alaska; Arizona; California; Hawaii; Idaho; Montana; Nevada; New Mexico; Oregon; and Washington; and Carrs stores in Juneau, Alaska; Pak ‘N Save stores in California; Randalls stores in Texas and Tom Thumb stores in Texas.
No illnesses have been reported.
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