Report on Food Recalls Fails

In a recent report put out by a public interest group, they claim that grocers do a poor job in communicating recall information.  In "Food Recall Failure Will your supermarket warn you about hazardous food?, the group gave the grocers a failing grade.  Their primary reason, so it seems, the grocers did not send the group the information they requested.  Then the firm conducted their one investigation based on their evaluation of a company's procedures.

Whatever.  This is more of a headline grab than a real evaluation.  Actual evidence will show that grocery stores do a pretty good job at removing items from the shelves, and contacting consumers as best they can.  Can they do better, sure, but it is not the catastrophic failure the article makes it to be.

This is the same group that released "New report: Meat recalls remain high; produce and processed food recalls drop".  One of their top findings - "The most hazardous meat and poultry recalls (Class I) have nearly doubled, up 85 percent percent since 2013. This is a slight increase from 2018. Total meat and poultry recalls are up 65 percent since 2013."  There was no evaluation into what the recalls were, but more of a insinuation that it is all extremely dangerous, when in fact, many of the recalls are either related to allergens or physical material contamination,  or are proactive due to a potential issue, not an actual issue.

FDA Releases Draft Industry Guidance for Voluntary Recalls

FDA issued a draft guidance on how to issue a voluntary recall.  (This draft guidance is listed FDA's webpage Industry Guidance for Recalls which has a number of valuable links including Model Press Releases. - https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls/industryguidance/default.htm)

"The draft guidance discusses what preparations firms in a distribution chain, including manufacturers and distributors, should consider making to establish recall initiation procedures; to ensure timely identification of, and response to, product problems that might lead  to a recall; and to promptly issue recall communications and press releases or other public notices. It also discusses preparations firms in the distribution chain should consider making to ensure timely responses to a recall communication. Additionally, it discusses how FDA assists firms with carrying out their recall responsibilities to protect the public health from distributed products in violation" of federal regulations.

Firms should be recall ready.
1. General Preparations

Amazon Discusses Monitoring for Food Safety Issues and Conducting Recalls

An interesting read in Food Engineering Magazine on how Amazon scans consumer complaints for food safety issues and how the company handles recalls.  

With over 300 million customers worldwide, the company moves a lot of product.  And with that, there will be complaints.  But going through "16 million pieces of customer feedback per week, in more than 40 languages" to find issues is not easy.   In addition, there are postings on social media sites and product reviews. The company employs machine learning computer systems that go beyond keyword identification to understand "context, sentiment, and sentence structure."

For recalls, the company uses emails to contact customers  with instructions for return and if relevant, a refund.  The success rate with emails is stated as 68.8 percent of the messages sent were opened.
The company also quarantines inventory preventing the product from being shipped or reordered.  Then the company also removes inventory from the supply chain by returning or destroying products.

Food Engineering Magazine
https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97693-how-amazon-handles-food-safety-recalls
How Amazon handles food safety, recalls
Amazon VP Careltt Ooton explains how the company uses Natural Language Processing to scan customer feedback and constantly monitor for food safety issues
August 17, 2018
Crystal Lindell

FDA Enforcement Report - Week of August 30, 2017 - Summary

FDA's Weekly Enforcement Reports - Whereas not all recalls are announced in the media or on FDA's Recalls press release page, all recalls go into FDA's Enforcement Report once they are classified according to the level of hazard involved.

As a way to see more fully issues occurring, we thought we might summarize the food related items (allergen issues are posted on This Week in Mislabeled Product).

• Go-Fresh of MN and Fresh Venture of CA Mary's Harvest Fresh Foods, Inc. of OR were impacted when firm test results found potential E-coli O26 contamination in Broccoli Florets. This has impacted a number of brands. - Class 2
• Lakeside Foods of WI is recalling french style green beans for potential Listeria contamination.  This company has has Listeria contamination issues in the past.  Class 2
• Koogee-Queen Anne, of KY is recalling ice bream products due to E. coli and high coliform counts. - Class 2

It is interesting to note how these recalls were classified.  The recalls for broccoli due to E. coli O26 and for green beans due to Listeria were classified as Class 2 recalls even though these are serious pathogen.  This is because the packages had validated cooking instructions, with the thought that proper cooking would minimize the risk of these pathogens.   Now if these pathogens had genetic matches to a serious outbreak as determined by WGS, then this would be a different story.

Simple Errors Lead to Allergen Related Recalls

Two recent recalls are a reminder how simple mistakes can lead to allergen recalls. In one case, the wrong label was placed on the product. In the other case, the wrong product got into the bags, probably from insufficient clean-out.

It is required that foods having two or more ingredients list those ingredients including allergens. The two most common (and simple) errors are that 1) the wrong labels are put on the product and 2) the wrong product gets into the package. In the first of these two recalls, egg salad was labeled as chicken salad. In the other, bags of animal cracker cookies had other types of cookies in the bag. Neither issue resulted in illness (except perhaps for the plant manager or the quality manager who had to deal with the recall). However, both recalls have cost, in terms of time to deal with the issue and those associated with locating and retrieving product.
A bread company is recalling bread because milk was left off the ingredient statement.

Too often companies look at tight labeling controls as draconian, requiring personnel to do more than they need to do, but in the end, this extra precaution can save a lot of time and money.

USDA Recall Notice
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/FSIS-Content/internet/main/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2017/rnr-007-2017
Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc. Recalls Chicken Salad Products Due To Misbranding
Class III Recall 007-2017
Jan 18, 2017
Congressional and Public Affairs  Veronika Medina   (202) 720-9113

Additional Recalls Linked to Powdered Dairy Milk Recall

Secondary recalls, or recalls issued for using an ingredient that was recalled, are coming in the aftermath of the dairy powder recall earlier this month. Last week, 2 recalls were issued by two different companies for pancake and waffle mix.

These recalls listed here have the dairy powder product being used as an ingredient.  In some, they are part of the dough mix.  In other product, the dairy powder was used as an ingredient in the flavor / seasoning mix.  The concern would be if the mix were to get onto a surface that was not then adequately cleaned, or if product made with the mix was not adequately cooked.

FDA RECALL NOTICES

Three Recalls of Cooked Meat Products After Customers Complained of Undercooked Appearance

In the past few weeks, there have been three recalls of cooked meat products after customers/consumers complained that the product appeared to be undercooked.  The recalls were for firms located in OK, GA, and MO.  It is interesting in that these companies must have not been able to demonstrate that the suspect products had been properly cooked, and thus, they felt the need to do a recall.

Of course if the meat had not been fully cooked, there is the potential for pathogens such as Salmonella.


http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2016/recall-115-2016-release
National Steak and Poultry Recalls Food Service Ready-To-Eat Chicken That May Be Undercooked
Class I Recall115-2016
Health Risk: HighNov 23, 2016

Recall Summary for the 2014 Holiday Season

To catch up on the recalls over the holiday 12/23/14 to 1/4/15),  here is a quick summary (minus Carmel Apples)

1) First, there were ice cream recalls in ice cream products due to Listeria.  They are linked to one supplier, Snoqualmie Gourmet.
 
FDA Recall Notice - 1/3/15
Full Tilt Ice Cream Recalls All Dairy Based Ice Cream Products Except Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts Because of Possible Health Risk

WA based company recalls ice cream due to Listeria. The product contained an ingredient that was recalled by another company.

FDA Recall Notice - 1/3/15
Pink’s Ice Cream Recalls All Ice Cream Flavors Except the Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Because of Possible Health Risk
This is another Washington based company recalling because of an ingredient was recalled.

FDA Recall Notice
Great Feeling Foods, LLC Recalls Groove Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches Because of Possible Health Risk

FDA Recall Notice
Updated Release By Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Ice Cream, Gelato, Custard And Sorbet Because Of Possible Health Risk

 
2) Cheese products were also recalled due to Listeria.
One set was related to Bleating Heart Cheese.
 
FDA Recall Notice - 12/31/14
Whole Foods Market Voluntarily Recalls Cut, Wrapped and Weighed Bleating Heart-Brand Cheeses in Arizona, California and Hawaii Because of Possible Health Risk
"Whole Foods Market is recalling cheese sold in Arizona, California and Hawaii that came from its supplier Bleating Heart Cheeses because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes......"

And Bleating Heart Cheese is expanding their recall.
Bleating Heart Cheese Expanding Voluntary Recall To Include All Cheese Produced Between February 14, 2014 To September 19, 2014

And another recall was a raw milk cheddar product recalled in MI.
Farm Country Cheese House Recalls Raw Milk Cheddar Because Of Possible Contamination With Listeria Monocytogenes


3) There were two separate recalls of pet treats due to Salmonella.

FDA Recall Notice - 12/31/14
Jump Your Bones, Inc. Recalls Roo Bites (Cubes) Pet Treats Because of Possible Salmonella Contamination
These pet treats are being recalled due to the potential to be contaminated by Salmonella.  No illnesses have been reported.

FDA Recall Notice - 12/24/14
Barkworthies® Issues Nationwide Recall of Chicken Vittles Dog Chews
This recall was initiated after CO Department of Ag found a sample positive for Salmonella.


4) And there was a recall of nut products due to the potential for Salmonella.

FDA Recall Notice 12/30/14
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Fisher Brand 8 oz. Chopped Walnuts and Fisher Brand 8 oz. Pecan Cookie Pieces Because of Possible Health Risk


5) A recall of Bruschetta due to the potential for glass.
American Roland Food Corp. Recalls Two Lots of Roland(R) Bruschetta

6) There were some allergen recalls as well for Hummus, Bread Crumbs, Superfoods Rice, and spice products.

High number of product recalls lowering consumers attentiveness

Interesting story in USAToday on the high number of product recalls and the impact on consumers. 

Last year there were 2,363 product recalls. Are things worse…probably not. Rather, the high number is due to an increased amount of testing and better regulatory oversight as well as the impact of social media (reporting by consumers).   However, the negative impact of the high number of recalls is that people are probably not paying as much attention…there is no shock value. This can become an issue if a recall is due to a significant hazard that can impact consumer’s health. 

This increasing lack of concern by consumers puts additional burden on manufacturers and retailers on ways to ensure that people take appropriate action when a recall occurs….or to make it right the first time.  

Surge in products being recalled may be numbing consumersBy Christopher Doering, Gannett Washington Bureau  
USA Today 6/10/12http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/story/2012-06-08/product-recall-surge-consumer-fatigue/55466398/1

U.S. regulators, retailers and manufacturers are growing increasingly concerned that a surge in the number of products being recalled is resulting in "fatigue" by the public — increasing the chance that consumers could ignore or miss a recall that could ultimately endanger their health.

Consumers last year were deluged with 2,363 recalls, or about 6.5 recalls each day, covering consumer products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and food, according to data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recalls announced mark a nearly 14 percent increase from 2,081 in 2010 and compare with about 1,460 in 2007.

Experts say the increase is the result of a combination of greater oversight by regulators, better testing procedures and the use of social media where consumers can quickly point out and discuss problems with other people.

"We're experiencing recall fatigue in my mind at the consumer level and also perhaps at the business level, and we all have to worry about that," said Mike Rozembajgier, vice president of recalls for Stericycle ExpertRecall, an Indianapolis-based firm which has provided advice and helped major U.S. companies, including Merck, General Electric and Wendy's, carry out recalls.

"We have this growing concern for safety, but with there being so many recalls going on (is the public) paying attention to them and responding to them in a manner that is necessary for the recalls to be handled effectively?" he said.

This year alone hundreds of recalls have already been announced. Pfizer recalled birth control pills after it was found there may have been an inexact number of pills that also could have been out of sequence, increasing the chance of an unintended pregnancy. IKEA asked its customers to return about 169,000 high chairs because the restraint buckle could open unexpectedly. And Dole warned the public not to eat a lettuce salad mix because of a possible health risk from salmonella.

Retailers and government regulators are increasingly struggling to reach people who may not know about a recall, or choose to ignore it despite the potential dangers. A 2009 study conducted by Rutgers found 12% of Americans ate food they knew had been recalled and 40% admitted never having looked for recalled products in their homes.

Increasingly, retailers and government agencies are expanding the methods they use to communicate with the public — from social-media technologies such as Twitter and Facebook to more traditional methods such as phone calls and postings within their stores. But the same methods that prove successful in reaching one customer could just as easily be ignored by another.

"We don't feel that our members are getting bombarded but certainly the general public is and sooner or later you don't know what to believe," said Craig Wilson, vice president for quality assurance and food safety at the warehouse giant Costco.

The 602-store warehouse chain uses data supplied from its estimated 60 million members and notifies them within 24 hours if they've purchased a recalled item. It then follows up with a letter. The result is that customers return about 90% of recently recalled products and, in the case of major recalls such as when a food product could cause serious health problems or death, Costco gets "the majority of everything that was sold back."

But Wilson says the national recall system "doesn't work as designed" and that consumers and retailers alike would benefit from a single, uniform network. He says the CPSC, USDA and FDA each have a different recall system with unique requirements, making it more difficult for companies like his to make sure they are complying with the rules.

At Rochester, New York-based Wegmans, the grocery chain has a detailed recall plan that can require hundreds of people to carry out. The 81-store East Coast chain follows a recall protocol increasingly common among retailers: posting recall information on its web page and within stores for customers, notifying its followers using social media tools and, when possible, calling individuals who may have used a store card for the purchase.

"We do what we can to protect our customers but then our customers have to protect themselves and they can't do that unless they have the information," said Jeanne Colleluori with Wegmans. Last year alone, Colleluori said Wegmans participated in about 40 recalls, and the retailer was ahead of that pace in 2012 with about 16 recalls as of early May.

Businesses can ease the burden of a recall on their reputation and bottom line by being honest and upfront with their customers and crafting a response plan before any recall occurs that outlines what they will do with the public, media and regulators, industry watchers say.

"Many companies are being criticized not because they are not doing the right thing but because they are taking too long," said Sophie Ann Terrisse, chief executive of STC Associates, a brand-management firm.

She said some firms fail to estimate the work needed to conduct a recall and quickly become overwhelmed, leading to slow responses or poor customer service from representatives who don't have the time or know how to respond properly. "Things can get out of hand very quickly and it's hard to recover from that" for the brand and the company's core audience, said Terrisse.
Companies involved in recalls all say their primary concern is protecting the public — but they also have a business interest as well. "Our concern is for our customers but we have to protect our name as well, and we are very much aware that when there is a recall if it is a Wegmans brand product our reputation is at stake," said Wegmans' Colleluori.

Salmonella outbreak linked to Ground Poultry

(My comments are in parenthesis and italicized.)

Cargill Meat Solutions is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak with 79 infected individuals in 26 states.  Of that, 22 have been hospitalized and there has been one death.

Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, a Springdale, Ark. establishment, announced the recall on August 3^rd after learning their product may be contaminated with a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg.  (One probable reason for the delay is the wide distribution of the cases and more importantly, the long time period over which the cases occurred.  CDC receives many reports each day, and it can be difficult in identifying trends when there is only a case or two coming in at a time).

The products subject to recall today bear the establishment number "P-963" inside the USDA mark of inspection

According to the CDC on August 1^st, a total of 77 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 26 states between March 1 and August 1, 2011. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows:AL (1), AZ (2), CA (6), GA (1), IA (1), IL (7), IN (1), KY (2), LA (1), MA (1), MI (10), MN (1), MO (2), MS (1), NC (1), NE (2), NV (1), NY (2), OH (10), OK (1), OR (1), PA (5), SD (3), TN (2), TX (9), and WI (3).

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening to some with weakened immune systems.

It is important that all poultry products be cooked to the proper temperature of 165ºF.  It is also important to prevent cross contamination through thorough hand washing after handling raw meat products such as poultry and to clean any surfaces that have come into contact with raw poultry including knives and cutting boards. Consumers with questions about this recall should contact Cargill's consumer relations toll free telephone number at 1-888-812-1646. (People tend to undercooked or mishandle ground meat, whether it is ground beef or ground turkey.  Additionally, it is very difficult to use color or firmness as an indicator of doneness when cooking raw ground poultry – the safest way to measure doneness is to use a thermometer, making sure ground poultry has reached 165ºF).

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_060_2011_Release/index.asp?s_cid=w_c_sms_cont_001

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/heidelberg/080111/index.html

 

http://www.cargill.com/news-center/news-releases/2011/NA3047807.jsp

Recall, recalls, recalls

Over  the first two weeks of March, 2011, there were a number of recalls and one that wasn’t (see next-to-bottom).

Hazelnuts - Seven cases of E.coliO157:H7 in the upper midwest US related to In-shell hazelnuts.  More often, Salmonella is a concern in nuts, so this, while not totally unexpected, is unusual.

UPDATE March 10, 2011: Laboratory testing conducted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on in-shell hazelnuts recovered from a patient's home has identified E. coli O157:H7 matching patient isolates by DNA analysis. Please see the Minnesota Department of Health press release¹.

March 4, 2011 - DeFranco and Sons of Los Angeles, CA, is voluntarily recalling bulk and consumer-packaged in-shell, hazelnut and mixed nut products containing hazelnuts because they may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria (E. coli O157:H7). The recall was initiated after the nut products were linked to 7 illnesses in the states of MI, MN, and WI. To-date, no E. coli 0157:H7 has been detected in the nut products; however, we are notifying our valued consumers and customers out of an abundance of caution.

http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2011/hazelnuts0157/index.html

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm245902.htm

http://www.newberggraphic.com/news/2011/March/11/Local.News/george.packing.hazelnuts.suspected.in.e.coli.outbreak/news.aspx http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/03/oregon_hazelnuts_look_at_food.html

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches – Listeria monocytogenes – this is a case where LM was detected in a product where growth  of that organism is unlikely.

Mar 11, 2011 - Pierre Foods is voluntarily recalling one lot, 320 cases of Pierre^TM pb jamwich, crustless peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, because they have the potential to be contaminated with 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 sandwiches were distributed to Giant-Carlisle stores in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

The PierreTM pb jamwich comes in a 12-count red carton and is sold in the freezer section of the grocery store. The product in question is stamped “Best if purchased by 03-11-2011” in the lower right hand corner. The UPC code is 7599921368.

This recall is being conducted out of an abundance of caution after Listeria monocytogenes was detected in one product sample. After discussions with the FDA, Pierre Foods elected to recall the product to ensure consumer safety. There have been no reported illnesses or consumer complaints.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm247000.htm

Bologna – staph toxin – product was not properly processed, so there was concern that Staph could grow and produce toxin

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2011 - Zweigle's Inc., a Rochester, N.Y., establishment, is recalling approximately 2,997 pounds of bologna products that may be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_018_2011_Release/index.asp

Ground beef  - E.coli O157:H7

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2011 - Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, an Arkansas City, Kan., establishment, is recalling approximately 14,158 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.  Each case label bears the establishment number "EST. 27" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_017_2011_Release/index.asp

Lean Cuisine Meatballs – Meatballs have foreign material – discovered by company through receiving numerous consumer complaints.

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2011 -Nestle Prepared Foods Company, Gaffney, S.C., establishment, is recalling approximately 10,260 pounds of frozen spaghetti and meatball entrees that may contain foreign materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The products subject to recall include: [View Label]

• 9.5-oz. packages of “Lean Cuisine Simple Favorites, Spaghetti with Meatballs.”

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_021_2011_Release/index.asp

Skippy Peanut Butter  - Salmonella – potential, no illnesses

March 4, 2011 - Unilever United States, Inc. today announced a limited recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). No other Skippy® products are affected by this recall.

The product was distributed to retail outlets in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm245897.htm

Milk – Alkaline phosphatase is used as a marker to ensure that pasteurization was complete.

March 11, 2011 - Waco, Texas (March 11, 2011) – The Oak Farms Dairy plant in Waco is voluntarily recalling half gallon plastic bottles of whole chocolate milk, half pint paper cartons of whole chocolate milk, and half pint paper cartons of 1% chocolate milk due to the presence of Alkaline Phosphatase found in samples during routine testing. Oak Farms Dairy has received no reports of illnesses related to the affected product and is removing the product from the market out of an abundance of caution.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm246920.htm

Ga. Dept of Agriculture regrets ‘error' on Salmonella recall; McCormick does separate recall – This error did not get as much press as the initial recall notice.  Evidently, they reissued a recall from last year.  Georgia seems to have their issues.  However, McCormick did

http://www.ajc.com/business/ga-dept-of-agriculture-871124.html

Batter Mix However, McCormick did recall batter mix for allergens.
March 4, 2011 - McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) has announced a voluntary recall of Golden Dipt® Tempura Seafood Batter Mix 8 OZ, with UPC Code 4123470132 and “BEST BY” date of OCT 08 12 H.  A very limited number of packages of Golden Dipt® Tempura Seafood Batter Mix with this date code contain an undeclared milk ingredient.  People who have an allergy to milk run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reactions if they consume this product.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm245969.htm