Introduction of Peanuts During Infancy Reduces Risk of Peanut Allergies

Research has shown that the introduction of peanuts during infancy can reduce the risk of developing peanut allergies later in life.  NIH released findings that this strategy will not have an impact on infant health or eating habits including breast feeding.

This should be an important consideration for new mothers in preventing a potentially life-threatening allergenic reaction for their children

National Institutes of Health
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/peanut-allergy-prevention-strategy-nutritionally-safe-nih-funded-study-shows
Peanut allergy prevention strategy is nutritionally safe, NIH-funded study shows
Friday, June 10, 2016

FDA Recall Program Performing Poorly?

The US Office of Office of Inspector General for HHS is conducting an audit of FDA's recall program.  In their preliminary report, they found that FDA was not acting fast enough.  In this report this statement was made:

"We found that FDA did not have an efficient and effective food recall initiation process that helps ensure the safety of the Nation’s food supply. Specifically, FDA did not have policies and procedures to ensure that firms or responsible parties (collectively referred to in this document as "firms") initiated voluntary food recalls promptly. This issue is a significant matter and requires FDA’s immediate attention."

In response, FDA issued a statement, and in that, wrote:

"FDA oversaw thousands of food recalls, with an average time for recall initiation of less than a week. A small number of these recalls fell well outside of that average, with months passing before all impacted products were taken off shelves, even though the FDA notified the companies involved of a contamination as soon as it had evidence."

FDA News Release
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm505926.htm
Statement on HHS OIG Early Alert on FDA food recall initiation process
For Immediate Release
June 9, 2016

Adult Multivitamin Gummies Recalled After Company Fails to Complete Testing for Salmonella and Staph

Nature Made is recalling their Gummies Adult Multivitamins after they found that Salmonella and Staphylococcus testing was not properly completed on the batches those batches recalled.

It is hard to know the risk of these products without knowing the test results the company had found on a historical basis.  One would guess minimal.

FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm505706.htm
FDA Recall Notice
Nature Made® Recalls Various Products Because of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
June 8, 2016

Food Loss and Waste Standard Published

Food waste is continuing to become a bigger issue.  A group of 'leading' international organizations have written a standard for measuring food loss and waste.  As major retailers push for food loss and waste reductions, these standards can be used to measure that.

In the IFT release:

"In 2015, The Consumer Goods Forum, which represents more than 400 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries, adopted a resolution for its members to reduce food waste from their operations by 50% by 2025, with baselines and progress to be measured using the FLW Standard."

IFT Weekly
http://www.ift.org/food-technology/newsletters/ift-weekly-newsletter/2016/june/060816.aspx
June 8, 2016
Organizations partner to introduce food loss, waste global standard

Snack Items Recalled After Supplier's Supplier Has Peanut Allergen Cross Contact Issue

Frito Lay and Hostess announced recalls of a number of their flour containing snacks after their supplier found that peanut allergen may be present in the flour they provided.  That supplier, Grain Craft, announced that the issue came from one of their suppliers, a flour mill in Georgia (where there are plenty of peanuts).  Hostess has reported two potential allergen issues, Frito Lay has not had any reports of issues.
 Grain Craft stated in their press release:

"These recent recalls bring to light the challenge of agricultural cross-contact, which is the result of customary methods of growing, harvesting and shipping of wheat and other agricultural products."

So was Grain Craft managing peanut allergen as a potential hazard?  It was not stated in their press release [attached below].

 

So if your company is buying bulk wheat flour, good time to assess whether peanut allergen can be a risk.  Part of that will be checking with the supplier to see if they are controlling allergens as part of their food safety procedures, especially when they are sourcing their product from various mills.

  

CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/07/health/rold-gold-hostess-recalls-pretzels-snacks/

Rold Gold pretzels, Hostess snacks recalled for possible peanut contamination

By Debra Goldschmidt, CNN

Updated 7:01 PM ET, Tue June 7, 2016

 

Companies Issue Recalls after Sunflower Seed Supplier Expands Recall Again

(This is a updated rerelease of the June 7 posting to include added recall notices).
A number of companies are recalling sunflower seed containing food items after SunOptima has expanded their recall  to include all product produced since last May.

• Hershey Issues Voluntary Recall of SoFit Products Due to Expanded Supplier Recall of Sunflower Seeds
• Rucker's Wholesale and Service Co. Recalls Sunflower Kernel, Sweet & Salty Mix, Cajun Hot Mix
• Taylors Candy Inc. Recalls "Stuckey’s Sunflower Kernels" Because of Possible Health Risk
• SunOpta Announces Second Expansion of Voluntarily Recall on Market District Pre-Packaged and Bulk Sunflower Seeds Sold at Market District Stores [Giant Eagle]
• Maranatha Brand Voluntarily Recalls Certain Lots of Sunflower Seed Butter
• Brown & Haley Expands Voluntary Recall of Mountain Thins “Trail Mix” Flavor
• Kashi Company Expands Recalls of Impacted Products
• Harvest Expands Recall of Certain Sunflower Kernel Products
• Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Sunflower Seed Containing Products
• Hy-Vee Voluntarily Expands Recalls to include One Salad Topping and Additional Trail Mix Products 
• First Source Expanded Recall Of "Various Products Containing Sunflower Kernels 

Listeria monocytogenes is 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.
Recalls Information listed here:

Crows and Other Wild Birds Are Sources of Campylobacter and Salmonella

A recent article calls attention to the fact that crows can be the source of pathogens, specifically looking at Campylobacter jejuni where 60% of crows carried this pathogen.  Crows of course, fly far and wide, and can get into area where food is raised, harvested and stored.  And areas where people are.

This is nothing new, as many studies have found pathogens in  wild bird poop including Campylobacter and Salmonella.  One study showed that Salmonella can grow in goose poop and be present after one month.  Another study collected bird dropping from a playground and from that suggested "that feces from wild birds in playgrounds could contribute to the occurrence of campylobacteriosis in preschool children"

Something to think about as you see that stain on your car, outdoor furniture, or kid's playset.


Science Daily
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160604050954.htm

Crowds of crows spread C. jejuni: Are humans vulnerable?

Date:June 4, 2016

Source:American Society for Microbiology

Sunflower Seed Supplier Expands Recall Again

SunOptima has expanded its expanded recall for product out of it Crookston, MN facility .  This is the 3rd recall.  The initial recall on  May 3rd focused on February production and then the first recall expansion announced on May 18th increased included the size of the recall to include production from February through April.  This latest expansion now includes production before February, going all the way back to May of 2015.

FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm504808.htm
FURTHER EXPANDED Recall Period of Certain Sunflower Kernel Products Due to Possible Contamination by Listeria Monocytogenes
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2016

Raw Chicken Juice - Understanding the Risk for Foodborne Illness from Campylobacter

Do people understand the risk when opening that package of raw chicken breasts?  Are they concerned about safe handling of the packaging material and the associated raw chicken juice (or more technically, the exudate)?  Maybe not as much as they should.

A recent study looked at the prevalence of Campylobacter, one of the leading causes of sporadic diarrheal illness in the US, within the package as well as on the outside of the package.  They found that Campylobacter was present in the chicken juice in 60% of packages where the chicken juice was tested.   As for the packaging, none of the outer surfaces had Campylobacter, except for one of the packages that was leaking.

Campylobacter is a commonly found on raw chicken, found on the surface of both skin-on and skin-off chicken, whether parts or whole.  Within the package, it can be found in the juice that comes off the bird, the surface of the bird, and the inner packaging.  Because of this, it is important that consumers not only properly handle the chicken meat, but also the packaging and any dripping chicken juice from the bird or the package.  Drops of chicken juice should be cleaned properly as you go.   Of course, handwashing is critical after handling the meat and the package.   It is also important to purchase packages that are not leaking and to make sure that the less-than-attentive store clerk bags the raw chicken separate from the other foods (in plastic).

Since chicken juice is clear, unlike exudate from red meat which is red in color, drops are more easily missed, or perhaps, not given the same attention.  However from a pathogen standpoint, this research shows that there is a high risk level for pathogen contamination in that chicken juice.

Detection of Campylobacter on the Outer Surface of Retail Broiler Chicken Meat Packages and on Product Within 
Food Protection Trends, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 176-182, May 2016
Volume 36, Issue 3: Pages 176–182
https://www.foodprotection.org/publications/food-protection-trends/archive/2016-05-detection-of-campylobacter-on-the-outer-surface-of-retail-broiler-chicken-meat-packages-and-/