FDA Recalls Too Slow? Is Romaine Lettuce the Source of an E. coli Outbreak? A Food Safety Vortex

Last week, the US Inspector General issued a report that criticized the FDA for not moving quickly enough to recall foods.  At the same time, an E. coli outbreak has caused illness in 17 people in the US.  While Canada has identified romaine lettuce as the causative agent in E. coli cases that occurred there, the CDC and FDA have not followed the Canadians in blaming romaine lettuce.  Of course, the US agencies have been criticized  for this and Consumer Reports has issued a news release stating the consumers avoid romaine lettuce for now.

As romaine lettuce is being pulled from the store shelves (which, if considering the short shelf-life and the time frame of the outbreak, will not amount to much), we look back at the 2008 Salmonella outbreak where tomatoes were falsely accused, and can see why the federal agencies are acting in a judicious manner.  I guess we don't expect the federal agencies to have the correct answer immediately, especially considering the tediousness of conducting an outbreak investigation, but I do agree with others saying that the agencies should be providing more information about that investigation.  Not only will it let people decide for themselves (rather than having the Canadians decide for us), but will help inform all of us of the difficulties that are entailed in an outbreak investigation.

For the consumer, there is a lot of confusion.  If you have romaine lettuce in your refrigerator, do you return it?

USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/01/02/fda-food-recalls-still-too-slow-editorials-debates/993481001/
 Why is FDA so slow on food recalls?
The Editorial Board, USA TODAY
Published 5:54 p.m. ET Jan. 2, 2018 | Updated 6:59 p.m. ET Jan. 2, 2018

This Week in Mislabeled Product for Week Ending 1/5/18

Ice Bars Recalled After Reported Complaint for Allergic Reaction - California Popsicle, Inc. dba Polly Ann Ice Cream of South San Francisco, CA is recalling ice bars, because it may contain undeclared milk.  The recall was initiated after notification by FDA of a consumer complaint in Canada.

Instant Coffee Mix Missing Milk on Label - Hong Lee Trading Inc., NY, is recalling its CHAO CAFÉ VIETNAMESE INSTANT COFFEE MIXED 3 IN 1, 384 GRAM, CONTAINER CODE JUNE 06 2018, because they contain undeclared milk allergens.  The recall was initiated after routine sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of milk allergens in the packages [of product] which did not declare a milk ingredient on the label.

Veggie Cups labeled as Fruit Cups - Condies Foods of Kearns, UT is recalling 166 cases of veggies cups because they were labeled as fruit cups.  The veggie cups had dressing  which was not on the fruit cup label so there is a possibility that this may contain undeclared milk and egg allergens. After getting an initial complaint from a customer about the label not matching the description of the product, after seeing the pictures from the email it was decided to initiate a voluntary recall to ensure that our public would not get further exposure to an erroneous product.

Eggs Left Off Label - New Seasons Market has initiated a voluntary recall of its New Seasons Market Grab and Go pre-packaged Macaroni and Cheese because it may contain undeclared egg. An employee noticed the mislabeled packages during a routine stock rotation check. New Seasons Market Macaroni and Cheese normally contains eggs, but eggs were accidentally left off the ingredients list and the “contains” allergens statement on the label.

Milk Not Declared on Label - Daisy’s Bakery Inc. of Clifton, New Jersey is recalling 4 ounce packages of Gourmet Concha, because it may contain undeclared milk. The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the milk containing product was distributed with a label that did not reveal the presence of milk. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company’s production and packaging processes.

Soy Found In Product - PFP Enterprises LLC, also doing business as Texas Meat Packers, a Fort Worth, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 7,570 pounds of ground beef products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen, soy, which is not declared on the product label. The problem was discovered when FSIS received a complaint from a school about the product’s packaging. FSIS laboratory testing confirmed that the product contained soy and added water.


https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm591278.htm
California Popsicle, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk in Ice Bars
For Immediate Release
January 3, 2018
Contact
Consumers  650-745-809

Recall Issued for Shredded Coconut After State Lab Test Positive for Salmonella

Evershing International Trading Company is recalling 16 ounces Coconut Tree Brand Frozen Shredded Coconut because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.  The issue was discovered by testing performed by the State of Massachusetts.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm591335.htm
Evershing International Trading Company Recalls Frozen Shredded Coconut Because of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
January 3, 2018

Washington Establishment Recalls Pepperoni After Receiving Metal Complaints

A Washington establishment is recalling over 4000 pounds of pepperoni sticks products after receiving 3 consumer complaints for extraneous material, specifically small metal pieces.   There have been no "confirmed" reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

USDA Recall Notice
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-001-2018-release
Hempler Foods Group, LLC Recalls Pepperoni Products due to Possible Extraneous Material Contamination
Class I Recall
001-2018
Health Risk: High
Jan 4, 2018

Recall Issued after Supermarket Chain Identifies Foreign Material in Beef Stew Product

Swift Beef Co., doing business as JBS USA Food Company, a Cactus, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 4,702 pounds of beef stew product that may be contaminated with foreign matter , specifically plastic and metal.  The problem was discovered on Dec. 24, 2017, by the HEB grocery store chain in San Antonio, Texas, when they opened boxes containing the multi-vac packages.  That same day HEB locked the sales of all stew meat from their registers and pulled all products from shelves in all the stores.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2017/recall-131-2017-release
Swift Beef Company Recalls Beef Stew Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination 
Class I Recall  
131-2017 
Health Risk: High 
Dec 26, 2017 

E. coli (STEC) Outbreak in US and Canada Under Investigation

CDC, several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections where 17 people have become ill in 13 states.   A possible link may exist to an outbreak in Canada.  While the Canadian Public Health Agency has identified romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak in Canada, no particular product has been identified in the U..

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/s1228-e-coli-outbreak.html
CDC Investigating Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections
For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 28, 2017
Contact: Media Relations
 (404) 639-3286

Ohio Company Issues Recall for Biscuits Due to the Potential for Listeria Contamination

An Ohio company,  T. Marzetti Company, is recalling biscuit products for potential Listeria contamination.  The products were sold under various store brands includign Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, and Shur Fine, and were distributed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.  According to one report, there may have been a contamination issue at one of the  T. Marzetti Company plants.

FDA Recall Notice
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm590976.htm
T. Marzetti Company Voluntarily Recalls Frozen Biscuit Dough Packed Under Various Brands Due to Potential Listeria Contamination
For Immediate Release
December 29, 2017

FDA Issues Summary of Inspection Items Listed on 483 Reports Issued in FY2017

FDA posted the summary of inspectional observation items listed on 483 reports from FY 2017 (10/2016 to 9/2017). During an inspection, ORA investigators may observe conditions they deem to be objectionable. These observations, are listed on an FDA Form 483 when, in an investigator’s judgment, the observed conditions or practices indicate that an FDA-regulated product may be in violation of FDA’s requirements. "These spreadsheets are not a comprehensive listing of all inspectional observations but represent the area of regulation and the number of times it was cited as an observation on an FDA Form 483 during inspections conducted by FDA and its representatives."

According to the posting, there were 2662 483's issued during FY 2017, compared to 2196 in 2016.    While the top 5 are similar to those listed in 2016, and most issues involve pest control, sanitation, processing concerns, and building  structure issues, there is a new item which is the Failure to Develop a FSVP (Foreign Supplier Verification Program).  The FSVP is for controlling foreign suppliers when a company not operating under Preventive Controls is importing the food.

Sliced Apples Recalled After Supplier Issued Recall of Whole Apples for Potential Listeria

Two companies are recalling sliced apple products after their supplier, Jack Brown Produce recalled whole apples for Listeria.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm590372.htm
Fresh Pak Inc. Recalls Lot Specific Sliced Apple Products Because of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
December 22, 2017