A California avocado packing house is recalling avocados "due to positive test results on environmental samples taken during a routine government inspection at its California packing facility." Henry Avocado Corporation is voluntarily recalling California-grown whole avocados sold in bulk at retail stores.
"The recalled products – California-grown conventional and organic avocados -- were packed at Henry Avocado’s packing facility in California and distributed in Arizona, California, Florida New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin. All shipments from the packing facility are subject to the recall (Henry Avocado did not begin packing there until late January 2019). Avocados imported from Mexico and distributed by Henry Avocado are not subject to the recall and may continue to be sold and consumed."
Is the risk high? Hard to tell because we don't know whether the avocados themselves were contaminated and if so, to what degree the contaminate on the outside of the avocado would be transferred to the internal flesh. The concern is that someone making a product like guacamole would not properly wash the avocado and the contaminate would be transferred to the internal flesh as the person sliced and prepared the guacamole. The potential for growth increases risk as the guacamole is more neutral in pH and would not inhibit growth. Long storage even at refrigeration temperature also increases risk in that Listeria can grow at refrigeration temperatures albeit slower than if the product were temperature abused.
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm634230.htm
Henry Avocado Recalls Whole Avocados Because Of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
March 23, 2019
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Pet Food Company Expands Recall for Elevated Vitamin D
Hill’s Pet Nutrition is expanding its recall of select canned dog food products due to elevated levels of vitamin D, an issue that was caused by the same vitamin premix received from a U.S. supplier that was the issue that led to a recall in January. "Pet Nutrition learned of the potential for elevated vitamin D levels in some of our canned dog foods after receiving a complaint in the United States about a dog exhibiting signs of elevated vitamin D levels. Our investigation confirmed elevated levels of vitamin D due to a supplier error."
From the recall notice, "Following that recall, we conducted a detailed review of all canned dog foods potentially impacted by the vitamin premix with elevated levels of vitamin D. This review included: analyzing consumer complaints; reviewing veterinarian medical consultations; auditing our supplier; and reviewing our own manufacturing and quality procedures. We then did additional product testing to ensure we had taken all appropriate action. Our review determined that there were additional products affected by that vitamin premix, and it is for that reason that we are expanding the recall. Hill’s has received a limited number of complaints of pet illness related to some of these products."
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm634087.htm
Hill’s Pet Nutrition Expands Voluntary Recall of Select Canned Dog Food for Elevated Vitamin D
For Immediate Release
March 20, 2019
From the recall notice, "Following that recall, we conducted a detailed review of all canned dog foods potentially impacted by the vitamin premix with elevated levels of vitamin D. This review included: analyzing consumer complaints; reviewing veterinarian medical consultations; auditing our supplier; and reviewing our own manufacturing and quality procedures. We then did additional product testing to ensure we had taken all appropriate action. Our review determined that there were additional products affected by that vitamin premix, and it is for that reason that we are expanding the recall. Hill’s has received a limited number of complaints of pet illness related to some of these products."
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm634087.htm
Hill’s Pet Nutrition Expands Voluntary Recall of Select Canned Dog Food for Elevated Vitamin D
For Immediate Release
March 20, 2019
Friday, March 15, 2019
USDA FSIS Releases Guidance on Responding to Consumer Complaints for Meat and Poultry Operations
USDA FSIS released a 'best practices' for handling customer complaints for meat and poultry operations. This was issued after the numerous complaints of foreign objects
By regulation, firms are to notify USDA FSIS if the firm finds the product is adulterated. So technically, if complaints are received that there is a foreign material, the product is adulterated. This is to be done within 24hrs.
"The purpose of this guideline is to provide industry with reference material on best practices for responding to customer complaints of adulterated and misbranded meat and poultry products. FSIS developed this document in response to an increase in the number of recalls of meat and poultry products adulterated with foreign materials. In many cases, the recalling establishments had received multiple customer complaints prior to these recalls."
By regulation, firms are to notify USDA FSIS if the firm finds the product is adulterated. So technically, if complaints are received that there is a foreign material, the product is adulterated. This is to be done within 24hrs.
What are the notification requirements under 9 CFR 418.2? §418.2 Notification.Highlights from the document - https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/8d0a0e73-1e6f-424f-a41f-ea942247a5ff/Guideline-for-Industry-Response-Customer-Complaint.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Each official establishment must promptly notify the local FSIS District Office within 24 hours of learning or determining that an adulterated or misbranded meat, meat food, poultry, or poultry product received by or originating from the official establishment has entered commerce, if the official establishment believes or has reason to believe that this has happened. The official establishment must inform the District Office of the type, amount, origin, and destination of the adulterated or misbranded product.
This Week in Mislabeled Product for Week Ending March 16, 2019
Someone Misses the Fact that Gluten is in Wheat - North Country Smokehouse, a Claremont, N.H. establishment, is recalling approximately 2,601 pounds of pork sausage products due to misbranding,The product has a gluten free claim represented on the front of the label; however, the product contains gluten in the form of wheat. The problem was discovered on March 11, 2019 when the firm notified FSIS that they received a consumer complaint. [Marketing Dept?]
Soy Missed on Label - Carnivore Meat Company, LLC, a Franklin, Tenn. establishment, is recalling approximately 379 pounds of raw ground beef and pork sausage products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens - the products contain soy. The problem was discovered on March 12, 2019 by FSIS personnel during a food safety assessment at the establishment.
Inspectors Find that Milk is Not Listed on Label - Choice Canning Company, Inc., a Pittston, Pa. establishment, is recalling approximately 35,459 pounds of chicken fried rice products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, - the products contain milk, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. The problem was discovered on March 11, 2019 by FSIS personnel during routine label verification.
Soy Missed on Label - Carnivore Meat Company, LLC, a Franklin, Tenn. establishment, is recalling approximately 379 pounds of raw ground beef and pork sausage products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens - the products contain soy. The problem was discovered on March 12, 2019 by FSIS personnel during a food safety assessment at the establishment.
Inspectors Find that Milk is Not Listed on Label - Choice Canning Company, Inc., a Pittston, Pa. establishment, is recalling approximately 35,459 pounds of chicken fried rice products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, - the products contain milk, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. The problem was discovered on March 11, 2019 by FSIS personnel during routine label verification.
FDA Issues Recall Notice on Flour Recall for Salmonella
After reports of Pillsbury Flour was issued last week, FDA issued an announcement on March 12th, that Hometown Food Company initiated a limited, voluntary retail-level recall on two specific lot codes of its Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose 5 lb Flour (UPC 51500-22241)because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with this recall. Product is being recalled out of an abundance of caution.
No specific information was provided on how the contamination was detected.
FDA added the reminder that flour is a raw product - "Flour is made from wheat that is minimally processed. Flour should not be considered a ready-to-eat product. It is an ingredient for baked, fried, and cooked products, and these heating processes ensure the safety of flour with proper handling. All surfaces and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should wash their hands after handling flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should not eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour. If you think you became sick from a food containing flour as an ingredient, please call your healthcare provider."
Hometown Food Company Recalls Two Production LOT Codes of Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose 5lb Flour Due to Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
March 12, 2019
No specific information was provided on how the contamination was detected.
FDA added the reminder that flour is a raw product - "Flour is made from wheat that is minimally processed. Flour should not be considered a ready-to-eat product. It is an ingredient for baked, fried, and cooked products, and these heating processes ensure the safety of flour with proper handling. All surfaces and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should wash their hands after handling flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should not eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour. If you think you became sick from a food containing flour as an ingredient, please call your healthcare provider."
Hometown Food Company Recalls Two Production LOT Codes of Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose 5lb Flour Due to Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
March 12, 2019
PR Establishment Recalls Breaded Chicken Patty Product Due to Complaint of Piece of Metal
Puerto Rico establishment, is recalling approximately 35,870 pounds of breaded chicken patty products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of metal, The problem was discovered on March 11, 2019 after the firm received a consumer complaint from a school that received the product.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-031-2019-release
Productos La Aguadillana, Inc. Recalls Breaded Chicken Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
Class I Recall
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-031-2019-release
Productos La Aguadillana, Inc. Recalls Breaded Chicken Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
Class I Recall
031-2019
Health Risk:High
Health Risk:High
Mar 14, 2019
RTE Meat Snacks Recalled Due to Potential Product Tampering
Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC, a Martinsville, Va. establishment, is recalling approximately 191,928 pounds of ready-to-eat pork sausage products that may be adulterated due to possible product contamination, according to the report, "initiated due to product tampering, following the production process."
No further information is available at this time including how it was discovered.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-029-2019-release
Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC Recalls Pork Sausage Products Due to Possible Product Contamination
Class I Recall
029-2019
Health Risk:High
Mar 13, 2019
No further information is available at this time including how it was discovered.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-029-2019-release
Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC Recalls Pork Sausage Products Due to Possible Product Contamination
Class I Recall
029-2019
Health Risk:High
Mar 13, 2019
CDC - 2018 Incident of Botulinum Poisoning from Improperly Home Canned Peas
CDC provided an outbreak report from a June of 2018 incident where three women suffered botulinum poisoning after eating homemade potato salad using improperly processed home-canned peas.
According to the report, the woman's freezer had malfunctioned and so decided to rescue the commercially produced frozen peas by canning them. HOWEVER, Instead of using a pressure canner, she decided to follow a peach recipe that utilizes a water bath canner, and simply substitute the peas for peaches. When a jar lost vacuum, she refrigerated it and used that to make the potato salad.
From the report, "The patient who prepared the home-canned peas was a novice home canner. She used a peach preserves recipe with a boiling water technique, replacing the peaches with frozen vegetables. The patient was unaware that low-acid foods (e.g., vegetables) must be canned in a pressure canner rather than a boiling water canner to eliminate C. botulinum spores (1). After the jars cooled, the patient correctly checked for jar seal. One of the jars of peas was not sealed, so the patient covered and refrigerated it, and the family consumed the peas in the potato salad."
The women who had arrived at a hospital 4 hours earlier for evaluation for acute nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, ptosis, thick-feeling tongue, and shortness of breath. Two patients developed respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation in the emergency department, and the third patient was intubated at 7 p.m. that evening. The combination of cranial nerve palsies and respiratory failure in multiple patients suggested botulism, a paralytic illness caused by botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), most commonly produced by Clostridium botulinum.
As we know, when you have low acid foods, they must be pressure canned in order to destroy any Clostridium botulinum spores. In peaches, the acidity is high / ph is low (<4.6) and that prevents the spores from growing, so a high heat treatment is needed. In peas, a low acid food, the acidity is low and the pH is high (>4.6). In this product, the spores survived the milder heat treatment used in the water bath canning, and when the product cooled down, the spores germinated and grew in the peas, producing the deadly neurotoxin.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6810a5.htm?s_cid=mm6810a5_e
Notes from the Field: Botulism Outbreak Associated with Home-Canned Peas — New York City, 2018
Weekly / March 15, 2019 / 68(10);251–252
According to the report, the woman's freezer had malfunctioned and so decided to rescue the commercially produced frozen peas by canning them. HOWEVER, Instead of using a pressure canner, she decided to follow a peach recipe that utilizes a water bath canner, and simply substitute the peas for peaches. When a jar lost vacuum, she refrigerated it and used that to make the potato salad.
From the report, "The patient who prepared the home-canned peas was a novice home canner. She used a peach preserves recipe with a boiling water technique, replacing the peaches with frozen vegetables. The patient was unaware that low-acid foods (e.g., vegetables) must be canned in a pressure canner rather than a boiling water canner to eliminate C. botulinum spores (1). After the jars cooled, the patient correctly checked for jar seal. One of the jars of peas was not sealed, so the patient covered and refrigerated it, and the family consumed the peas in the potato salad."
The women who had arrived at a hospital 4 hours earlier for evaluation for acute nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, ptosis, thick-feeling tongue, and shortness of breath. Two patients developed respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation in the emergency department, and the third patient was intubated at 7 p.m. that evening. The combination of cranial nerve palsies and respiratory failure in multiple patients suggested botulism, a paralytic illness caused by botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), most commonly produced by Clostridium botulinum.
As we know, when you have low acid foods, they must be pressure canned in order to destroy any Clostridium botulinum spores. In peaches, the acidity is high / ph is low (<4.6) and that prevents the spores from growing, so a high heat treatment is needed. In peas, a low acid food, the acidity is low and the pH is high (>4.6). In this product, the spores survived the milder heat treatment used in the water bath canning, and when the product cooled down, the spores germinated and grew in the peas, producing the deadly neurotoxin.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6810a5.htm?s_cid=mm6810a5_e
Notes from the Field: Botulism Outbreak Associated with Home-Canned Peas — New York City, 2018
Weekly / March 15, 2019 / 68(10);251–252
Ground Turkey Recalled After Linked to 5 Cases of Salmonella Infection
Butterball, LLC, a Mount Olive, N.C. establishment, is recalling approximately 78,164 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Schwarzengrund. FSIS, CDC, and Wisconsin state agencies have been investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund illnesses involving 5 case patients from 2 states
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-030-2019-release
Butterball LLC Recalls Turkey Products Due to Possible Salmonella Schwarzengrund Contamination
Class I Recall
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-030-2019-release
Butterball LLC Recalls Turkey Products Due to Possible Salmonella Schwarzengrund Contamination
Class I Recall
030-2019
Health Risk: High
Health Risk: High
Mar 13, 2019
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