This Week in Mislabeled Products for Week Ending July 17, 2020

Printing Error on Packaging Results in Missed Milk - Happy Colon Foods, LLC of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is recalling Happy Colon YUM Shortbread Cookie and Happy Colon Mmmm Chocolate Chip Cookie, because they may contain undeclared milk.  The recall was initiated after it was discovered that Happy Colon YUM Shortbread Cookies and Happy Colon Mmmm Chocolate Chip Cookies containing milk were distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of milk. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a printing error on labeling.

Undeclared Nuts in Product - Operational or Supplier Issue?  Flagstone Foods LLC, of Robersonville, NC, is recalling its 16-ounce packages of Wegmans Pecan Blend Trail Mix because they may contain undeclared almonds and walnuts. The recall was initiated after a customer notified the firm that the product contained almonds and walnuts that are not listed in the ingredient statement on the packaging.

This Week in Mislabeled Allergens for Week Ending July 11, 2020

Old Formulation in New Package that Misses Sesame Seed - KIND Healthy Snacks (KIND) is voluntarily recalling a limited number of Oats & Honey Granola with Toasted Coconut pouches due to the presence of sesame seeds, which is not listed as an ingredient in the product. The label does list "sesame seeds" under the "May Contain" statement. KIND recently decided to transition away from using sesame seeds in its Oats & Honey Granola recipe. This limited recall was initiated after KIND discovered that the product's previous recipe was used and placed into new packaging that did not disclose sesame seeds as an ingredient. (The product is mislabeled, although Sesame Seed is not currently included in the allergens that have to be identified on the label)

FDA and CDC Provide Update on Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Salad with Additional Cases Reported

FDA and CDC updated the ongoing Cyclospora Outbreak linked to Fresh Express's Illinois facility.  In the last update regarding this outbreak issued on June 29, there were 206 cases.  With this latest reporting, there are now 509 cases.  While product had been recalled, the latest sell-by-date was July 14th.  Work continues to make sure all of the product is off of the shelf.

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-cyclospora-bagged-salads-june-2020
Outbreak Investigation of Cyclospora: Bagged Salads (June 2020)
FDA’s traceback investigation continues. CDC reports additional cases.
Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 509
Hospitalizations: 33
Deaths: 0
Illness Onset Date Range: 5/11/2020 – 7/1/2020
States with Cases: IA (160), IL (151), KS (5), MN (63), MO (46), NE (48), ND (6), WI (30)

After Watching a Food Safety Video, Some People Still Don't Get It

A research article in J. Food Protection looks at trying to get more people to use a thermometer when cooking ground turkey patties. Yep, if people watch a 3 minute USDA food safety video, they were more likely to use a thermometer.

 "Participants who viewed the video were twice as likely to use a thermometer to check the doneness of the turkey patties compared with the participants who were not exposed to the video (75 versus 34%) and twice as likely to place the thermometer in the correct location (52 versus 23%). Sixty-seven percent of participants who watched the video reported that it influenced their behavior in the kitchen.

I think the kicker is the other side of this....in that 25% of the people who watch the video were still not going to use a thermometer, and if they did 48% were not going to do it correctly.  And 33% were not influenced at all regarding kitchen behavior.  Probably the same people who don't wear masks.

https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article-abstract/83/7/1167/426199/An-Observational-Study-of-Thermometer-Use-by?redirectedFrom=fulltext
An Observational Study of Thermometer Use by Consumers When Preparing Ground Turkey Patties
MINH DUONG; ELLEN THOMAS SHUMAKER; SHERYL C CATES; LISA SHELLEY; LYDIA GOODSON; CHRISTOPHER BERNSTEIN; AARON LAVALLEE; MARGARET KIRCHNER; REBECCA GOULTER; LEE-ANN JAYKUS; BENJAMIN CHAPMAN
J Food Prot (2020) 83 (7): 1167–1174.
https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-19-594

Halloween Planning in the Time of COVID

An article in AdAge discusses a candy makers plan for Halloween 2020 considering we have a COVID issue.  For candy makers, Halloween represents an event that is planned for years in advance, and now, the COVID issue throws a wrench into the whole process.

AdAge
https://adage.com/article/podcast-marketers-brief/mars-wrigley-chief-halloween-officer-tim-lebel-dishes-years-holiday-planning/2266336
Mars Wrigley Chief Halloween Officer Tim LeBel dishes on this year's holiday planning
With COVID-19 reshaping shopping and gatherings months before Halloween, candy marketers must prepare for one of their biggest times of the year
     
By Jessica Wohl. Published on July 08, 2020.

Dog Aging Compared to Humans - A Scientific Evaluation

A recent study looked at how dogs age compared to humans. It turns out that the old adage - one year of a dog life is equal to 7 years for humans. This is not true. It is not a linear progression. Rather dogs mature quickly compared to humans initially, and then that levels out with dogs living the life of an adult for a longer period of their life.

Allergen Removal from Foodservice Counters and Tables

In foodservice establishments, whether at the table or the counter, it is common to see staff dry wipe surfaces, especially when the debris on the surface is dry in nature. However, this is not sufficient to remove allergens from that surface.  A study published in J. Food Protection shows that these surfaces have to be more than dry wiped.

"Although dry wipes and cloths were not effective for removing allergenic foods, terry cloth presoaked in water or sanitizer solution, use of multiple quat wipes, and the wash–rinse–sanitize–air dry procedure were effective in allergen removal from surfaces. Allergens present on dry wipes were transferred to wiped surfaces. In contrast, minimal or no allergen transfer to surfaces was found when allergen-contaminated terry cloth was submerged in sanitizer solution prior to wiping surfaces. The full cleaning method (wash–rinse–sanitize–air dry) and soaking the terry cloth in sanitizer solution prior to wiping were effective at allergen removal and minimizing allergen transfer."

Journal of Food Protection
https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/83/7/1248/429977/Allergen-Removal-and-Transfer-with-Wiping-and
Research Article| March 19 2020
Allergen Removal and Transfer with Wiping and Cleaning Methods Used in Retail and Food Service Establishments

This Week in Mislabeled Food Products for Week Ending July 4, 2020

Carrot Cake Labeled as Red Velvet Cheesecake - Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling Red Velvet Cheesecake Slices from 36 stores in California, Boise, Idaho, and Reno, Nevada, due to an undeclared tree nut (walnut) allergen. The recall was initiated when a store began individually packaging the product and discovered the manufacturer had mislabeled the product as Red Velvet Layered Cheesecake when it contained Carrot Cake Layered Cheesecake instead. The product was sold by the slice in plastic clamshell containers with Whole Foods Market scale labels,

Dairy Free Ice Cream Contains Real Ice Cream - Beyond Better Foods, LLC, is recalling select pints from a single production run of Enlightened brand Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream pints because they may have been packaged in Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter containers and thus contain undeclared milk ingredients. This recall is the result of mislabeled product. Specifically, one lot of Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream was mistakenly filled in pint sized Enlightened brand Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter pint containers. These packages have a base container labeled “Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter” and a lid labeled “Chocolate Peanut Butter” without a “Dairy-Free” callout.

Supplier Mixes Peanuts into Pretzels - Mount Franklin Foods, LLC dba Azar Nut Company of El Paso, TX is voluntarily recalling its 5-ounce packages of "7-Select Yogurt Pretzels" because they may contain undeclared peanuts. The recall was initiated after discovering a peanut-containing product mixed with pretzels from a third-party supplier during the repackaging process of the "7-Select Yogurt Pretzels" which does not include peanuts in the declared allergens. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by an isolated incident whereby inclusion occurred during the sample inspection process. Production of the "7-Select Yogurt Pretzels” has been suspended until FDA and the company are certain that the problem has been corrected.

Label Missing Egg - Trident Seafoods is recalling Gordon Choice® Imitation Crab Supreme Style, because it may contain undeclared egg white. The recall was initiated after it was discovered through internal product and label review that product containing egg white was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of eggs.

Chicken Nuggets Recalled After Complaint for Rubber Piece in Product

Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a Waco, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 59,800 pounds of fully cooked chicken breast nugget products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically flexible rubber material.  The problem was discovered after the firm received a consumer complaint reporting rubber pieces in the chicken breast nuggets product.  There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider. 

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2020/recall-014-2020-release
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation Recalls Chicken Breast Nugget Products due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
Class II Recall
014-2020
Health Risk: Low
Jun 28, 2020