USDA Issues Alert on Mislabeled Chicken Enchiladas

USDA FSIS issued a Public Health Alert for Chicken Enchilada products after a retail employee found a labeling issue.  The product was sold through HyVee retail stores in eight midwestern states.  The product is a NRTE product and thus requires cooking, and past its stated shelf-life date.  Because of this, USDA FSIS issued an alert rather than a recall in the event someone had frozen the product.  

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/news-releases-statements-transcripts/news-release-archives-by-year/archive/2021/pha-01072021-01
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Not-Ready-to-Eat, Heat Treated, Not Fully Cooked Chicken Enchilada Products Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen

Mislabeled Product - Salad Packed with the Wrong Dressing/Topping Pack

Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. is recalling a limited number of cases of Dole™ Sesame Asian Chopped Salad Kit because the wrong dressing and topping kit (masterpack) was unintentionally used during a portion of the production of the Sesame Asian Chopped Salad.  In short, the dressing/topping kit used had egg  which did not match the salad being produced.  As stated in the release, only a portion of the production run was affected, so someone grabbed the wrong packets and control checks did not catch the mix-up.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/dole-fresh-vegetables-announces-limited-voluntary-recall-doletm-sesame-asian-chopped-salad-kit-due
Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Limited Voluntary Recall of Dole™ Sesame Asian Chopped Salad Kit Due to Undeclared Allergens
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  January 05, 2021
FDA Publish Date:  January 05, 2021
Product Type:  Food & Beverages  Prepared Food
Reason for Announcement:  Undeclared eggs  Allergens

Company Name:   Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc.
Brand Name:  Dole
Product Description:  Sesame Asian Chopped Salad Kit

Report on Persistent Listeria Contamination Issue in a Swiss Cheese Facility

An article published in Emerging Infectious Diseases titled Listeriosis Caused by Persistence of Listeria monocytogenes Serotype 4b Sequence Type 6 in Cheese Production Environment discusses an ongoing Listeria outbreak in Switzerland that occurred in two waves, 2018 and 2020.

"Of the 34 human isolates, 30 were from blood samples and 1 each from an abscess, ascites, maternal placenta tissue, or stool sample (Table). One case of perinatal transmission and 10 deaths (29%) were reported."

A Swiss cheese manufacturer had reported the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in the facility and this was matched to the outbreak strain using whole genome sequencing.  "These findings prompted extensive environmental sampling on the production site of the manufacturer. A total of 50 swab specimens from locations, such as vats, cheese harps, skimming devices, sink drains, brushes, scrub sponges, trays, door handles, ripening cellar floors, and walls were obtained....L. monocytogenes was identified in 11 (22%) of 50 environmental samples, and all 5 sequenced isolates matched the outbreak strain CT (Table; Figure 2). These results lead to a recall on May 5, 2020, of 26 items, including brie, sheep and goat cheese, and organic cheeses; production was stopped immediately. " 

In conclusion, the report states "This outbreak highlights the risk for recontamination of pasteurized cheese products during manufacturing and emphasizes the need for routine sampling of products, manufacturing equipment, and the production environment. Routine quality controls should include WGS typing of environmental L. monocytogenes isolates to enable early recognition of potential food contamination and to ultimately mitigate the risk for listeriosis."

Proposal to Remove Standard of Identity for Frozen Cherry Pie

 A few weeks back, we discussed the push to remove the Standard of Identity for French Dressing.  There is also a proposal to remove the Standard of Identity for frozen cherry pie.  Posted in the Federal Register, the proposal looks to revoke the standards for cherry pie by a citizens petition from the ABA - the American Baking Association.  The reasoning is that  "frozen cherry pie is the only fruit pie, either frozen or non-frozen, that is subject to standards of identity and quality" and that it limits what a baker can do with this pie, but not with other pies, including non-frozen cherry pies.  And since we have not had issues with other pies regarding a standard over time, then removing this should not result in a cascade of deception involving frozen cherry pies in the market.

There is probably a history of why this specific standard was written in the first place.  Perhaps devious bakers were making low quality cherry pies and offering these at a lower price compared to the price for higher quality frozen cherry pies and the quality bakers complained.  Perhaps a baker was producing pies at a lower price by using bruised cherries.   Or perhaps there was a consumer complaint from people who felt duped because they bought a frozen cherry pie with little or no cherries.  Can this issue still arise?  Sure, but as consumers, we would be unlikely to buy a lower quality pie at an unreasonable price.  We may not really care if the cherries have bruises.  Consumers will have the choice of the frozen pie brand they purchase based upon price and the quality they expect.

FDA Warning Letter Issued to Texas Importer of Frozen Sliced Strawberries for Lack of FVSP

A Texas based importer was issued a Warning Letter by FDA for not being in compliance with the  FSVP requirements for Frozen Sliced Strawberries   The company had not identified or evaluated biological, chemical or physical hazards potentially present before your suppliers load the products.  There were no established  and written procedures to ensure that  import foods only come from foreign suppliers previously approved based on evaluation conducted to determine a foreign supplier’s performance and the risk posed by the food,  The company did not establish and follow written procedures for ensuring that appropriate foreign supplier verification activities are conducted with respect to the imported foods.

FDA Warning Letter
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/campimex-inc-610730-12112020
Campimex, Inc.
MARCS-CMS 610730 — December 11, 2020 

Pet Food Recalled for Elevated Levels of Aflatoxin.

Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc., of Evansville, IN is issuing a voluntary recall of the below listed dog and cat food products due to tests indicating levels of Aflatoxin that exceed acceptable limits.  Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.  There have been reports of illnesses and deaths in dogs associated with the below listed lots of Sportmix High Energy.  There are reports of at least 28 deaths and 8 illnesses.

With dry pet foods, corn is often the source of aflatoxin.  This occurs when the corn used in processing the pet food had mold growth prior to harvest.  Processors normally do extensive testing of incoming corn.   Suppliers of the corn will do their own testing as well plus will track crop conditions that can lead to mold growth.  There are tolerances for low levels of alfatoxin - 20ppb for corn to be used for pet food.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/midwestern-pet-foods-voluntarily-recalls-pet-food-recall-aflatoxin-health-risk
Midwestern Pet Foods Voluntarily Recalls Pet Food Recall for Aflatoxin Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  December 30, 2020
FDA Publish Date:  December 30, 2020
Product Type:  Animal & Veterinary  Food & Beverages Pet Food
Reason for Announcement:  Elevated levels of aflatoxin
Company Name:  Sportmix
Brand Name:  Sportmix
Product Description:  Dog and Cat Food

Imported Herring Product Recalled Due to Listeria

B&I Overseas Trading Inc from Van Nuys, CA is recalling frozen “Veladis herring in oil with Italian spices” because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes,  The product was imported from Ukraine.  There was no information on how the Listeria was determined to potentially be in the product.

Listeria would have contaminated the product during handling.  Although frozen which would prevent growth during frozen storage, the directions of  "Defrost before use and keep refrigerated for up to 30 days", would have provided opportunity for growth.  This product would then be consumed as a ready-to-eat product.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/bi-overseas-trading-recalls-product-due-potential-contamination-listeria-monocytogenes
B&I Overseas Trading Recalls Product Due to Potential Contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  December 23, 2020
FDA Publish Date:  December 24, 2020
Product Type:  Food & Beverages  Fish
Reason for Announcement:  Listeria Monocytogenes
Company Name:  B&I Overseas Trading, Inc
Brand Name:  Veladis
Product Description:  Herring in oil 

This Week in Mislabeled Products for Week Ending December 31. 2020

Ravioli Product Recalled After Using Siracha Chili Sauce From a Different Supplier That Now Contains Soy - The USDA-FSISI is issuing a public health alert for approximately 49 pounds of frozen, fully cooked, not shelf stable chicken sriracha ravioli products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen. The product may contain soy, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label.  The product labeled as “FRESH THYME FARMERS MARKET CHICKEN RAVIOLI Ovals” was formulated with a different sriracha chili sauce than normally utilized in the product formulation because the firm was unable to obtain the usual brand from their supplier. The sriracha chili sauce used on Dec. 8, 2020 contains soy, while the sauce normally used in the formulation does not. The following products are subject to the public health alert: [View Labels (PDF only)]

Label of Cajun Spiced Snack Misses Milk  on Label - Lipari Foods of Warren, MI is recalling its 9 ounce packages of Backroad Country Spicy Cajun Mix because it contains undeclared milk.   The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the milk-containing product was distributed in packaging 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.

Supplier Issue Results in Undeclared Milk and Eggs - Divvies of Trumbull, CT is recalling Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting and Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting because they may contain undeclared milk and eggs.  The recall was initiated after it was discovered that an ingredient containing milk and eggs had gotten into the ingredient mix which is used specifically for the vanilla cupcakes. This happened when the mix was packaged by the ingredient supplier. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown of a piece of equipment on the supplier’s packaging line. The problem has been corrected.

Pecan Pies Labeled Mislabeled using Print-and-Apply Labels - Legendary Baking of Chaska, MN is voluntarily recalling a single lot of item number 7545 - French Silk Pie. This product is being recalled due to a potential undeclared pecan allergen. Caramel Pecan Silk Supreme pies may have been packaged in containers that otherwise identify the product as French Silk Pie and did not reveal the presence of pecans.

Bacon Bits Labeled as Garlic Powder - B&G Foods announced today it is voluntarily recalling individual containers of 5.37 oz. Food Club Garlic Powder, with “best by” dates of NOV 19 22 and NOV 20 22, because they mistakenly contain bacon-flavored bits, which contain soy, an allergen undeclared on the garlic powder labels. It was determined that 1,301 cases of bacon-flavored bits, which contain soy, an allergen undeclared on garlic powder labels, may contain some individual containers inadvertently labeled as garlic powder. Containers labeled as Food Club Bacon Flavored Bits correctly indicate that the containers include bacon-flavored bits and correctly declare the presence of soy.

Wrong Back Label - Fresh Orlando, FL., is recalling a limited number of cases of product containing a vegetable tray with ranch dip due to a possible health risk from an undeclared allergen in a product. The product contains egg, which is not declared on the label.

Pecan Kringles Labeled as  Almond Kringles - O&H Danish Bakery, Inc. of Racine, WI is recalling 3,173 units of Almond Kringle (1lb 8oz) with batch code 26720 sold in Trader Joe’s retail stores because it may contain undeclared Pecans. The recall was initiated because it was discovered that four pecan filled kringles were incorrectly labeled as Almond Kringle and delivered to the Trader Joe’s distribution center as a part of a larger order. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company's baking and icing processes.

FDA Issues Warning Letter to Whole Foods for Ongoing Series of Allergen Recalls

FDA issued a Warning Letter to Whole Foods after a long series of recalls. FDA cited 32 recalls over the past year. (Certainly, it is about time.)

"These recalls demonstrate that your corporation engaged in a pattern of receiving and offering for sale misbranded food products. For the time period of October 2019 to November 2020, your firm recalled 32 food products due to undeclared allergen(s). We noticed similar patterns of numerous recalls for undeclared allergens in previous years as well."

Here is a sampling of the reasons why allergen labeling errors occurred.

• F‐0925‐2020 - mislabeling occurred because your internal labeling system for the repackaging of food products was not updated to reflect the current ingredient listing for the product.
• F‐0408‐2020 - contract manufacturer packaged a Butter Cookies & Sweet Cream Italian Gelato product with the incorrect Raspberry Cheesecake Italian Gelato label thereby causing the product to have the incorrect ingredient declaration and undeclared egg.
• F‐0131‐2020 - mislabeling occurred because your retail employees applied a label which did not reflect the ingredient listing on the manufacturer’s label. This caused the product to have undeclared milk and eggs.
• F‐1048‐202 -  mislabeling occurred because the ingredient statement, which included almond flour, on the master carton was not fully transferred to the scale label used for the individual containers.
• F‐1354‐2020 to F‐1362‐2020 -  mislabeling occurred because not all of your regions had updated their scale ingredient statement to include the egg allergen. This caused the product to have undeclared eggs.

It comes down to this.....the mass retailer buys and sells a lot of specialty products.  Information must be passed from the manufacturer down through to the distribution centers and stores (wherever the items are labeled,  often use print-on-demand label printers).  If communication and technology input procedures are not tight, there is a lot of room for error.  But not impossible, as many other retailers do the same thing with far fewer issues.

FDA Warning Letter
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/whole-foods-market-610862-12162020?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Whole Foods Market
MARCS-CMS 610862 — December 16, 2020