Frozen Cooked Chicken Products Recalled After Linked to Listeria Cases

Tyson Foods Inc., a Dexter, Mo. establishment, is recalling approximately 8,955,296 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken products (e.g., oven roasted chicken breast, grilled chicken breast strips, etc) that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.  These frozen, fully cooked chicken products were produced between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021.

"On June 9, 2021, FSIS was notified of two persons ill with listeriosis. Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners, FSIS determined there is evidence linking the Listeria monocytogenes illnesses to precooked chicken produced at Tyson Foods Inc. The epidemiologic investigation identified three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6, 2021 and June 5, 2021. During routine sample collection, FSIS collected two precooked chicken samples from two establishments that are closely related genetically to Listeria monocytogenes from ill people. One of the samples was collected at Tyson Foods Inc. FSIS is continuing to work with federal and state public health partners to determine if there are additional illnesses linked to these products."

FSIS Announcement
Tyson Foods Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Chicken Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination | Food Safety and Inspection Service (usda.gov)
Tyson Foods Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Chicken Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination

July 13, 2021, Editor’s Note: The release is being updated to alert consumers that the recalled ready to eat products were used in additional products produced by other establishments and retailers. Some products bear a different establishment number on the label due to further processing and some products may have been served from the deli counter in retail stores. Labels for the products made with the recalled chicken are available here. We encourage consumers to check the FSIS website frequently while we continue to update the press release and/or the labels if we become aware of additional products that used the recalled chicken.

Are Ghost Kitchens Here to Stay? Food Safety Concerns?

Ghost Kitchens - Food establishments that provide food for delivery-only service.  With the advent of delivery apps and fostered by the COVID pandemic, ghost kitchens have established a foothold in the foodservice sector.

There are many advantages for these kitchens:

• They can work out of any space, often choosing cheaper space (cost per sq ft) such as in industrial parks.
• There is no need for a seating area or for service staff (although some may employ their own delivery service).
• Multiple brands can operate out of the same space.  Some enterprising owners can establish a high end menu for one brand and another for typical fast food such as chicken wings and cheese steaks.  The customer ordering on an app will never know.

So are there any food safety concerns?  We've not heard of any issues to this point.  Like restaurants, these kitchens must be inspected, so that helps to ensure that the facilities have the necessary requirements.   

For the customer, there is no opportunity to see the establishment like there is with a dine-in restaurant, so customer don't have that chance to judge with your eyes. (How many restaurants have you skipped over because of the way they looked?)  There is also not as much a history associated with the establishment, which is another factor used to judge.

We are just in the beginning of this new evolutionary development.  We have yet to see the degree to which consumers will continue to want their readied meals delivered.   It is easy to suspect that some percent will continue.   And if so, to what degree will ghost kitchens be able to complete against established restaurants with dine-in services.  

 Over time, bad operators will shake out, whether that be from inefficiency or from poor quality.  Operators who remain will continue to define their  brands, refine their menus, and configure their delivery systems.  Hopefully along the way, operators will have a focus on food safety, sparring the public from foodborne illness.

To establish a recognized brand, ghost kitchens will be wise to establish a social media presence with pictures of the operation highlighting the cleanliness and sophistication of well run kitchen.  Presentation is also important with sharp packaging with well wrapped product delivered at appropriate temperatures.  Quality and safety of product of course are paramount, so there can never be cutting of corners, such as cutting corners to meet periods of high demand, or creatively recycling 'old' product during periods of low demand.


https://www.morningagclips.com/whats-a-ghost-kitchen-a-food-industry-expert-explains/
What's a ghost kitchen? A food industry expert explains
Ghost kitchens are physical spaces for operators to create food for off-premises consumption

Unknown Wild Bird Disease Spreading in Eastern US, Time to Take Down the Bird Feeders

An unknown disease is spreading among wild birds in the mid-Atlantic and midwestern states.  "Characterized by conjunctivitis, as well as neurological signs such as erratic flight, the unidentified disease first became prevalent in Ohio and Washington, D.C."  In hard hit areas,  scores of dead birds have been found.

Experts are asking people to remove bird feeds and bird baths, congregation sites for birds, until more is known about this disease.  Areas where birds accumulate together allows the disease to spread more rapidly.  For anyone who feeds birds, it would be awful to find a yard full of dead birds.

Pennsylvania Game Commission
https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/game-commission-details.aspx
MYSTERIOUS SONGBIRD DEATHS INVESTIGATED
07/01/2021

HARRISBURG, PA - Wildlife health experts from the Wildlife Futures Program (WFP) at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) and officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission are investigating more than 70 general public reports of songbirds that are sick or dying due to an emerging health condition that is presently unknown.

NY City Establishment Stopped from Selling Uninspected Pork Products

The Federal authorities stopped a NY establishment from distributing pork products made from uninspected meat.  As we know, meat going into distribution to retail and foodservice establishments must be made from USDA inspected meat.

Hopefully, USDA can hogtie this operation.  You think people buying this product could have porcine what was going on, but that is not always easy to determine.   This establishment was probably making some pretty good dough selling these dumplings, not just chitlins.   Hopefully proper justice is rendered.

Meatingplace

Meatingplace.com : Feds order NYC business to stop sales of uninspected pork
Feds order NYC business to stop sales of uninspected pork

A business in New York City's Chinatown acknowledges selling hundreds of pounds of uninspected pork to retailers in the state and elsewhere, according to a consent decree announced by federal prosecutors.

Snacks for Backyard Ducks Recalled Due to Potential Salmonella

Manna Pro Products, LLC, St. Louis, Missouri, is  recalling a single lot of Flock Party Quack Snacks (poultry treat) with a Best By date of 12/2023, packaged in 1.68 pound bags because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Manna Pro Products LLC was informed by the State of West Virginia of a positive Salmonella spp. result in a routine surveillance sample of Flock Party Quack Snacks.


Daffy Duck during happier times.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/manna-pro-products-llc-issues-limited-voluntary-recall-flock-party-quack-snacks-sold-united-states
Manna Pro Products LLC Issues Limited Voluntary Recall of Flock Party Quack Snacks Sold in the United States Because of Possible Health Risk Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  June 28, 2021
FDA Publish Date:  June 29, 2021
Product Type:  Animal & Veterinary
Food & Beverages  Pet Food
Reason for Announcement:  Potential to be contaminated with Salmonella
Company Name:  Manna Pro Products, LLC
Brand Name:  Flock Party
 Product Description:  Duck treats

Foodservice Chain Fights Against Bogus Claims After DNA Testing Unable to Identify Tuna

A lawsuit was filed against Subway for not using tuna in its Tuna sandwiches.  This claim is based upon DNA testing of the sandwich meat to determine if it was tuna, and this testing was not able to detect tuna DNA.  The news media piles on Subway with the damaging claim.

Guess what?  It's canned tuna, where the tuna undergoes a pressure canning process that utilizes high temperatures for long periods of time....a process that would make it difficult if not impossible to recover identifiable DNA.  

In the NY Post article below "In an amended complaint from June, the plaintiffs toned down their allegations, saying that Subway claims to sell sustainably caught skipjack and yellowfin tuna, but was in fact selling “anything less than healthy stocks.”  So, okay it is tuna, but it is not good tuna?  So now we are moving to the 'pink slime' mode?

https://nypost.com/2021/06/23/lab-tests-reportedly-find-no-identifiable-tuna-dna-in-subway-sandwich/
Lab tests reportedly find no identifiable tuna DNA in Subway sandwich — again
By Will FeuerJune 23, 2021 | 10:05am | Updated
Something is fishy about Subway’s “tuna” sandwich.

Commercial lab tests again found no identifiable tuna DNA in the sandwich that purports to contain the fish.

The New York Times bought Subway tuna sandwiches from three different locations in Los Angeles, and then sent frozen samples to an unidentified commercial food testing lab after two California women filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in January alleging that Subway’s tuna sandwiches aren’t actually made of the fish.

FDA Testing Finds No Risk from PFAS in Food Samples

FDA provided an update on testing for PFAS in foods.  They sampled 94 items and only one product, cod, had a detectable level, and this level did not represent a human health concern.

So what are PFAS.  Applicable selections from the EPA website:

• "Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects."
• "Although PFOA and PFOS are no longer manufactured in the United States, they are still produced internationally and can be imported into the United States in consumer goods such as carpet, leather and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging, coatings, rubber and plastics."
• "People can be exposed to low levels of PFAS through food, which can become contaminated through:
• Contaminated soil and water used to grow the food,
• Food packaging containing PFAS, and
• Equipment that used PFAS during food processing."
• "People can also be exposed to PFAS chemicals if they are released during normal use, biodegradation, or disposal of consumer products that contain PFAS. People may be exposed to PFAS used in commercially-treated products to make them stain- and water-repellent or nonstick. These goods include carpets, leather and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging materials, and non-stick cookware."
• "Studies indicate that PFOA and PFOS can cause reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects in laboratory animals. Both chemicals have caused tumors in animal studies. The most consistent findings from human epidemiology studies are increased cholesterol levels among exposed populations, with more limited findings related to: infant birth weights, effects on the immune system, cancer (for PFOA), and thyroid hormone disruption (for PFOS)."
• "GenX is a trade name for a technology that is used to make high performance fluoropolymers (e.g., some nonstick coatings) without the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). HFPO dimer acid and its ammonium salt are the major chemicals associated with the GenX technology. GenX chemicals have been found in surface water, groundwater, finished drinking water, rainwater, and air emissions in some areas.  As part of EPA’s draft toxicity assessment, EPA has developed draft oral reference doses (RfDs) for GenX chemicals."

FDA Issues Update on Recent Activities Pertaining to PFAS in Food | FDA
FDA Issues Update on Recent Activities Pertaining to PFAS in Food
Constituent Update
June 30, 2021

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups Recalled Due to Potential Peanut Allergen

Bazzini LLC, Allentown, PA is recalling three lot codes (SELL BY date codes of APR 05 2022, APR 06 2022, and APR 07 2022) of 1.4 ounce Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups because it may contain peanut protein.  While the label states that the product "May contain traces of ... peanut," following reports of allergic reactions, all potentially affected product was removed from sale.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/bazzini-llc-voluntarily-recalls-trader-joes-dark-chocolate-almond-butter-cup-2-pak
Bazzini LLC Voluntarily Recalls Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cup 2-Pak
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  June 23, 2021
FDA Publish Date:  June 28, 2021
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Undeclared peanut protein
Company Name: Bazzini LLC
Brand Name:  Trader Joe’s
Product Description:  Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Cooked Shrimp Linked to Salmonella Illnesses

The FDA, CDC and state agencies are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Weltevreden infections linked to the consumption of frozen cooked shrimp manufactured by Avanti Frozen Foods of India.  "A positive import sample combined with epidemiological and traceback evidence indicate that this outbreak is linked to frozen cooked shrimp manufactured by Avanti Frozen Foods. FDA’s traceback investigation identified a common shipment of shrimp that could have been consumed by ill people."  There have been 6 illnesses with 2 resulting in hospitalization.

Basically, one shipment was found positive for a specific Salmonella strain.  That shipment was destroyed.   A few months later, the specific Salmonella strain was involved in cases of Salmonella.  It was found that these people had eaten shrimp from a common shipment from the same company.  The company has conducted a recall for product.

"On January 26, 2021, an import sample of Avanti Frozen Foods shrimp was collected as a routine part of the FDA’s Imported Seafood Compliance Program. Analysis of the sample showed the presence of Salmonella Weltevreden. At the time, there were no known associated illnesses or closely related isolates of this strain. In March 2021, as a result of the positive test, this shipment was refused admission into the U.S. and was destroyed, and the importing firm was added to Import Alert 16-81, which allows the FDA to detain product without physical examination due to the presence of Salmonella."

In April 2021, three clinical isolates collected from ill people were reported to be closely related to the isolates collected from the import sample. As of June 25, 2021, there are now 6 clinical isolates from ill people that are genetic matches to the Salmonella collected from the import sample. Five of the six ill people were interviewed to determine the foods they ate before becoming sick, and all five ill people report eating shrimp. Based on purchase locations and purchase dates available for four ill people, FDA’s traceback investigation identified a common shipment of shrimp that could have been consumed by ill people. The product from this shipment was all sold thawed at retail. This thawed product is past expiration and no longer available for sale.

[TIP - Buy fresh frozen (not thawed) and cook it yourself, unless you can buy fresh, just caught]

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-weltevreden-shrimp-april-2021
Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Weltevreden: Shrimp (April 2021)

Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 6
Hospitalizations: 2
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset: April 25, 2021
States with Cases: AZ (2), NV (4)
Product Distribution: Nationwide

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Weltevreden infections linked to the consumption of frozen cooked shrimp manufactured by Avanti Frozen Foods of India.