MA Company Recalls Cereal Bars Contaminated with Tobacco Bettles

Given Imaging Ltd. of Mansfield, MA is recalling Given Imaging SmartBar Cereal Bar due ot the potential for contamination with tobacco beetles (also known as cigarette beetles). These are a common pest to the tobacco products. They will also infest other stored products such as paprika, dry dog food, beans, biscuits, cottonseed, dried fruits and vegetables as well as dried flowers, grains, herbs, peanuts, rice, yeast and even furniture stuffing.  They are not harmful, but can cause damage to the products.

Enforcement Report (fda.gov)

Infant Formula Recalled for Potential Cronobacter sakazaki Contamination

Perrigo Company plc is issuing a voluntary recall of certain lots of Gerber® Good Start® SootheProTM Powdered Infant Formula in the U.S., that were manufactured at the Company’s Gateway Eau Claire, Wisconsin manufacturing facility from January 02, 2023 to January 18, 2023 due  to the potential presence of Cronobacter sakazakii.

The company stated, "Importantly, no distributed product has tested positive for the presence of this bacteria, no adverse events have been reported and no other products manufactured at this facility or any other of Perrigo’s facilities are affected by this recall."

On November 1, 2022, Perrigo acquired Nestlé's Gateway Eau Claire, Wisconsin, plant, along with the U.S. and Canadian rights to the Good Start® infant formula brand. Perrigo operates the Good Start® infant formula brand in the United States and Canada while Nestlé operates the Good Start® infant formula brand for Women Infants and Children (WIC) contracts.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/perrigo-announces-voluntary-recall-limited-quantity-gerberr-good-startr-sootheprotm-powdered-infant
Perrigo Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Quantity of Gerber® Good Start® SootheProTM Powdered Infant Formula
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  March 17, 2023
FDA Publish Date:  March 17, 2023
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Potential Cronobacter sakazakii contamination
Company Name:  Perrigo Company plc
Brand Name:  Gerber Good Start
Product Description:  Powdered Infant formula

Imported Frozen Strawberries Linked to Hepatitis A Outbreak, Product Recalled in HI and CA

California Splendor, Inc. of San Diego, California is recalling certain lots of 4-lb. bags of Kirkland Signature Frozen Organic Strawberries that were sold at Costco stores in Los Angeles, Hawaii and two San Diego business centers, due to an outbreak of Hepatitis A illnesses. The outbreak of hepatitis A linked to frozen organic strawberries imported from certain farms located in Baja California, Mexico, by a common supplier.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/updated-scenic-fruit-company-recalls-frozen-organic-strawberries-and-frozen-organic-tropical-blend

Updated - Scenic Fruit Company Recalls Frozen Organic Strawberries and Frozen Organic Tropical Blend Because of Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  March 16, 2023
FDA Publish Date: March 17, 2023
Product Type: Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement: Hepatitis A
Company Name: Scenic Fruit Company
Brand Name: Simply Nature, Vital Choice and others
Product Description: Frozen Organic Strawberries and fruit blend

Beef Sambusa Recalled After Metal Wire Pieces Detected in Product

Hoyo, SBC, a Bloomington, Minn. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,046 pounds of ready-to-eat beef sambusa products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically thin, wire-like metal.  The frozen, ready-to-eat beef sambusa items were produced on Dec. 30, 2022, and Feb. 21, 2023. The following product is subject to recall.  The problem was discovered when the firm notified FSIS that it received a report from a school that food handlers found thin, wire-like metal on the outside of the product during preparation. The material was not reported to be embedded in the product.

A sambusa - it is a fried (or baked) triangular dough product stuffed with meat, potato and spice.  It is a finger food that originates in the Arabian subcontinent.  

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/hoyo-sbc-recalls-frozen-ready-eat-beef-sambusa-product-due-possible-foreign-matter
Hoyo, SBC Recalls Frozen, Ready-To-Eat Beef Sambusa Product Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
HOYO, SBC

FSIS Announcement

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2023 – Hoyo, SBC, a Bloomington, Minn. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,046 pounds of ready-to-eat beef sambusa products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically thin, wire-like metal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Meat-containing Sfihas Products Recalled For Not Being Produced under USDA Inspection

WOW Frozen Food LLC, a Plantation, Fla. establishment, is recalling approximately 488 pounds of meat and poultry sfihas products that were produced without the benefit of USDA federal inspection.  The problem was discovered during routine FSIS surveillance activities when various frozen sfihas meat and poultry products that did not have the USDA mark of inspection were observed at a retail location. Upon further investigation, FSIS determined that the products were not produced in an FSIS-inspected establishment.

From Wikipedia - Sfiha or sfeeha (Arabic: صفيحة, romanized: ṣafīḥa) is a dish consisting of flatbread cooked with a minced meat topping, often lamb flavored with onion, tomato, pine nuts, and spices. It is traditionally found in the countries of the Levant,[1] and is closely related to manakish and lahmacun.[2]  Sfiha has become popular in Brazil and Argentina, where it is known as esfiha or esfirra in Brazil or as sfija in Argentina, after being introduced by immigrants from Syria,Armenia and Lebanon.[3][4]

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/wow-frozen-food-llc-recalls-frozen-meat-and-poultry-sfihas-products-produced-without
WOW Frozen Food LLC Recalls Frozen Meat and Poultry Sfihas Products Produced Without Benefit of Inspection

FSIS Announcement

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2023 – WOW Frozen Food LLC, a Plantation, Fla. establishment, is recalling approximately 488 pounds of meat and poultry sfihas products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Pesto Pasta Sauce Recalled for Undeclared Pine Nuts

BC Gourmet USA, Inc. of Lynn, Massachusetts is recalling 906 units of Scarpetta Brand Pink Pesto, because it contains undeclared pine nut allergen.  The recall was initiated after the firm discovered that product containing tree nuts were distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of pine nuts. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a document-control deviation.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/bc-gourmet-usa-inc-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-pine-nuts-scarpetta-brand-pink-pesto
BC Gourmet USA, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Pine Nuts in Scarpetta Brand Pink Pesto
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  March 16, 2023
FDA Publish Date:  March 16, 2023
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Undeclared Pine Nuts
Company Name:  BC Gourmet USA, Inc.
Brand Name:  Scarpetta
Product Description:  Pink pesto pasta sauce

Yogurt Parfait Bars Recalled After Co-Manufacturer Finds Listeria In Facility

Clio Snacks of Piscataway, N.J. is voluntarily recalling 581 cases of its Strawberry Granola & Greek Yogurt Parfait Bar due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.  This potential limited exposure was found at a third-party manufacturer’s facility where Parfait Bars are produced. The third-party manufacturer does not manufacture any other Clio products. Clio does not manufacture Parfait bars at its own facility.  The recall was the result of a routine testing program by the company which revealed that affected Strawberry Parfait product produced by Clio’s contract manufacturer may contain Listeria monocytogenes. The third-party manufacturer has ceased production and Clio has ceased distribution of the affected product while the FDA and the company continue their investigation into what caused the problem.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/regional-recall-clio-snacks-voluntarily-recalls-strawberry-granola-greek-yogurt-parfait-bars-select
Regional Recall: Clio Snacks Voluntarily Recalls Strawberry Granola & Greek Yogurt Parfait Bars from Select Walmart Stores Because of Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  March 14, 2023
FDA Publish Date:  March 15, 2023
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Listeria monocytogenes
Company Name:  Clio Snacks
Brand Name:  Clio
Product Description:  Strawberry Granola & Greek Yogurt Parfait Bar

Reducing Food Waste Through Thoughtful Utilization

In the Washington Post, an opinion piece discusses food waste from a position we have long taken...better utilization. From the time food is processed/prepared, it starts down a path of fading quality to the point where it is no longer edible. Depending on whether it is from a restaurant where that path is short, to retail food items where there is a longer time until it is no longer usable, food too often reaches that point where there it must be thrown out.

Certainly using it when it still has the quality we desire is best. So basically, using it well before the stated shelf-life is best. Best utilization also includes making food that will be eaten in a reasonable amount of time, or ordering only what we can eat in one setting .

But once the food quality changes, perhaps to the point where it is less than what we would want, the author opines that there are still avenues where this food can be utilized. He looks at this transition in the nature of the given food as just an opportunity to make something different that is not only edible, but perhaps desirable.

"By focusing on using food beyond the confines of our first imaginings, we’re granted access to a world of flavor — in soup that has tightened and melded overnight into a delicious sauce, or a dressing whose dregs improve a lunchtime sandwich. We also attain invaluable culinary intelligence, learning how flavor migrates from one ingredient to another, what happens to liquid and fat overnight, how acid and salt can soften what has hardened, how clever knife work can crisp what has sagged."

So okay for a chef to say, but what can we do?  Could groups like Extension, food banks, food pantries promote alternative uses?  This could be development and dissemination of  recipes that utilize items food pantries often have difficulty in moving.....or items that no longer have the same quality but still have nutrient value.  Could milk be made into kefir or yogurt?  What about brown bananas?  What can we utilize in making easy-to-make soups?

Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/13/food-waste-problem/
We’re thinking about food ‘waste’ all wrong
By Tamar Adler
March 13, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
Tamar Adler, a former professional cook, is the author of “An Everlasting Meal: Cooking With Economy and Grace,” “Something Old, Something New: Classic Recipes Revised” and, most recently, “The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z.”

USDA Issues Public Health Alert for Chicken with Undeclared Cashews

USDA - FSIS is issuing a public health alert due to concerns that fully cooked, ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken salad product may contain cashews a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label.  (A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.)  The problem was discovered when the firm notified FSIS that it received a consumer complaint that cashews were found in the chicken salad product.  There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/fsis-issues-public-health-alert-trader-joes-chicken-salad-due-misbranding-and
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Trader Joe’s Chicken Salad Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen

TAYLOR FARMS NORTHWEST LLC

FSIS Announcement

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns that fully cooked, ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken salad product may contain cashews a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. FSIS is issuing this public health alert to ensure that consumers are aware that these products should not be consumed. A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.