Recent Food Safety Issues with Raw Milk and Raw Milk Cheese in PA, NY, WA and ID

There have been five recent food safety warnings issued by state regulators for raw milk and raw milk cheese.

• Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued a warning for raw milk produced by Meadow View Jerseys brand raw milk after testing confirmed that the milk was contaminated with Shigatoxin-producing E. coli bacteria
• PA Department of Ag issued a warning for raw milk cheese  distributed by BeiHollow Farm, Elizabethville, PA, after testing confirmed that the cheese was contaminated with listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
• Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, reported that 18 people have tested positive for campylobacteriosis, after 17 reported drinking raw milk produced by Paradise Grove Dairy in Jefferson County, Idaho.
• New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets issued a Warning about unpasteurized raw milk from HuHill Farm after samples of that product tested positive for Campylobacter jejuni contamination Fort Plain, New York.
• The Washington Department of Health reported that two people were infected with the same, highly related strain of Campylobacter jejuni after both drank Jim’s Jerseys raw milk produced by Old Silvana Creamery (Arlington, WA).

https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/pda/newsroom/agriculture-department-warns-consumers-to-discard-contaminated-r.html
Agriculture Department Warns Consumers to Discard Contaminated Raw Milk from Meadow View Jerseys Dairy
August 14, 2024
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture warns consumers to immediately discard Meadow View Jerseys brand raw milk purchased between August 5 and 12, 2024, with a sell-by date of August 19, 2024. Routine testing for pathogens confirmed that the milk was contaminated with Shigatoxin-producing E. coli bacteria.

FDA Issues Warning Letter to Ecuadorian Company That Produced Lead-contaminated Apple Sauce

FDA issued a Warning Letter to the company that was responsible for producing the cinnamon apple sauce that was contaminated with lead.  As you may remember, the cinnamon used had been contaminated with lead chromate in what FDA believed to be a case of economically-motivated intentional adulteration.  CDC reported over 300 cases of potential lead poisoning.

The Warning Letter states the obvious about shipping contaminated product to the US, and then provides suggestions on the company's corrective action.


https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/austrofood-sas-679052-08092024
WARNING LETTER
AUSTROFOOD S.A.S.
MARCS-CMS 679052 — August 09, 2024

FDA Warning Letter to NV Spice Company for Inadequate Supply Chain Preventive Controls

FDA issued a Warning Letter to High Quality Organics, a ready-to-eat (RTE) spice facility, located in Reno, NV.  The company processes and packages RTE organic herbs, spices, dried fruit and peels, and dried vegetables.  The main issue was the company relies on others to process products so that they are considered RTE, but does not manage this through the Supply Chain program.

The supply-chain program does not provide assurance that a hazard requiring a supply-chain-applied control has been significantly minimized or prevented, as required per 21 CFR 117.410(c). 

• The company receives untreated herbs, spices, dried fruits and peels, and dried vegetable products and then directs the untreated products to (b)(4) third-party providers that apply a lethality process. 
• The "preventive control measure is “Validated lethality ‘kill step’ with Treatment Certificate”, however, the company's supply chain program does not verify that the parameters selected and applied by 3rd party treatment providers are adequate to control the hazard of vegetative pathogens such as Salmonella. 
• There is no review of the process parameters identified in the treatment certificate from the (b)(4) providers, as identified as a preventive control measure required within Hazard Analysis, and you 
• Did not comprehensively evaluate whether the parameters are appropriate for all your products undergoing the treatment. 
• Did not maintain documentation that the untreated spices you purchase and send to the third-party (b)(4) providers are treated under a validated process that delivers an appropriate destruction of Salmonella.

The company did not conduct a reanalysis of your food safety plan when needed after Ground Organic Parsley, lot # 62868 and lot # 63196, tested positive for the pesticide Chlorpyrifos ((b)(4)).

https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/high-quality-organics-inc-677503-07082024
WARNING LETTER
High Quality Organics, Inc.
MARCS-CMS 677503 — July 08, 2024

Are Food Safety Issues Getting Worse? No, Not Really.

This week, I was asked by a reporter why food safety issues are getting worse...whether that be recalls or outbreaks.  The conversation was in light of the Boar's Head deli meat recall after being linked to a large Listeria outbreak.  Why this outbreak is awful, it is one of the first Listeria outbreaks that have been linked to meat products in the last two years.  

A few things to consider when addressing this question.

• After looking at food-related outbreaks posted on CDC and FDA's website, there is no real increase in the number when looking at cases for the past several years, but there does seem to be a higher percentage of outbreaks where the causative agent has been identified.  Our regulatory agencies are doing a admirable job in improving the determination of the source of outbreaks.  At the same time, I have seen companies doing a better job to be in compliance with the HACCP-based regulations or 3rd party audit standards..
• Technology has improved identification and tracking of outbreaks.  Twenty years or more ago, many of these outbreaks would not have been identified as outbreaks.  CDC working with State partners utilize improved technology for identification of pathogens and communication to link related cases.
• Most recalls are not linked to outbreaks, but that is not always clear when announcements get published in the news..  There are normally a number of recalls each week, but they are most often related to things such as undeclared allergens which are most often discovered in the supply chain through observation, and not injury.
• Risk is not adequately addressed in news releases, and in many cases, overblown. For example,  many people will not be allergic to the undeclared allergen in a product, but one would not know that in the headline.  For example, Salad Recall Update as FDA Sets Highest Risk Level, ad the article states, "On August 7, the recall was classified by the FDA as Class I, which is the highest risk level.  These are issued when there is a "reasonable probability" that the use of, or exposure to, a product could "cause serious adverse health consequences or death.""  However, the issue is that the product contains undeclared almond and soy, certainly an issue for those who are allergic to these items, but not for others.
• Headlines used by the news media, including social media, present these outbreaks and recalls with a certain shock value.  Take this headline for example  - "FDA reclassifies nut recall to highest risk warning after testing positive for listeria" (article below) that was published on August 13th.   The recall was posted on the FDA website on 7/22/24.  There were no illnesses, but it seems that FDA reclassified this to Class I, which it should have been to start.  In this case, the product was walnuts, not a product that will not support the growth of Listeria and so poses.
• Recalls are often limited in scope in terms of distribution but receive national attention.  The walnut recall mentioned was limited to two states but receive national attention.
• We see recalls are posted and then reposted for weeks.  Many times, it is an online news source that posts recalls weeks after the initial posting.  This can make it seem like it is a new recall.  Without investigation by the reader, one may assume it is a new recall.  
• The regulatory agencies will often provide updates to an outbreak listing additional cases or announcing that the outbreak is now over, and this information may get picked up as news providers and posted as if this is a new issue.

In general, we are bombarded with notices on food safety, and without careful investigation by the reader, one may think that food safety issues are out of control.

There are over 330 million people in the US, and if we consider that people are hopefully eating 2 to 3 meals each day, the reported number of cases of foodborne illness are pretty small.  This is not to say it is unimportant, because all food should be safe.  However, to worry that our food supply is not safe...well, there are many other, more things to worry more about.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/fda-reclassifies-nut-recall-highest-risk-warning-after-testing-positive-listeria
FDA reclassifies nut recall to highest risk warning after testing positive for listeria
Shelled walnuts voluntarily recalled last month tested positive for listeria, FDA says

More Cinnamon Powder Recalled After State Lab Testing Finds Lead

El Chilar HF, LLC on 03/06/2024 issued a recall of 2 lots of El Chilar “Cinnamon Ground” (1.25 oz bag), because it may contain traces of lead. Further investigation indicates that the issue could be caused by a potentially adulterated raw material from the supplier.  The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) collected samples in February 2024 from Lot: E-054, EX 0225 and D-181, EX 0624 El Chilar Ground Cinnamon, which tested high in lead. These additional lots of El Chilar Ground Cinnamon have been added to the original recall.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/el-chilar-hf-llc-expands-recall-el-chilar-ground-cinnamon-due-elevated-levels-lead
El Chilar HF, LLC. Expands Recall of El Chilar Ground Cinnamon Due to Elevated Levels of Lead
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  August 13, 2024
FDA Publish Date:  August 13, 2024
Product Type:  Food & Beverages  Spices, Flavors & Salts
Reason for Announcement:  Due to Elevated Levels of Lead
Company Name:  El Chilar HF, LLC.
Brand Name:  El Chilar
Product Description:  “Canela Molida” Ground Cinnamon

Canada - Recall of Plant-based Milk Products Due to Listeria

Canada - Silk and Great Value brands of Almond, Coconut, and Oat milks are being recalled after being linked to 20 cases of listeriosis with 15 hospitalizations and 3 deaths.  According to one report, "The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Danone Canada and its Pickering-based third-party manufacturer, Joriki Inc., “immediately halted production and distribution of all implicated products” after becoming aware of the bacteria being found in various Silk and Great Value brand plant-based refrigerated beverages."

CFIA - Recalls and Safety Alerts
https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/various-silk-and-great-value-brand-plant-based-refrigerated-beverages-recalled-due
Food recall warning
Various Silk and Great Value brand plant based refrigerated beverages recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

Update on Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cucumbers

FDA provided an update on the Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers. To this point in time, there have been 449 reported cases with 125 hospitalized. The date of onset of the last illness was June 4, 2024.

CDC and FDA combined two outbreak investigations because of similarities, "including when and where illnesses occurred, the demographics of ill people, and the foods they reported eating before they became sick. Laboratory, epidemiological, and traceback data have determined that cucumbers from Bedner Growers, Inc., of Boynton Beach, Florida, and Thomas Produce Company, of Boca Raton, Florida, are likely sources of illnesses in this outbreak; however, these growers do not account for all the illnesses in this outbreak."

"Based on traceback information collected, Thomas Produce Company supplied cucumbers to multiple points of service where ill people reported eating cucumbers. As part of the investigation, FDA conducted an onsite inspection at Thomas Produce Company and collected samples. Salmonella Braenderup was detected in samples of canal water used by Thomas Produce Company. Whole Genome Sequencing analysis determined that the water used by Thomas Produce Company contained the Salmonella that is a match to a strain of Salmonella Braenderup that is causing some of the illnesses in this outbreak."

"Additional types of Salmonella were detected in both soil and water samples collected at both Bedner Growers, Inc. and Thomas Produce Company. Multiple other strains of Salmonella, unrelated to this outbreak investigation, found at Bedner Growers, Inc. matched clinical isolates from illnesses in the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI) database that occurred in previous years."

Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 449
Hospitalizations: 125
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset: June 4, 2024
States with Cases: AL, AR, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cucumbers-june-2024
Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Cucumbers (June 2024)
Cucumbers linked to illnesses of Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup.
Current Update
August 14, 2024

Additional Cases in CDC Update on Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meat

CDC issued an update of the Listeria outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meat products.  As of August 8, a total of 43 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 13 states, which is 9 more than the July 26th report. All 43 people have been hospitalized. Three deaths have been reported, including one in Illinois, one in New Jersey, and, as of this update, one in Virginia.

CDC Food Safety Alert
https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24/index.html
Listeria Outbreak Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis
Posted August 8, 2024

Fast Facts
Illnesses: 43 (9 new)
Hospitalizations: 43 (10 new)
Deaths: 3 (1 new)
States: 13 (0 new)
Recall: Yes
Investigation status: Active (First posted on July 19, 2024)

CA Firm Recalls Cookie Product Due to Label Design Error That Missed Milk Allergen

Too Good Gourmet of San Lorenzo, CA is announcing a recall of Meijer Dunking Cookies Chocolate Chip because they contain undeclared milk.  The product contains a milk allergen that was mistakenly not listed in the ingredient declaration and Contains statement. Meijer was not notified of the label inaccuracy.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/too-good-gourmet-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-milk-meijer-dunking-cookies-chocolate-chip-10oz
Too Good Gourmet Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk in Meijer Dunking Cookies Chocolate Chip 10oz
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  August 09, 2024
FDA Publish Date:  August 09, 2024
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Undeclared milk
Company Name:  Too Good Gourmet
Brand Name:  Meijer
Product Description:  Dunking Cookies Chocolate Chip