Recent Recall for Oysters Highlights Norovirus Risk

Over the past year, there have been 14 recalls for oysters after foodborne illness outbreaks, primarily due to norovirus infections.  Five of those outbreaks / recalls occurred over the past 4 months (below), with the last one due to oysters harvested in Louisiana.   

Raw oysters are a risk for viral and bacterial pathogens.  As filter feeds, they capture the contaminants in the water column and those contaminates are consumed when the oysters are eaten raw.  The government requires shellfish identification tags to be placed on the shellfish when harvested and these tags accompany the shellfish to the point of sale, at which point, they must be kept on file in the event of an outbreak.  This allows investigators to identify the site in which the oysters were harvested and then issue a source specific recall.

Louisiana Oysters - Norovirus - Feb 2025

The Louisiana Department of Health has issued a recall for certain oysters that were harvested from Louisiana due to an outbreak of norovirus illnesses. The oysters were harvested from Louisiana Area 3 from 1/10/2025 through 2/4/2025. The oysters were shipped to distributors and retailers in AL, FL, LA, MD, MS, NC, and TX and may have been distributed to other states as well. The FDA is advising restaurants and food retailers not to serve or sell and to dispose of, and consumers not to eat, these oysters following the instruction provided below because they may be contaminated with norovirus.

Seafood Processor Recalls Canned Tuna of Various Brands for Can Lid Failure, Botulism Concern

Tri-Union Seafoods has made the decision to voluntarily recall select lots of canned tuna products sold under the Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names. This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution following the notification from our supplier that the “easy open” pull tab can lid on limited products encountered a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal (especially over time), causing it to leak, or worse, be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.

While some news articles are stating this recall is botulism contamination, it is better stated as a can lid failure issue that could result in Clostridium botulinum contamination, and thus a risk for botulism.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/tri-union-seafoods-issues-recall-select-genovar-van-campsr-h-e-b-and-trader-joesr-tuna-cans-due
Tri-Union Seafoods Issues Recall of Select Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s® Tuna Cans Due to Clostridium Botulinum Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  February 07, 2025
FDA Publish Date:  February 10, 2025
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Potential Foodborne Illness - Botulism
Company Name:  Tri-Union Seafoods
Brand Name:  Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B, Trader Joe’s
Product Description:  Canned tuna

Message Boards Are Not a Good Information Source for Recalls

There was evidently a rumor of an egg recall that circulated on web message boards over the past week.  Shows how many people buy into unverified news such as delivered through internet message boards.

Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniegravalese/2025/02/06/egg-recall-rumors-are-spreading--heres-what-you-need-to-know/
Egg Recall Rumors Are Spreading—Here’s What You Need To Know
Stephanie Gravalese
Contributor

Was There a Recall on Eggland's Best Eggs? Here's What We Know

If you've seen posts claiming Eggland's Best eggs have been recalled, you're not alone. Over the past week, rumors have spread across social media, with people warning others to check their cartons, return eggs to stores, or avoid buying them altogether.

But is there actually an Eggland's Best eggs recall 2025? No.

TX Establishment Recalls Sausage Product After Complaint for Foreign Material - A Pen

 D.J.’s Boudain, LLC, a Beaumont, Texas, establishment, is recalling approximately 17,720 pounds of boudain sausage link products that may be contaminated with foreign materials, specifically pieces of a pen.  The problem was discovered after the establishment received a consumer complaint involving the discovery of a piece of a pen while eating the Original Boudain sausage links product.

There has been one reported oral injury associated with consumption of this product. FSIS has received no additional reports of injury or illness from consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.

One of our favorite examples for foreign material sources - employees with pens.  And this is what happens - employee drops the pen or places it in the wrong spot, falls into the product stream, gets blended or ground, ends up in finished product, and then injures a customer as they consume product with broken pen pieces.

So what does that lost pen cost?  In terms of production, over 8 tons of finished product.

A great example for sharing with employees.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/djs-boudain-llc-recalls-sausage-link-products-due-possible-foreign-matter
DJ’s Boudain LLC Recalls Sausage Link Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
FSIS Announcement

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2025 – D.J.’s Boudain, LLC, a Beaumont, Texas, establishment, is recalling approximately 17,720 pounds of boudain sausage link products that may be contaminated with foreign materials, specifically pieces of a pen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Wisconsin Sprout Operation Recalls Sprouts After State Testing Finds Listeria

Jack and the Green Sprouts, Inc. of River Falls, WI is recalling 5oz packages of Alfalfa sprouts that expired on 1/29/25 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the State of MN which revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in expired 5oz package Alfalfa sprouts. Even though Jack and the Green Sprout’s tests from an independent lab had negative results confirmed on spent irrigation water & finished Product for the Alfalfa Lot #687 before release.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/jack-and-green-sprouts-recalls-expired-alfalfa-sprouts-because-possible-health-risk
Jack and the Green Sprouts Recalls Expired Alfalfa Sprouts Because of Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  February 07, 2025
FDA Publish Date:  February 08, 2025
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Potential Foodborne Illness – Listeria monocytogenes
Company Name:  Jack and the Green Sprouts, Inc.
Brand Name:  Jack & the Green Sprouts
Product Description:  Alfalfa Sprouts

NJ Firm Recalls Imported Tahini Paste After State Lab Detects Salmonella

Turkana Food Inc. Kenilworth, NJ is recalling 858 cases OF Aleppo Tahini Sesame Paste because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.  The recall was the result of a routine sampling performed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture which revealed that the finished products contained Salmonella. The company has ceased production and distribution of the products as FDA and the company continue their investigation to what caused the problem.  Product is imported from Turkey.
             
                                                
https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/turkana-food-inc-recalls-aleppo-tahini-sesame-paste-1lb-16oz-because-possible-health-risk
Turkana Food Inc. Recalls Aleppo Tahini Sesame Paste 1lb (16oz) Because of Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  February 06, 2025
FDA Publish Date:  February 06, 2025
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Potential Foodborne Illness - Salmonella
Company Name:  Turkana Food Inc.
Brand Name:  Aleppo
Product Description:  Tahini Sesame Paste

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Imported Mini Pastries

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state, local, and international partners, are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to Sweet Cream-brand mini pastries manufactured in Italy and exported into the United States by Importations Piu Che Dolci Inc. of Quebec, Canada.  As of January 29, 2025, a total of 18 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from seven states. Of the 18 people for whom information is available, one person has been hospitalized

On January 21, 2025, FDA was notified about an outbreak of Salmonella in the United States, which is the same strain investigated in Canada. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) informed FDA that their investigation linked their outbreak to Sweet Cream-brand mini pastries,

The recalled products were imported by two distributors in the U.S. who were contacted about the recall. One distributor had no product on hand, and the second distributor quarantined all product on hand and informed all of their downstream customers of the recall. As part of this investigation, FDA conducted traceback for one of the U.S. cases and identified that they were served recalled Sweet Cream-brand mini pastries at a restaurant prior to becoming sick. The restaurant received the pastries from one of the U.S. distributors.

The FSVP (Foreign Supplier Verification Program) was put in place to ensure that importer of this product can verify the foreign producer is meeting US standards including having a Food Safety Plan.  In this case, the FSVP importer would conduct a hazard analysis, determine significant hazards, and then put in verification procedures to ensure that supplier is controlling the significant hazards.  In a pastry product such as this, Salmonella would have been determined to be a significant hazard to be controlled through process control and then through sanitation control to prevent recontamination of the RTE pastry before packaging.

Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 18
Hospitalizations: 1
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset: December 6, 2024
States with Cases: CA, IL, MA, NC, NJ, NY, and PA
Product Distribution*: FL, NJ, NY, and PA

*Distribution has been confirmed for states listed, but product could have been distributed further, reaching additional states



https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-mini-pastries-january-2025
Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Mini Pastries (January 2025)
Do not sell or serve recalled Sweet Cream-Brand Mini Pastries. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.

Rushing to Judgment on the FDA 483 Inspectional Observations of Onion Facility

It can be difficult in determining the exact cause of a foodborne illness outbreak, even for inspectors.  But it seems that it can be too easy to jump to conclusions, especially for the media, based upon pieces of information that become available.  A recent posting from Food Safety Strategy titled The Mischaracterization of a 483  provides a good analysis of the FDA's 483 report of Inspectional Observations and how they can be difficult to judge, especially for those who are not familiar with food observations.  While this analysis did not reference a specific 483 report, I immediately thought of the report of the facility that was responsible for the 2024 E. coli outbreak linked to sliced onions sold at McDonalds.

To read through this, one can easily say the inspector is leaning to environmental contamination issue due to lack of cleaning.  Certainly some of the media conveyed that thought.  However, while this facility had 'potential' issues based upon what he inspector observed, there is no hard evidence provided and plenty of questions that are not answered.

As pointed out in the article cited above, fresh operations are going to have pooling water.  It is a wet operation.  The 483 cites 'apparent biofilm',  but there was no analysis to determine if it was bacteriological in origin.  In fact, no environmental testing was mentioned in the report.   

The presence of Listeria and other pathogens in these types of facilities is going to happen.  There needs to be recognition of whether that contamination is endemic or transient.

It is important to recognize that this is a process with no lethality / kill step.  The biggest issue with contamination is just as much or more of a raw material issue than a facility issue.  And the 483 does not delve into this fact that contamination may likely have been on the product.  And there has been some research evidence for internalization of pathogenic organisms in produce including onions that are grown in soil.  

Not to argue with what the inspector observed, but one must be cautious about jumping to conclusions based upon these observations without additional information including field testing, product testing, etc.

https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/inspectors-find-dozens-of-violations-at-taylor-farms-in-colorado-springs
FDA 483 Inspectional Observations
Taylor Farms Colorado, Inc.

6th &  Kipling St. (P.O. Box 25087)

Denver, CO 80225-0087

(303)236-3000  Fax:(303)236-3100

OBSERVATION 1
You did not implement your sanitation preventive control, monitoring, corrective action and verification procedures.

NC Raw Pet Food Company Continues to Issue Recalls For Pathogens Found by State Testing

Blue Ridge Beef, of Statesville, NC is recalling 5,700 lbs. of their 2 lb log Natural Mix due to a contamination of Salmonella. Lot # N25/12/31 (Lot numbers are stamped in the clips on the end of the chubs/bags) UPC# 854298001054.  Samples of the product was collected on 01/08/25 by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and tested by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Food and Drug Protection Laboratory. The product tested positive for Salmonella.  On 01/27/2025 the firm was notified by the FDA that the product tested positive for Salmonella.

This company has a significant history of recalling product due to the presence of pathogens.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/blue-ridge-beef-issues-recall-blue-ridge-beef-natural-mix-due-salmonella-contamination
Blue Ridge Beef Issues a Recall of Blue Ridge Beef Natural Mix Due to Salmonella Contamination
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  January 31, 2025
FDA Publish Date:  January 31, 2025
Product Type:  Animal & Veterinary  Food & Beverages   Pet Food
Reason for Announcement: Salmonella contamination
Company Name:  Blue Ridge Beef
Brand Name:  Blue Ridge Beef
Product Description:  Natural Mix