Imported Spice Packets Recalled After FDA Sampling Finds Salmonella

House of Spices, an Indian food specialty company, is recalling its Sambar Masala spice after FDA had tested and found that the product was positive for Salmonella.  Based on the picture of the packaged which was posted on the FDA website, the product was sourced from the Middle East.

As part of the requirements, the importer of this product, House of Spices, would have been required to have a FSVP, or Foreign Supplier Verification Program in place, and as part of that program, measures in place to ensure that the supplier of this product had controls for hazards.   And with spices, Salmonella would be a potential hazard.  These measures could include:

• requiring a COA for each lot with sampling and testing from a reputable laboratory, 
• an onsite audit to ensure that 1) spices are being properly treated and 2) the facility had controls to protect against environmental contamination in mixing and packing areas
• the importers own testing protocol which would check incoming lots and serve as a verification of the COA.  One would be looking at large sample quantities (375 g rather than 25g) over multiple units within the lot. 

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/house-spices-india-issues-recall-mdh-sambar-masala-due-salmonella-contamination
House Of Spices (India) Issues Recall of "MDH Sambar Masala" Due To Salmonella Contamination
Summary
Company Announcement Date: September 07, 2019 

FDA Publish Date:September 07, 2019 

Product Type: Food & Beverages 

Reason for Announcement: Salmonella
Company Name: House Of Spices India 

Brand Name: MDH
Product Description:  MDH SAMBAR MASALA

Hamburger Buns Recalled After Dough Scrapper Gets 'Incorporated' into Dough

Conagra Brands is voluntarily recalling approx. 2,200 cases of Udi’s Classic Hamburger Buns due to the potential presence of small pieces of white plastic. "The company discovered the issue which occurred when a dough scraper was inadvertently incorporated into the production process for a small amount of the product."  'Inadvertently incorporated' could mean accidently dropped, left in mixer after use, etc.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/udis-classic-hamburger-buns-recalled-due-potential-presence-foreign-material
Udi’s Classic Hamburger Buns Recalled due to Potential Presence of Foreign Material
Summary
Company Announcement Date: September 06, 2019
FDA Publish Date: September 06, 2019
Product Type: Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement: Foreign Object White Plastic
Company Name:Conagra Brands
Brand Name: Udi's
Product Description:  Classic Hamburger Buns

Woman Suffers Severe Injury from Pressure Cooker

An Indian woman suffered a severe injury as the whistle (or pressure relief) from a pressure cooker shot off the canner into her eye and lodged into her scull.

These issues are rare, but serves as a reminder for those using pressure cookers or canners to pay attention when heating under pressure to prevent excess pressure from building up in the canner.  In this case, the woman was doing something else and had ignored the whistling sound generated by the canner and then tried to move the canner rather than just turning off the heat.

Other important measures to take..make sure your canner is clean and in good working condition, including the pressure canner/cooker pressure relief/whistler/giggler value is free of build up and the pressure monitoring gauge is working.  Be sure pressures are within the range called for in the recipe, and take corrective action such as reducing heat if the pressure goes a few pounds above that pressure.  If excessive pressures are reached, turn off the heat completely, and stay away from unit until pressure dissipates.

Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/health/pressure-cooker-whistle-skull
Pressure cooker whistle shoots off, lodges into woman's skull
By Madeline Farber | Fox News
9/9/19

FDA Issues Consumer Advisory on Yellowfish Tuna Steaks Purchased from Kroger

FDA issued an alert on yellowfin tuna steaks sold through Kroger retail stores.  The issue is the potential for high histamine levels which cause scombroid poisoning.  The high histamine levels occur when the fish had been temperature abused, and when that occurs, spoilage microbes convert the amino acid histidine, which is present as part of the fish protein, to histamine.

"Scombroid symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to an hour after eating contaminated fish. They usually resemble an allergic reaction, such as flushing of the face, headache, heart palpitations, itching, blurred vision, cramps, and diarrhea. Symptoms can be treated with antihistamines. Even without treatment, people usually get better within 12 hours."

According to the report, "FDA became aware of multiple scombroid poisoning cases in individuals who consumed tuna steaks purchased from three separate Kroger retail locations in Ohio."

https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-consumers-not-eat-yellowfin-tuna-steaks-kroger-retail-stores-multiple-states
FDA Advises Consumers Not to Eat Yellowfin Tuna Steaks from Kroger Retail Stores in Multiple States
September 7, 2019

E. coli Outbreak in Philadelphia Affects 14, Source Not Yet Identified

Philadelphia health officials report an outbreak of E.coli that has affected 14, with ages ranging form 7 to 90.  While it is believed it is a 'shared restaurant exposure", no restaurant has been yet identified.

Update 9/9/2019 - 16 cases now reported. Link

Philadelphia Enquirer
https://www.inquirer.com/health/e-coli-outbreak-philadelphia-diarrhea-kidney-failure-food-20190905.html
Philadelphia officials issue health alert over E. coli outbreak
by Rita Giordano, Updated: September 5, 2019

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an outbreak of E. coli infections that has sickened 14 people so far.

This Week in Allergen Related Recalls for Week Ending September 7, 2019

Egg Not on Label - Great One Trading Inc. is recalling the above because it may contain undeclared egg. The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the product containing egg was not revealed on the packaging. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a mislabeling error by the manufacturer.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/great-one-trading-inc-issues-expanding-allergy-alert-undeclared-egg-fishball-products
Great One Trading Inc. Issues Expanding Allergy Alert on Undeclared Egg In Fishball Products
Summary
Company Announcement Date: September 04, 2019
FDA Publish Date:September 04, 2019
Product Type: Food & Beverages Fish
Reason for Announcement: Undeclared Egg
Company Name:Great One Trading Inc.
Brand Name: QQ Fish
Product Description: Fish Ball Products

The Story of Six Sigma Quality Management System

There is an interesting article in Quartz on Six Sigma, the quality management system championed by General Electric. It details how a tool for improving manufacturing precision and efficiency expanded to become guiding principle applied to all aspects of the company.  Employees worked to become green belts and then master black belts, designations for practitioners of Six Sigma.  In time however, GE's fortunes dropped from the high flyer of the 1990's, and with that, Six Sigma lost its luster.

GE was not the only company as many companies including a good number of food companies looked to have Six Sigma trained professionals in key positions.  As a technical professional, I had considered such training.  However, it was time consuming, costly, and difficult to justify.  Not to say these tools and concepts were not beneficial, but basic training in statistical process control and process improvement was sufficient for most applications.

It is not too far back in time when these tools were absolutely needed.  A good example was the US automobile industry of the 1970s and early 80s...you'd be lucky if a new car lasted 5 years without extensive repairs.  For food operations, process efficiency and waste were a major concern.  Now, measurement of many of these factors are automatically measured and controlled...items such as equipment downtime/uptime, fill weight, percent defective, etc.  Still, it is important for employees to understand these concepts and how to apply them in food manufacturing operations.

An important point to recognize is that this is a tool, but when that tool become the overall strategy or when leaders become overly obsessive in its use, then there can be ramifications.  In this case, as pointed out in the article, the company's focus did not support innovation and risk taking.

Quartz at Work
https://qz.com/work/1635960/whatever-happened-to-six-sigma/
DEEP SIXED
Whatever happened to Six Sigma?
By Oliver Staley6 hours ago

Modernizing the Standards of Identity - Names Should Mean Something

Is soy milk really milk?  This is one of a number of food questions that are likely to come up in FDA's upcoming public meeting on the modernizing the Food Standards of Identity.

While to most, the food standards of identity are not an overly exciting topic, but they do serve a purpose in establishing what defines a specific product.  "These regulatory standards specify the characteristics of hundreds of different foods, everything from frozen cherry pie to milk, but critics say many of these definitions are in desperate need of an update, including a definition of milk that specifies that the beverage come from a lactating animal." 

In recent times, there have been a number of  new-to-us type of products entering the marketplace, and they take on familiar names, because it is just easy to assign a name that customers are familiar with.  But is that right?  Sure we know soy milk is not really milk, but do we make assumptions about aht product, perhaps it has the same nutritional value of milk.  What about the producers of regular milk, should they not have some protections against infringement on what they make?  

And perhaps for soy milk, consumer understand that it is different, but will that always be the case?  I am one for having a name mean something.  If it is not the same, then call it something different.  And if it has that name, then there should be certain expectations for what that item is.  

FORBES
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennysplitter/2019/09/05/food-label-redux-fda-to-hold-public-meeting-on-food-standards-of-identity/#40e824187599
Got Food Label Confusion? FDA To Hold Public Meeting On Food Standards Of Identity
Jenny Splitter
Sep 5, 2019, 09:06am

Establishment Recalls 25,000 Pounds of Beef Due to Procedural Test and Hold Error

American Beef Packers, Inc., a Chino, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 24,428 pounds of raw beef products that are deemed unfit for human consumption.  The issue appears to be that the establishment shipped product that was sampled but had not been tested.  According to the report, "The firm notified FSIS on Aug. 30, 2019 that a carcass that was pending laboratory results had been erroneously released and further processed into raw intact and non-intact beef products." 


https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-089-2019-release
American Beef Packers, Inc. Recalls Raw Beef Products Deemed Unfit for Human Consumption 
Class II Recall 
089-2019 
Health Risk:Low 
Aug 31, 2019