Posted Wed, March 10, 2010
Filed under: Active New Recall
By Lindsey Layton
The company at the heart of a growing recall of processed foods knew that its plant was contaminated with salmonella but continued to make a flavoring and sell it to foodmakers around the country, according to inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration.
Managers at Basic Food Flavors of Las Vegas learned on Jan. 21 that samples taken a week earlier from their Nevada facility tested positive for salmonella, a potentially deadly bacterium, but they kept shipping their product to foodmakers, according to FDA inspection records.
The company makes hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP, a flavor enhancer used in a wide variety of processed foods, from potato chips to sweet and sour tofu. The additive, which comes as a powder or a paste, is mixed into foods to give them a meaty or savory flavor -- similar to the use of monosodium glutamate.
Basic Food Flavors tested surfaces near food-processing equipment throughout its plant twice in January and once in February, and each time the samples showed salmonella contamination, according to FDA records. The company continued to ship products and to make more HVP without cleaning the plant or the equipment in a way that would have minimized contamination, the records said.
"The FDA is reviewing the evidence in association with the current inspection of Basic Food Flavors to determine the appropriate regulatory response," FDA spokeswoman Meghan Scott said.
It is illegal to knowingly sell food products that are contaminated with salmonella.
Officials at Basic Food Flavors did not return calls seeking comment.
No one is thought to have fallen ill from contaminated HVP, and the health risk is considered to be low because most products containing HVP are cooked during processing or carry cooking instructions for consumers, so any salmonella probably would be destroyed before the food was eaten. Ready-to-eat products, such as chips and other snack foods, would carry greater risks.
"It highlights why we need strong rules that would prevent contamination in the first place, so the FDA isn't swooping in like the cops after the fact," said Erik Olson, director of chemical and food safety programs at Pew Charitable Trusts.
Legislation that would require companies to take measures to prevent contamination was overwhelmingly passed by the House last year but has been held up in the Senate.
Federal officials were alerted to a problem with Basic Food Flavors in early February by a foodmaker who detected salmonella in one lot of HVP it purchased from the Nevada manufacturer.
Federal inspectors went to the plant within days of the complaint and conducted 14 inspections in the span of about two weeks. They documented dirty utensils and equipment -- mixers and tubing coated with brown residue -- and cracks and fractures in the floor, as well as standing water on the floor -- all conditions where bacteria can breed.
In one area where paste mixers and belt dryers were positioned, FDA inspectors noted "standing, grey/black liquid" in the drain near the area where the hydrolyzed vegetable protein was turned from paste to powder. "We sensed an odor in the vicinity of this drain," the inspectors wrote.
The company is one of only a handful that manufacture hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and its customer list is extensive. It produces about 20 million pounds of the food additive annually, according to a food industry source.
The contamination is believed to date to September 2009, meaning millions of pounds of potentially tainted HVP -- all of which the company has recalled -- was shipped in bulk to foodmakers over five months. Many of those companies then sold their products to other clients, complicating the distribution chain and making it hard for federal officials to gauge the scope of the problem.
Food companies had recalled more than 100 products as of Tuesday afternoon, ranging from dips to salad dressings to soup bouillon, and that list is expected to balloon over the next several weeks.
This article taken from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030903467.html
Posted Wed, March 10, 2010
Filed under: Active New Recall
Potato Chips: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm203778.htm
Cream of Mushroom Soup: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm203887.htm
Black Pepper (NEW): http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm203767.htm
Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_017_2010_Release/index.asp
Ready-To-Eat Beef Product: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_016_2010_Release/index.asp
Posted Tue, March 09, 2010
Filed under: Active New Recall
**This is an expansion of a previous recall, which now includes more production dates.**
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Lincoln, NE, March 8, 2010 – Nature's Variety has expanded its voluntary recall of Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diets for dogs and cats to include the "Best If Used By" dates of 10/29/10 and 11/9/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products. People handling pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or any surfaces exposed to these products.
The recall includes the following products with a "Best If Used By" date of 10/29/10 or 11/9/10:
*
o UPC#7 69949 60131 9 – Chicken Formula 0.75 lb trial sized medallions
o UPC#7 69949 60130 2 – Chicken Formula 3 lb medallions
o UPC#7 69949 60120 3 – Chicken Formula 6 lb patties
o UPC#7 69949 60121 0 – Chicken Formula 2 lb single chubs
The products included in the expanded recall are any Chicken Formula or Organic Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet with a "Best If Used By" date on or before 2/5/11, including:
*
o UPC#7 69949 60131 9 – Chicken Formula 0.75 lb trial sized medallions
o UPC#7 69949 60130 2 – Chicken Formula 3 lb medallions
o UPC#7 69949 60120 3 – Chicken Formula 6 lb patties
o UPC#7 69949 60121 0 – Chicken Formula 2 lb single chubs
o UPC#7 69949 50121 3 – Chicken Formula 12 lb case of chubs
o UPC#7 69949 60137 1 – Organic Chicken Formula 3 lb medallions
o UPC#7 69949 60127 2 – Organic Chicken Formula 6 lb patties
This recall continues at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm203612.htm
Posted Tue, March 09, 2010
Filed under: Active New Recall
VANCOUVER, BC – Following a provincial product recall, the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control is warning the public not to consume Camembert cheese manufactured by Moonstruck Organic Cheese located on Saltspring Island. This recall is the result of a routine sampling program by the BCCDC, which revealed that one wheel of the finished product contained the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Other batches of product may also be affected.
Three Camembert varieties are potentially contaminated, including White Moon, Savoury Moon, and Ash-Ripened. Affected products include:
* Code 240110, with best before dates of 03/03/10, 10/03/10, and 24/03/10
* Code 200110, with best before date 03/03/10
* Code 290110. with best before dates 10/03/10, 17/03/10, 23/03/10
* Code 050210 with best before dates 17/03/10, 23/03/10, 02/04/10
* Code 120210 with best before dates 23/03/10, 02/04/10
* Code 190210, with best before date 02/04/10
In order to ensure the health and safety of their consumers, the manufacturer has provided product labels so the public can easily identify the affected product. To view these labels, please see below.
This product was sold through various retailers in British Columbia, and anyone who may have purchased this recalled cheese should not consume it, and discard or return it to their place of purchase. The BCCDC is concerned that this cheese product may still be in the homes of consumers as Camembert cheeses can be stored and consumed well beyond the product's best before date. Listeria, if present, will grow to high numbers even if the cheese has been stored in the refrigerator. Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled.
The BCCDC is currently working with BC Health Authorities, the BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport and the CFIA to ensure the recalled product is removed from distribution and is investigating any possible cases of illness. Currently there are no cases linked to this recall, and the manufacturer is cooperating with authorities to ensure the product is removed from distribution.
This recall taken from: http://www.bccdc.ca/resources/news-alerts/alerts/ListeriaCheeseMarch8.htm
Copyright © 2009 S.T.O.P.