Recall:Salmonella Alert! Products Containing Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein or HVP
Filed under: Dangerous Foods, Is it Safe?, Recall, Recalled Foods, Salmonella
Could become the largest food recall ever: read more details here.
Recall: Products Containing Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Federal health authorities announced Thursday the recall of a commonly used flavor enhancer after samples of the product were found to contain salmonella.
“I would say it’s likely to be in thousands of food products,” said Dr. Jenny Scott, senior adviser to the director at the Office of Food Safety at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, about the product, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, also called HVP.
The bacterium, identified as Salmonella Tennessee, was found in HVP manufactured by Basic Food Flavors Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada, the officials said.
HVP is used in processed foods, including soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravy, seasoned snack foods and dressings.
“We are working hard to respond to this particular outbreak; we also are working hard to put in place the kinds of preventive control measures to prevent this kind of contamination from happening in the first place,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg.
Officials noted in a telephone conference call with reporters that no illnesses have been reported and any risk to consumers would be considered low.
“Many of the foods that incorporated this product at very low levels have kill steps in place that would eliminate salmonella,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, FDA’s principal deputy commissioner. He was referring to steps in preparation that would heat the product enough to kill any bacteria. “For those that don’t, we’re providing specific guidance around the need to recall,” he said.
But officials acknowledged they did not yet know just how many products might wind up being recalled.
“The manufacturer had many first-level consignees who obviously had individuals and firms that they sold to,” said Dr. Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner for food safety, FDA’s Office of Foods. “We expect this to get larger over the next several days to, actually, maybe several weeks.”
A call to the manufacturer was not returned immediately.
Sharfstein said the agency learned of the problem in early February, when a Basic Foods customer tested the product and reported to FDA that it was contaminated.
Farrar said he did not know when the plant was last inspected.
The recall affects all bulk HVP produced at the facility since September 17. The FDA posted several dozen products containing the ingredient at www.foodsafety.gov, but officials said the list was not complete. The recalled products include dips, salad dressings and soup mixes.
Farrar said the agency was recommending recalls of those products containing HVP that might be eaten without processing or cooking that would kill the bacteria. But more needs to be done, he said. “This situation clearly underscores the need for new food safety legislation to equip FDA with the tools we need to prevent contamination,” said Farrar.
Salmonella bacteria sometimes cause fatal infections in young children, elderly people and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Symptoms in healthy people might include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said the recall is “yet more proof that the Food and Drug Administration needs more authority, more inspectors and more resources to ensure that our food supply is safe.”
It added, “Most Americans would be stunned to learn that FDA doesn’t even have the authority to make recalls like these mandatory.”
A bill passed in July by the House with overwhelming bipartisan support would go a long way toward beefing up the agency’s ability to intervene in such cases, said Erik Olson, director of food and consumer product safety at The Pew Charitable Trusts.
“The existing law is basically a reactive law,” he said. “If you find contamination problems, the FDA reacts and goes out and tries to find the problem and asks for a voluntary recall.”
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the law pending in the Senate, “would change the whole system, modernize it to say we’re going to try to prevent the contamination before it occurs.”
But support for the bill is not universal.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is seeking changes in the bill before passage, according to Senior Policy Associate Kate Fitzgerald.
“The last thing we want to do as a government is to inhibit these regional food systems by poorly crafted regulation,” she said. Under the proposed legislation, a farmer selling broccoli heads would be classified as a farmer, but a farmer selling broccoli florets would be classified as a facility and subject to more rigorous controls, she said.
“No one benefits if we pass a food-safety bill but it doesn’t make the food system better,” she said.
Steve Etka, legislative director at the National Organic Coalition, offered a similar view. “We want to make sure the bill is clear that it’s targeted toward the riskiest behaviors,” he said. “Right now, we think it’s kind of missing the mark in that regard.”
Information current as of noon March 04, 2010
56 entries in list
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Containing Products Recall List: Main Page
Note: This list includes products subject to recall in the United States since February 2010 related to hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) paste and powder distributed by Basic Food Flavors, Inc. This list will be updated with publicly available information as received. The information is current as of the date indicated. Once included, recalls will remain listed. If we learn that any information is not accurate, we will revise the list as soon as possible. When available, this database also includes photos of recalled products that have been voluntarily submitted by recalling firms to the FDA to assist the public in identifying those products that are subject to recall.
Pepper Salami Recalled- salmonella outbreak
Filed under: Beef Recalls, Dangerous Foods, Product Recalls, Recall, Recalled Foods, Salmonella
Salami recalled in multistate salmonella outbreak
A Rhode Island company, Daniele Inc., recalls 1.24 million pounds of pepper-crusted salami after officials trace the outbreak to its product, based on a comparison of shopping receipts.
A Rhode Island meat company recalled 1.24 million pounds of pepper-coated salami Saturday, after officials conducting a months-long, multistate investigation of a salmonella outbreak compared shopping receipts of those who got sick.
The recall by Daniele Inc. comes amid an outbreak that has sickened 184 people in 38 states since July.
Daniele has been identified as the source of the ongoing outbreak by William Keene, a senior epidemiologist at the public health division in Oregon, where eight people have fallen ill.
Keene said Saturday that some questions remain, such as whether it was the meat or the pepper that was contaminated.
Investigators in Washington state found that many of the 14 residents there who got sick shopped at Costco, Keene said. Costco did not return calls seeking comment on the recall Saturday, but it has posted notice of it on its website.
10 Foods that can cause you to get sick
10 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sick
Leafy Greens, Eggs, and Tuna Are Among Foods Mostly Like to Cause Food-borne Illness
By Todd Zwillich
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Oct. 6, 2009 — Here’s a surprise: Some of the healthiest foods may also be the most likely to cause food-borne illness.
That’s the conclusion in a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The report shows leafy greens, sprouts, and berries are among the most prone to carry infections or toxins.
“We don’t recommend that consumers change their eating habits,” says Caroline Smith DeWaal, the CSPI’s head of food safety programs. Instead, the group is trying to point out vulnerabilities in the nation’s food safety system as it lobbies Congress to beef up enforcement.
The group analyzed CDC data on food illness outbreaks dating back to 1990. They found that leafy greens were involved in 363 outbreaks and about 13,600 illnesses, mostly caused by norovirus, E. coli, and salmonella bacteria.
The rest of the top 10 list included:
* Eggs, involved in 352 outbreaks and 11,163 reported cases of illness.
* Tuna, involved in 268 outbreaks and 2,341 reported cases of illness.
* Oysters, involved in 132 outbreaks and 3,409 reported cases of illness.
* Potatoes, involved in 108 outbreaks and 3,659 reported cases of illness.
* Cheese, involved in 83 outbreaks and 2,761 reported cases of illness.
* Ice cream, involved in 74 outbreaks and 2,594 reported cases of illness.
* Tomatoes, involved in 31 outbreaks and 3,292 reported cases of illness.
* Sprouts, involved in 31 outbreaks and 2,022 reported cases of illness.
* Berries, involved in 25 outbreaks and 3,397 reported cases of illness.
It is unclear how many of the outbreaks can be blamed on the foods themselves. The CDC’s database can’t discriminate between outbreaks caused by tomatoes, for example, vs. those caused by other ingredients in a salad. Foods like potatoes are almost always consumed cooked, so it is unlikely that potatoes themselves caused 108 outbreaks.
Still, Smith DeWaal called the list “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to food-borne illnesses in the U.S. Not all outbreaks are reported to public health authorities. In addition, the analysis focused only on foods regulated by the FDA; that leaves out beef, pork, poultry, and some egg products, which are policed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Consumers always want to know what they should do to avoid getting sick,” says Sarah Klein, lead author of the report. She recommends “defensive eating,” including keeping food cold and cooking it thoroughly, chilling oysters and avoiding them when raw, and avoiding raw eggs or using them in homemade ice cream.
Several bills that are circulating in Congress aim to crack down on food safety by requiring all food producers to keep written safety plans and giving the FDA more power to inspect plans and enforce rules.
“In a relative scale our food supply remains quite safe,” says Craig Hedberg, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The CDC says 76 million Americans get sick from food-borne illnesses each year.
“Because most people don’t experience a bad outcome from a lapse in good behavior it’s difficult to enforce,” he says.
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Consumers need to make sure their food is Safe?
Food Companies Are Placing the Onus for Safety on Consumers
By MICHAEL MOSS
The frozen pot pies that sickened an estimated 15,000 people with salmonella in 2007 left federal inspectors mystified. At first they suspected the turkey. Then they considered the peas, carrots and potatoes.
Banquet pot pies sickened thousands with salmonella in 2007. The corporate parent, ConAgra Foods, and others have decided to leave the “kill step” to eliminate pathogens up to the consumer’s cooking at home.
Found significant levels of harmless bacteria that show ingredients still raw when pies leave the factory.
Lab Test of Banquet Chicken Pot Pie (pdf)
Found significant levels of harmless bacteria that show ingredients still raw when pies leave the factory.
2008 C.D.C. Report on Salmonella in Pot Pies (pdf)
Relevant portion begins on the 5th page.
Food Safety for People Who Don’t Cook
Room for Debate Should consumers bear responsibility for the safe handling of the processed foods they eat?
* ConAgra Foods Incorporated
Banquet pot pies include exacting cooking instructions in order to kill any possible pathogens.
The pie maker, ConAgra Foods, began spot-checking the vegetables for pathogens, but could not find the culprit. It also tried cooking the vegetables at high temperatures, a strategy the industry calls a “kill step,” to wipe out any lingering microbes. But the vegetables turned to mush in the process.
So ConAgra — which sold more than 100 million pot pies last year under its popular Banquet label — decided to make the consumer responsible for the kill step. The “food safety” instructions and four-step diagram on the 69-cent pies offer this guidance: “Internal temperature needs to reach 165° F as measured by a food thermometer in several spots.”
Read whole story on
One million pound recall figure for pistachios, salmonella scare
Salmonella Worries Prompt Pistachio Recall
Calif. Company Taking 1 Million Pounds Of Nuts Off Shelves After Contamination Found
FRESNO, Calif., March 30, 2009
The California Department of Public Health said it was tracking nuts processed at Setton Farms, a firm whose Web site describes it as the second-largest pistachio processor in the United States. (CBS)
(CBS/AP) A Central California company is recalling about 1 million pounds of pistachios over concerns of possible salmonella contamination.
Food safety officials are looking through Setton Farms' plant in rural Tulare County to see if it could lead them to the source of the contamination.
The recalls began last Friday when the Georgia Nut Company recalled its Kraft Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix after some samples tested positive for salmonella. Setton Farms has started a separate recall of roasted pistachios, and grocery operator Kroger also has recalled some pistachio products.
No illnesses have been reported.
The California Department of Public Health said Monday it was tracking nuts processed at Setton Farms, a firm whose Web site describes it as the second-largest pistachio processor in the United States.
State authorities said Setton sent its roasted pistachios to Georgia Nut. Setton Farms has initiated a separate recall of three lots of roasted pistachios tied to the positive results in the trail mix, California officials said.
Kroger said the California firm also supplied the line of pistachios it recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. Those nuts were sold in 31 states.
Setton Farms did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
Dr. David Acheson, director of food safety for the Food and Drug Administration said the contaminated pistachios are not related to a recent outbreak of salmonella tied to peanuts, reports CBS News Correspondent Nancy Cordes.
The one million pound recall figure could grow as the company tracks its products, Cordes reports, and it will likely extend to all manner of pistachio products.
Right now, the FDA is advising Americans not to eat pistachios but not to throw away their pistachios either. Basically, people should hold on to their pistachios until the FDA knows more about which products are affected.
Ebola-Reston found in the Philippines, killing pigs to stop spread.
Filed under: Banned Foods, Dangerous Foods, Is it Safe?, What it is?
MANILA, Feb 23 (Reuters) – The Philippines will slaughter 6,000 pigs at a hog farm north of the capital Manila to prevent the spread of the Ebola-Reston virus, health and farm officials said on Monday.
But the government has lifted a quarantine on a second hog farm after tests by experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and Food and the Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed no more signs of the disease.
The country has more than 13 million heads of swine and the discovery of Ebola-Reston on two hog farms north of Manila was isolated, the government said.
"There is ongoing viral transmission in Bulacan ... as a precautionary measure, depopulation will be carried out in the Bulacan farm," Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters, referring to the farm just north of Manila.
The government said 6,000 pigs would be killed, burned and buried as experts sought to determine the source of Ebola-Reston in pigs as well as pig-to-pig and from pig-to-human transmission. Duque said 147 human samples have been tested for Ebola, but only six have tested positive. But all six remain healthy, he added.
"Ebola-Reston poses a low risk to human health at this time," Duque said.
It is the first time the virus has been found outside monkeys and the first time it has been found in pigs. The virus had previously jumped from monkeys to humans but this was the first case of a jump from hogs.
The Ebola-Reston virus was found in the Philippines as early as the late 1980s and 25 people were found infected after contact with sick monkeys. But only one developed flu-like symptoms and later recovered. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
China clears Danone, milk products of melamine
Filed under: Banned Foods, China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Is it Safe?, Melamine, china
China clears Danone, milk products of melamine
By AUDRA ANG – 12 hours ago
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese quality investigators have found that milk products from a unit of France’s Groupe Danone SA are melamine-free, and also said an unapproved additive used by one of China’s largest dairies is safe but was used illegally.
The separate investigations into the products of Danone’s Dumex Baby Food Co. Ltd. and Mengniu Dairy Group Co. underscore the government’s chronic problems with policing product quality. Melamine-contaminated milk was linked to the deaths of at least six Chinese babies and illnesses of nearly 300,000 others last year.
In a statement released over the weekend, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said it had tested 932 batches dairy products produced by the Dumex subsidiary since mid-September “and all are melamine-free.”
It also said no melamine, an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and fertilizer, was found in more than 1,700 batches produced before mid-September, when the dairy scandal broke.
“Our valued consumers can continue to use our product with confidence,” Dumex said in a statement. “Now more than ever, we remain committed to providing products of the highest quality to our loyal consumers.”
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said a panel of experts had reviewed OMP, a milk protein added by Mengniu to its premium Telunsu line and declared that "consumption ... is not hazardous to health."
However, the ministry said that OMP is not a government-approved additive and Mengniu "promoted its function in an exaggerated manner."
"Law enforcement and inspection departments will further deal with the illegal actions of Mengniu," the ministry said, without giving any details.
It said the company had stopped using OMP and was in the process of getting official approval.
Telephones were not answered at Mengniu's media department on Monday.
Last year's milk scandal, over nitrogen-rich melamine that was added to milk to fool protein tests, was China's worst food contamination crisis. It also exposed loose controls over large companies like Mengniu and Yili Industrial Group Co., whose products were recalled.
Both companies had been exempt from government inspections under waivers given to companies deemed to have proper quality controls, which have since been scrapped.
Death Sentence for melamine food contaminators in China.
Filed under: China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Melamine, peanut butter
The Chinese kill their food poisoners. What about the U.S. peanut butter execs who know salmonella was present 12 times.
Accidents happen, but the FDA has determined that the producer of the peanut butter that has sickened more than 500 people, hospitalized 127 and killed eight has a history of knowingly selling food contaminated with salmonella.
The FDA has identified approximately12 instances in the past two years when Peanut Corporation of America, in its own internal testing, identified some type of salmonella in the food and eventually released peanut butter for sale, said Michael Rogers, who heads FDA’s Division of Field Investigations in the Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Several of you have already reminded me that just last week, a Chinese court ordered the death of two men and a life sentence for a dairy executive for their roles in knowingly producing and selling milk poisoned with melamine. The tainted milk has killed at least six children and made almost 300,000 sick. The presence of the melamine, a chemical used in plastics, forced a world-wide recall of dairy and other products.
Fortunately, the numbers of unfortunates sickened in the U.S. was far, far lower, but, according to FDA’s Robert Tauxe, half of those brought down by the bad peanut butter are children.
Nevertheless, I can’t see the government demanding the death penalty for the gang at the Georgia peanut plant, but if they really knew it had salmonella and still sold it, that sounds criminal to me.
Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in Washington, says that if further investigation show the action of the peanut executives violated the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act ?then that is technically a
violation of the law.
FDA’s regulations have “the force of law,” Sundlof says. “Whether or not there was any criminal activity involved is a different issue. We’re looking.”
Meanwhile, the American Peanut Council tossed its Georgia member to the wolves, saying the trade group was shocked and dismayed at the findings that the company “knowingly released a product with potential salmonella contamination into the food supply.”
“The findings of the FDA report can only be seen as a clear and unconscionable action of one irresponsible manufacturer?,” Patrick Archer, peanut council present, said in a statement.
Death would seem like a good deterrent to putting out dangerous foods!
Cookies recalled, may contain melamine in USA
Filed under: Banned Foods, China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Melamine
Melamine in cookies
Two months after a warning from federal officials, a New York company has issued a nationwide recall of one of its brands of cookies that could be tainted with melamine.
National Brands of Spring Valley, N.Y., said in a statement issued today by the Food and Drug Administration that it’s pulling all of its 4.76 oz. (135 g.) and 12.3 oz. (350 g.) cans of Topaz brand Wafer Rolls. They come in four flavors: vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut chocolate and mocha-cappuccino.
The company said FDA tests turned up melamine, which is used in plastics and is blamed for deaths of at least six kids in China and scores of pets in North America after it was found in Chinese infant formula and pet food with ingredients imported from China.
In November, the FDA warned consumers in a bullet point on its Web site not to consume the wafers. Last month, officials said they were "working" with the company to try to issue a recall. The agency has no authority itself to pull products off the market.
The company said no illnesses have been reported in connection with the cookies.
Other sweets have been recalled in recent months because they tested positive for melamine. They include G&J Gourmet Market cocoa items made by a Canadian company, Dorsey Marketing, Inc., of Ville St. Laurent, Quebec. Those products are:
- G&J Cocoa Stuffer, item 120144
- G&J His and Hers Hot Cocoa Set, item 120129
• G&J Cocoa, item 120126, sold in 2 flavors: French Vanilla Cocoa and Double Chocolate Cocoa
To see the release on the G&J recall, go here.
Before that four kinds of Wonderfarm cookies, or biscuits, made in Vietnam by Interfood Shareholding Co., and distributed in the U.S. by a Vernon, Calif., J & A Importers, were recalled.
To check the complete list of food that's made it to the U.S. and has tested positive for melamine, go to the FDA Web site here.
If you have any questions about the Topaz recall, you can call National Brands at 1-866-238-5201, Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Check the release here.
Melamine may be in cocoa products, Topaz Brand Wafer Rolls (May be in Big Lots)
Filed under: BPA,Bishenol A, Banned Foods, China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Food Dyes, Melamine, Red Dye 1, U.S.A and Melamine Scare, What it is?, holiday food safety
Recalls: cocoa products, Topaz brand Wafer Rolls
The following recalls have been announced:
_Dorsey Marketing Inc. is recalling G&J Gourmet Market cocoa products because they might contain melamine, a chemical used in plastics and not approved to be directly added to food in the U.S. No illnesses have been reported, according to the company, based in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. The recalled products include G&J Hot Cocoa Stuffer, item 120144; G&J His and Hers Hot Cocoa Set, item 120129; G&J Cocoa item, item 120126, sold in French Vanilla Cocoa and Double Chocolate Cocoa flavors. The recalled products were imported into the United States by the company. They were distributed nationwide to Big Lots during the weeks of Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 this year and to Shopko during the week of Oct. 6. For more information, consumers can e-mail the company: recall(at)dmi-global.com.
_National Brands Inc. is recalling all its 4.76-ounce and 12.3-ounce cans of Topaz brand Wafer Rolls because the products might be contaminated with melamine. No illnesses have been reported, according to the Spring Valley, N.Y., company. The recalled products were sold in four flavors and they were distributed nationwide through retail stores. For more information, consumers can call 866-238-5201.
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