Fruit Smoothies Linked to Outbreak of Typhoid Fever in U.S.
Filed under: Is it Safe?, Product Recalls, Recalled Foods, Typhoid Fever
Friday , August 13, 2010
A rare U.S. outbreak of typhoid fever has been linked to a frozen tropical fruit product used to make smoothies, health officials reported Thursday.
Seven cases have been confirmed — three in California and four in Nevada. Two more California cases are being investigated. Five people were hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The CDC said five of the victims drank milkshakes or smoothies made with frozen mamey fruit pulp. Four of them used pulp sold by Goya Foods Inc. of Secaucus, N.J.
Mamey is a sweet, reddish tropical fruit grown mainly in Central and South America. It is also known as zapote or sapote. It is peeled and mashed to make pulp, the CDC said.
The company has recalled packages of the pulp, sold in mostly western states. A sample from one package found in Las Vegas tested positive for the bacteria that causes typhoid, the Food and Drug Administration reported Wednesday.
A phone call to Goya seeking comment was not immediately returned Thursday.
No other food was linked to the illnesses, which occurred between April and July. The victims range in age from 4 to 31, said CDC spokeswoman Arleen Porcell-Pharr.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi. It’s become rare in the United States. There are only about 400 cases annually, and most people caught it while traveling abroad.
Three food-related outbreaks have been reported in the last 12 years. One, also linked to frozen mamey pulp, caused three illnesses in Florida in 1999. One, linked to Gulf Coast oysters, sickened six in Texas in 2006. The third, linked to a Maryland restaurant, caused four illnesses.
Symptoms include a sustained fever as high as 103 to 104 degrees, along with headache. weakness, stomach pains or loss of appetite. Some patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. It can be treated with antibiotics.
It’s not clear if there will be additional cases, said Dr. Ezra Barzilay, the CDC epidemiologist supervising the investigation. It can take between three days to eight weeks for an infected person to develop symptoms, he noted.
The disease is still common in the developing world. The bacteria passes through the intestinal tract and often spreads to others through feces-tainted food or water. Freezing does not kill it.
The recalled mamey pulp was sold in 14-ounce plastic packages in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.
CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhoidfever/
FDA recall: http://www.fda.gov/Safety
/Recalls/ucm222223.htm
Huge Baby Children Product Recall Johnson & Johnson
Filed under: Bad Drugs, Banned Foods, Children Products Recalled, Product Recalls, Recall
A division of Johnson & Johnson is recalling 43 over-the-counter medicines made for infants and children — including liquid versions of Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl — after federal regulators identified what they called deficiencies at the company’s manufacturing facility.
The voluntary recall, which was announced late Friday by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, affects hundreds of thousands of bottles of medicine in homes and on store shelves throughout the United States and its territories and in nine other countries — a vast portion of the children’s medicine market.
The Food and Drug Administration is advising parents and caregivers to stop using the affected products, although Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg called the potential for serious health problems resulting from the medications “remote.”
FDA inspectors had begun a routine inspection April 19 in the company’s Fort Washington, Pa., plant when they noticed “manufacturing deficiencies” that triggered the recall, said Douglas Stearn, a senior FDA official.
Stearn said the plant’s manufacturing process was “not in control,” a term regulators use to describe flawed procedures that affect the composition of medicine. Federal investigators do not know when the problems at McNeil began, but Stearn said that “this does go back in time” and that “we have to try to figure that out.”
While the FDA investigates, McNeil has suspended operations at the facility. In a statement, the company said: “Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles.” It said the problems may affect “purity, potency or quality.”
Marc Boston, a McNeil spokesman, would not discuss the deficiencies cited by the FDA or say when the manufacturing facility was shut down. The company also declined to disclose the amount of products affected by the recall. In addition to the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, the medicines were sold in Canada; the Dominican Republic; Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates; Fiji; Guatemala; Jamaica; Panama; Trinidad and Tobago; and Kuwait.
A complete list of recalled products is on the company’s Web site.
McNeil received consumer complaints associated with some of the recalled medicines, but the company’s decision to pull them was not made on “the basis of adverse medical events,” said Boston, who declined to elaborate.
If a child who has taken any of the recalled medications exhibits any unexpected symptoms, parents or caregivers should contact a doctor, federal officials said. Consumers or health-care providers who experience problems connected to the recalled medicines are asked to contact the FDA.
As of Saturday, the FDA was not aware of any health problems related to the recalled products, said spokeswoman Elaine Gansz Bobo.
Parents and caregivers can use generic versions of the affected medicines; they are not affected by the recall. The FDA cautioned against giving adult versions to infants and children, noting the potential for serious problems.
This is at least the third major recall of Tylenol products by McNeil since 2008.
In January, McNeil recalled 49 types of Tylenol products made for adults and two Tylenol products made for children after consumers complained of a mold-like odor and of temporary and minor nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. The company determined that some of the medicines had been contaminated by trace amounts of a chemical that is sometimes present on shipping and storage material.
In 2008, McNeil recalled 21 types of children’s and infants’ Tylenol liquid products, saying that although the products met internal standards, an unused portion of one inactive ingredient did not meet all quality standards
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.
390 Tons of Ground Beef Recalled- Huntington Meat Packing Inc
Filed under: Banned Foods, Beef Recalls, Product Recalls, Recall, Recalled Foods, e-coli
Some 390 tons of U.S. ground beef recalled
Mon Jan 18, 4:46 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some 390 tons of ground beef produced by a California meat packer, some of it nearly two years ago, is being recalled for fear of potentially deadly E. coli bacterium tainting, U.S. officials said on Monday.
The beef was produced by Huntington Meat Packing Inc of Montebello, California, and shipped mainly to California outlets, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food safety arm said.
An initial problem, in ground beef shipped by the plant from January 5 to January 15, was discovered during a regular safety check, the Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
It said it had received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of the recalled products.
During a follow-up review of the company’s records, government inspectors determined additional products produced and shipped in 2008 to be of concern because they may have been contaminated with E.coli, the service said in a notice on its web site.
This batch was produced from February 19, 2008, to May 15, 2008. It also had been shipped to distribution centers, restaurants and hotels within California, the notice said.
“While these products are normally used fresh, the establishment is taking this action out of concern that some product may still be frozen and in commerce,” it said.
E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause kidney failure in the most serious cases.
The service said it routinely conducts checks to verify that recalling firms notify customers, including restaurants, of the recall and that steps are taken to make sure the product is no longer available to consumers.
Tylenol Recall includes more products, (childrens meds, rolaids, and more)
Tylenol Recall Broadens; Now Includes Tylenol Extra Strength, Rolaids
More Tylenol Products Recalled Due to Noxious Chemical
By JOSEPH BROWNSTEIN
ABC News Medical Unit
Jan. 15, 2010—
A recall of Tylenol products that began last month with the popular Tylenol arthritis caplet expanded this morning to include more than two dozen other over-the-counter products manufactured by McNeil Healthcare LLC, the arm of Johnson & Johnson that manufactures Tylenol products.
The broadened directive adds 54 million bottles of product to the recall, boosting the total number of bottles recalled by McNeil to 60 million, according to the company.
McNeill initiated a voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Relief Caplets at the end of December after consumer complaints of stomach problems. The problems were linked to the presence of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), which results from the breakdown of a chemical in wood pallets used to transport and store packaging materials for the drugs.
Now it appears that the problem extended into other Tylenol products as well, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Tylenol Extra Strength, Rolaids and a number of children’s medicines are now included in the recall, which affects 27 products in various packaging quantities.
McNeil released a statement today in which it said the voluntary recall is being conducted in consultation with the FDA and affects a number of products for which there have been no complaints.
The company added that the musty-smelling chemical thought to be the cause of the sickness posed no fatal risk to those who ingest it.
“The health effects of this chemical have not been well studied, but no serious events have been documented in the medical literature,” the statement read.
“In addition to the product recall, McNeil Consumer Healthcare is continuing its investigation into the issue and is taking further actions that include ceasing shipment of products produced using materials shipped on these wood pallets and requiring suppliers who ship materials to our plants to discontinue the use of these pallets.”
In its statement, the company advised consumers who purchased the affected products to stop using them and contact McNeil for information about how to get a refund or a replacement. The company provided the address for its Web site, www.mcneilproductrecall.com, as well as a toll-free number: (888) 222-6036.
Prior to today’s recall, the FDA had cited at least two of the company’s products in a letter to McNeil, as these products had been the subject of complaints about an “uncharacteristic smell,” similar to the one that helped trigger the recall of the arthritis caplets.
“Since the date of the discovery, your firm did not extend the assessment of the event to other products that received packaging components from the same supplier,” said the FDA’s letter, which was signed by Jose R. Lopez, an investigator, and Raquel Gonzalez Rivera, a chemist.
The letter goes on to cite over 10 “musty-moldy odor” complaints about Rolaids and over 39 similar complaints about Tylenol Extra Strength, “including three adverse event reports.”
The letter is dated Jan. 8, 2010, but was posted to the FDA’s Web site Jan. 13.
“Certainly, the FDA report raises serious questions about the manufacturer’s response,” said Robert Field, professor of health management and policy at the Drexel University School of Public Health. “The report has found that the investigation was limited…that the procedures for quality control were not in writing…and various other lapses that were fairly significant.”
The FDA report further criticized McNeil for inadequate responses to complaints, noting that they first received heightened complaints about the musty odor in 2008 and testing confirmed its presence in September of that year.
“Your quality unit failed to conduct additional testing to evaluate the possibility of chemical contamination or other change or deterioration in the distributed drug product,” the FDA letter says.
Current problems with Rolaids and Tylenol Extra Strength are attributed to another testing failure.
“Investigations of an unexplained discrepancy did not extend to other batches of the same drug product and other drug products that may have been associated with the specific failure or discrepancy,” the report said.
In response to an inquiry from ABC News correspondent David Kerley, the company responded on Thursday:
“McNeil Consumer Healthcare has received an FDA form 483 dated Jan. 8, 2010, and is actively working with the FDA to address their concerns.”
Effects of Tainted Pills Not Deadly
One positive for consumers is that, as ABC News Senior Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser noted in December, after the first recall was announced, the effects of the tainted pills were not life threatening.
“They’re not that severe, we’re talking about vomiting, diarrhea,” said Besser. However, he advised, “if you have this product, you should get rid of them, safely dispose of them in your trash. You don’t want them around.”
Field agreed, following news of the initial recall.
“It does not look like there were serious health effects, if any,” he said, “but why take a chance? These products are supposed to improve your health, not hurt it.”
Updated More Products
Johnson & Johnson issued a massive recall Friday of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph’s aspirin because of a moldy smell that has made people sick.
It was the second such recall in less than a month because of the smell, which regulators said was first reported to McNeil in 2008. Federal regulators criticized the company, saying it didn’t respond to the complaints quickly enough, wasn’t thorough in how it handled the problem and didn’t inform the Food and Drug Administration quickly.
The recall includes some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol, children’s Tylenol, eight-hour Tylenol, Tylenol arthritis, Tylenol PM, children’s Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph’s aspirin.
The FDA and Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products said they did not know the number of bottles recalled. It included caplet and geltab products sold in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates, and Fiji.
Consumers should check the full list at http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com to identify the recalled batches.
Six tons of egg rolls recalled; spice recall expanded – Salmonella
Six tons of egg rolls recalled; spice recall expanded – Salmonella
HAYWARD
April 4, 2009 6:27pm
• Possible contaminated pepper used in egg rolls
• Still more spices recalled
More than six tons of egg rolls stuffed with chicken are being recalled by EDS Wrap and Roll Foods LLC of Hayward. The egg rolls were sold to restaurants throughout California, the government says.
Meanwhile, the company at the center of a recall of the pepper used in the egg rolls has expanded its recall of still more spices.
The egg rolls contain black pepper spice products that may be linked to a multi-state outbreak of salmonellosis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says Saturday.
The following products are subject to recall:
• 9.38 lb. packages of EDS Wrap and Roll Foods LLC “Chicken Egg Roll” which contains 100 pieces of 1.5 ounce chicken egg rolls
• 18.75 lb. packages of EDS Wrap and Roll Foods LLC “Chicken Egg Roll” which contains 100 pieces of 3.0 ounce chicken egg rolls
The frozen chicken egg rolls were produced between July 28, 2008 and March 27, 2009 and bear case codes “80210 through 80365″ or “90001 through 90089.”
The packages bear the establishment number “P-20350″ within the USDA Mark of Inspection printed on the side of the packages.
FSIS says it learned of the problem from the California Department of Public Health as a result of an ongoing investigation into the dry spice recall announced by FDA. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with the consumption of these frozen chicken egg rolls.
The chicken egg roll products were distributed to restaurants and institutions in California.
Union International Food Co. of Union City is recalling 15-pound and smaller size packages of its Lian How brand dry spices, 30-pound boxes and smaller size packages of Lian How crushed chili, Uncle Chen brand black pepper (whole and ground) in 5-oz. retail containers, Uncle Chen white pepper (whole and ground) in 5-oz. retail containers and 5 pound plastic bags and the Uncle Chen brand Wasabi powder in 2.2 pound foil bags, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
But there’s more. Also recalled by Union as of Saturday evening are the following:
• Cumin powder
• Cloves
• Crushed chili powder
• Dried cloves powder
• Orange peel powder
• Coriander powder
• Black sesame seed
• Coriander
• Peppercorn powder
• Fennel seed
• White sesame seed
• Fennel seed powder
• Tumeric
• Cinnamon powder
• Ginger powder
• Garlic salt
• Meat tenderizer
• Black pepper salt
• Bay leaves
• Five Spicys powder
• Nutmeg
• Star anise powder
Officials are investigating a multi-state Salmonella outbreak isolated Salmonella from an open container of Lian How White Pepper, which was found at a restaurant where some outbreak victims ate.
The Uncle Chen and Lian How brand spices are distributed in the states of California, Oregon and Washington to wholesalers, distributors, restaurant suppliers and restaurants.
The Lian How brand products are packaged in 10 or 15lbs. boxes with plastic liners, 5-pound plastic jars or 5-pound plastic bags.
The Lian How crushed chili is sold in 30-pound boxes, 8-pound boxes and 3-pound plastic jars.
The Lian How brand products are not generally sold directly to the retail consumer.
The Uncle Chen brand white & black pepper products (whole or ground) are sold at retail in 5oz. containers.
The Uncle Chen brand white pepper (whole or ground) is sold in 5-pound plastic bags.
The Uncle Chen brand Wasabi powder is sold in 2.2 pound foil bags.
Union International Foods Company says it has ceased the production and distribution of these products as the FDA, the California Department of Public Health and company continue the investigation as to nature and full extent of the potential contamination.
Food Safety Reform, Is our food safe?
Food safety reform is on the table again
Pistachios Food and Drug Administration Kraft
Paul Sakuma / Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration was tipped off by Kraft Foods Inc. on March 24, after the company found salmonella during routine testing.
The pistachio warning, coming not long after the peanut product recall, may lead to legislative changes.
By Mary MacVean
April 3, 2009
Consumers could be forgiven for feeling a little weary about this week’s recall of pistachios that might be contaminated with salmonella.
It comes just weeks after thousands of products containing peanuts were voluntarily recalled in a salmonella outbreak that sickened about 700 people, and follows highly publicized food-borne disease outbreaks connected to peppers and spinach.
www.Malt-O-Meal.com/VoluntaryRecall
“As consumers, we all have that reaction, ‘Here we go again,’ ” said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that works to reform the food safety system.
But the string of alerts keeps food safety on the minds of Americans and could lead to legislative changes in California and the rest of the country.
The Food and Drug Administration told consumers Monday to stop eating anything containing pistachios — an effort to keep people from getting sick while investigators looked for the source and the extent of the problem.
The government was tipped off by Kraft Foods Inc. on March 24, after it found salmonella in routine testing and recalled some trail mix.
Kellogg recalls 16 products due to salmonella risk- Peanut Butter Cookies and Crackers
The Battle Creek, Mich., company earlier this week had asked stores to pull some of its venerable Keebler crackers from shelves as a precaution. But in a statement late Friday, Kellogg said it was voluntarily announcing a formal recall of the crackers and other products in light of the problems in Georgia.
The outbreak has sickened hundreds of people in 43 states and killed at least six.
“The actions we are taking today are in keeping with our more than 100-year commitment to providing consumers with safe, high-quality products,” said David Mackay, Kellogg’s president and CEO. “We apologize for this unfortunate situation.”
The recall includes Austin and Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, as well as some snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies.
Sandra Williams, a compliance officer with the Food and Drug Administration in Detroit, advised consumers not to eat the product and to contact a doctor if they have any symptoms. She also urged careful disposal of the tainted products to avoid the risk of homeless people finding and eating them.
“Kellogg reacted promptly to this potential public health risk after receiving notification of the potential problem from their supplier,” Williams said.
On Capitol Hill, the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested records as it opened its own inquiry.
Although the investigation has gone into high gear, FDA officials say much of their information remains sketchy. And new cases are still being reported.
“This is a very active investigation, but we don’t yet have the data to provide consumers with specifics about what brands or products they should avoid,” said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s food safety center. Although salmonella bacteria has been found at the Georgia plant, for example, more tests are needed to see if it matches the strain that has gotten people sick.
But clearly, what began as an investigation of bulk peanut butter shipped to nursing homes and institutional cafeterias is now much broader.
It includes not just peanut butter, but baked goods and other products that contain peanuts and are sold directly to consumers. Health officials say as many as one-third of the people who got sick did not recall eating peanut butter.
“The focus is on peanut butter and a wide array of products that might have peanut butter in them,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, director of the foodborne illness division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials said they are focusing on peanut paste – which is essentially ground up peanuts – as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America. The concern about peanut paste is significant because it can be used in dozens of products, from baked goods to cooking sauces.
“It could be a very broad range of peanut-based products here,” said Donna Rosenbaum, head of STOP, Safe Tables Our Priority, a consumer group. “We don’t know exactly what comes out of this plant. They really don’t have their arms around all that.”
Federal officials said they are focusing on 32 of the 85 companies that Peanut Corp. supplies, because of the time period in which they received shipments of peanut butter or paste. The companies are being urged to test their products, or pull them from the shelves as Kellogg did.
The government is also scrutinizing a grower, raising the possibility that contamination could have occurred before peanuts reached the processing plant, which passed its last inspection by the Georgia agriculture department this summer.
Peanut Corp. initially recalled 21 lots of peanut butter made at the plant since July 1 because of possible salmonella contamination. But late Friday the company expanded its voluntary recall to include all peanut butter produced at the Georgia plant since Aug. 8 and all peanut paste produced since Sept. 26. The company, which suspended peanut butter processing at the facility, said none of its peanut butter is sold directly to consumers but is distributed to institutions, food service industries and private label food companies.
“We deeply regret that this product recall is expanding and our first priority is to protect the health of our customers,” Peanut Corp. CEO Stewart Parnell said in a statement. “Based upon today’s news, we will not wait for confirmation of the DNA strains and plan to recall all of the affected products produced during the time period.”
Parnell added that the plant would be closed immediately for the investigation.
But Kellogg, which gets some peanut paste from the Blakely facility, asked stores late Wednesday to stop selling some of its Keebler and Austin peanut butter sandwich crackers. The company said it hasn’t received any reports of illnesses.
Peanut Corp. said it is cooperating with federal and state authorities. On Friday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote the company requesting inspection and internal records dating back four years.
“Peanut butter is not supposed to be a risky food,” said Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food & Water Watch. “What went wrong? And what does this mean about foods that are considered high-risk, such as raw vegetables?”
Sundlof said salmonella does not thrive in peanut butter, but can remain dormant. Then, when somebody eats the contaminated peanut butter, the bacteria begin to multiply. “That is apparently what happened in this case,” he said.
Meanwhile, state health officials on Friday announced that a sixth death has been linked to the outbreak which has sickened more than 450 people in 43 states.
An elderly North Carolina man died in November from the same strain of salmonella that’s causing the outbreak, North Carolina health officials said Friday. Tests taken the day before he died indicated the infection had overrun his digestive system and spread to his bloodstream, said Dr. Zack Moore, an epidemiologist with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Health officials in Minnesota and Virginia have linked two deaths each to the outbreak and Idaho has reported one. Four of those five were elderly people, and all had salmonella when they died, though their exact causes of death haven’t been determined. But the CDC said the salmonella may have contributed.
The CDC said the bacteria behind the outbreak – typhimurium – is common and not an unusually dangerous strain but that the elderly or those with weakened immune systems are more at risk. The salmonella outbreak is the second in two years involving peanut butter. Salmonella is the nation’s leading cause of food poisoning; common symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps.
—
On the Net:
Salmonella in Banquet Pot Pies Sickened 401 people
Filed under: Banned Foods, Is it Safe?, Product Recalls, Salmonella
A salmonella outbreak linked to ConAgra’s Banquet Pot Pies sickened 401 people last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). According to a new report on the ConAgra salmonella pot pie outbreak, confusing microwave cooking instructions contributed to many of the illnesses.
In October 2007, ConAgra’s Banquet and store brand pot pies were linked to dozens of cases of Salmonella poisoning. At that time, ConAgra issued a health alert about the salmonella pot pie outbreak, warning consumers not to eat any of its 7-ounce store brand or Banquet Pot Pies with the codes “P-9” or “Est 1059” on the package. Despite the health alert, ConAgra did not recall the tainted pot pies. On October 11, ConAgra finally did issue a pot pie recall.
Following the ConAgra recall, it was learned that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had found deficiencies at the Missouri plant that manufactured the pies. Reportedly, these deficiencies included problems with record keeping and with ConAgra’s Hazard Analysis Critical Control plan that spells out what the company does to ensure product safety. The USDA did not elaborate on the nature of those problems, however, the factory was subjected to a 90-day verification by federal inspectors to insure that problems were corrected.
According to an article published in this week’s issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the ConAgra pot pies ultimately sickened 401 people in 41 states. Of those, 32 percent were hospitalized.
According to the CDC, roughly 77 percent of those sickened had eaten ConAgra pot pies that had been cooked in the microwave. Because microwaves can heat foods unevenly, the CDC said manufacturers need to provide clearer labeling and cooking instructions on not-ready-to-eat foods. Other frozen, not-ready-to-eat foods, such as pre-browned chicken nuggets and chicken breasts, have been implicated in similar food poisoning outbreaks, the CDC said.
In December 2007, ConAgra admitted the cooking directions on its pot pies were confusing, and announced it would be revamping the instructions before the pot pies were returned to the market. ConAgra also said it would be updating cooking instructions on hundreds of other frozen foods, including the company’s popular Healthy Choice and Kid Cuisine lines.
The ConAgra pot pie recall was the second time that one of the company’s products was implicated in a salmonella outbreak in 2007. In February of that year, the company recalled its Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter after the products were implicated in a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 600 people in 47 states. The salmonella contamination was blamed on a leaky roof and malfunctioning sprinkler system at ConAgra’s manufacturing facility in Sylvester, Georgia.
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