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.
Alert For Schools Peanut Butter sent may be tainted!
By MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Agriculture Department shipped possibly contaminated peanut butter and other foods to schools in at least three states under a contract with the Georgia company blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak.
The government abruptly suspended all business with the company Thursday, as officials defended their efforts to halt the outbreak that has sickened at least 575 people in 43 states. At least eight have died. It's become one of the largest food recalls ever, including more than 1,300 products.
The potentially contaminated products went to school free lunch programs in California, Minnesota and Idaho in 2007, the Department of Agriculture said Friday. Peanut butter and roasted peanuts processed by the Peanut Corp. of America were sent to the schools.
None of the states reported illnesses as a result of students eating the recalled peanut products.
Jim Brownlee, a spokesman for the Agriculture Department, said there have been no potentially contaminated shipments from the company in the last year. It was unclear how much of the suspect food might still remain uneaten at the schools.
Despite ongoing reports of illnesses linked to the company, the Agriculture department only Thursday suspended Peanut Corp. from participating in government contract programs, for at least a year. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also removed Stewart Parnell, president of the company, from USDA's Peanut Standards Board.
The company's actions indicate that it "lacks business integrity and business honesty, which seriously and directly hinders its ability to do business with the federal government," said David Shipman, acting administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, said in a statement.
The recalled foods used ingredients from the Peanut Corp. processing plant in Blakely, Ga. While the outbreak appears to be slowing down, new illnesses are still being reported.
School officials across the country have been checking cafeterias and vending machines for the recalled products, and some have stopped serving any peanut-related products at all, out of an abundance of caution.
The Food and Drug Administration learned only weeks ago that the Peanut Corp. of America had received a series of private tests dating back to 2007 showing salmonella in their products from the Georgia plant, but later shipped the items after obtaining negative test results.
The Agriculture Department initially said that school meal programs were not affected by the large-scale recall. But that changed when Peanut Corp. expanded its recall to all peanut products made at the plant since Jan. 1, 2007.
At a Senate hearing Thursday on the salmonella outbreak, lawmakers reacted angrily when told that food companies and state safety inspectors don't have to report to the FDA when test results find pathogens in a processing plant, leaving the federal government in the dark.
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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