Have a safe and happy Halloween with tips from the FDA. This holiday has some hazards that parents should watch out for. First of all, make sure that kids do not snack on treats from their bags while they are out trick-or-treating. They should have a snack or a meal before they head out so they aren't tempted. You should always inspect their candy and treats before they are allowed to eat them. Tell children not to accept, and certainly not eat, anything that isn't commercially wrapped. The means no homemade treats. And look for signs of tampering in commercially wrapped treats, such as discoloration, unusual appearance, tiny pinholes, or tears in the wrappers. Throw away anything that may look strange or suspicious. If your child has a food allergy, you need to be especially … [Read more...]
USDA Makes Effort to Reduce Poultry Salmonella Illnesses
The USDA announced a new effort to reduce poultry Salmonella Illnesses, to try to achieve a national target of a 25% reduction in those illnesses. Several "key activities" are being launched to gather data and information that is needed to support future action. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement, "Far too many consumers become ill every year from poultry contaminated by Salmonella. We need to be constantly evolving in our efforts to prevent foodborne illness to stay one step ahead of the bad bugs. Today we’re taking action to help prevent Salmonella contamination throughout the poultry supply chain and production system to protect public health." USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin said, in a Consumer Federation of America Virtual National … [Read more...]
Kettle Classic Clam Chowder Recalled For Foreign Material
Kettle Classic Clam Chowder with Uncured Bacon is being recalled because it may contain foreign material in the form of hard sharp opaque plastic pieces. This poses a choking and mouth injury hazard. No injuries or adverse reactions have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of this soup. The recalling firm is Ivar's Soup and Sauce Company of Mukilteo, Washington. About 14,968 sleeves are recalled. The recalled item is Ivar's Kettle Classic Clam Chowder with Uncured Bacon that was sold exclusively to Costco stores at the retail level in these states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Kettle Classic Clam Chowder is a refrigerated item and is packaged in two … [Read more...]
Happy Veggie World Products Recalled For Undeclared Egg
Happy Veggie World products, including Vege Chicken Breast and Vegefarm Vege Stewed Lamb Chunk are being recalled in Canada for egg, one of the major food allergens, that is not declared on the label. Anyone who is allergic to egg could have a serious reaction if they eat these products. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these products. The recalling company is Global Vegetarian Foods Corp. These products were distributed in Alberta and British Columbia and may have been sold nationally at the consumer level. The recalled products include Happy Veggie World Vege Chicken Breast in 4 piece containers. The UPC number that is printed on the label is 131218. All codes where egg is not declared on the label are recalled. Also recalled is … [Read more...]
Porkskin Products Recalled For Lack of Import Re-Inspection
Evans Food Group is recalling 10,359 pounds of pork pellet product that were made into porkskin products, because they were not presented for import re-inspection into the United States. No adverse reactions or illnesses have been reported to the company to date. The pork pellet products were imported on September 15, 2021 and further processed into pork rind and chicharrones. You can see pictures of the recalled products at the USDA web site. The recalled products include: MAC'S 3 ounce ORIGINAL PORKSKIN in 12 count packages CAZO DE ORO 8 ounce HOT PORKSKIN in 15 count packages MAC'S 5 ounce ORIGINAL PORKSKIN in 8 count packages CAZO DE ORO 3.5 ounce HOT PORKSKIN in 24 count packages MAC'S 5 ounce JALAPENO PORKSKIN in 8 count packages MAC'S 1.5 ounce BBQ SKIN … [Read more...]
Butterball All Natural Ground Turkey Recalled For Foreign Material
Butterball All Natural ground turkey is being recalled because it may be contaminated with foreign material, more specifically blue plastic pieces, according to the USDA. This can pose a choking and mouth injury hazard. Consumer complaints reporting pieces of blue plastic embedded in the raw ground turkey prompted this recall. No injuries or illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of this product. The recalling company is Butterball LLC of Mount Olive, North Carolina. The ground turkey products were produced on September 28, 2021. They include: 2.5 pound trays containing “farm to family BUTTERBALL all natural Ground Turkey” with the case code 50211271, a sell or freeze by date of 10/18/2021, and timestamps from 2123 through 2302 printed on the … [Read more...]
Seafood Salmonella Outbreak History Goes Back Years
A new Salmonella Thompson outbreak has been linked to fish produced by Northeast Seafood Products. The outbreak has sickened at least 102 people in 14 states. Is seafood commonly contaminated with this pathogen? Let's look at seafood Salmonella outbreaks in the past few years. Salmonella does not occur naturally in fish or shellfish, as it does in poultry. For this food to be contaminated with the pathogen, it must come from an outside source, either in water or production and processing facilities. We don't know what happened in the current outbreak yet. In 2012, a Salmonella Bareilly outbreak associated with tuna imported from India sickened at least 425 people. Fifty-five people were hospitalized. In 2015, a Salmonella Paratyphi outbreak sickened six people in New Mexico. … [Read more...]
FDA Has Withdrawn Temporary Hand Sanitizer Manufacturing Guidelines
Back in March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA issued temporary guidelines for companies to manufacture hand sanitizers because high consumer demand led to shortages. Manufacturers who were not drug manufacturers at the time could use those policies to make these products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn temporary hand sanitizer manufacturer guidelines since shortages of those products is over. The production of hand sanitizers did increase, but a slew of recalls had to be issued, because some of the newly manufactured products contained substances not intended to be used in hand sanitizers, such as methanol, wood alcohol, and benzene. FDA guidance did not allow the use of those ingredients in the sanitizers. And the FDA placed all hand … [Read more...]
Kroger Roast Beef with Gravy, Others Recalled For High Lead Levels
Kroger Roast Beef with Gravy and six other brands, including Clover Valley and Hostess, are being recalled because they have high levels of lead from an outside source. The recalling company is Crider Foods of Stillmore, Georgia. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these products, but lead in the blood during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, can cause premature birth, hurt the baby’s brain, nervous system, and kidneys, and can cause learning and behavioral issues. Symptoms of short term lead exposure can include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, loss of appetite, memory loss, weakness, and pain or tingling in the hands or feet. The problem was a spice mix used from an outside supplier. About 525,717 … [Read more...]
Nature’s Heart Trail Mix Recalled For Undeclared Peanuts
Nature's Heart Trail Mix in four flavors is being recalled because they may contain peanuts, one of the major food allergens, that is not declared on the label. Anyone who is allergic to peanuts could have a serious or life-threatening reaction if they eat this product. Two mild reactions were reported to the company in connection with the consumption of this product. No severe reactions or hospitalizations have been reported. The recalling company is Nestle Professional of Solon, Ohio. You can see pictures of the recalled products at the FDA web site. The recalled items are Nature's Heart Superfood Trail Mix in 1.5 ounce packages. The pouch UPC number is 050000211944 and the case UPC number is 050000618569. The batch numbers are 1083T353T2, 1084T353T2, 1085T353T2, 1086T353T2, … [Read more...]
