A 2013 recall of Chobani yogurt has federal and state authorities squaring off over who knew what when. The he said/she debate between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) was touched off by a recent news report about the recall based on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request obtained by Times-News. Chobani Inc. is based in Twin Falls, Idaho. In September 2013, the company issued a recall for all of its Greek Yogurt products "due to reports of product bloating and swelling and some claims of illness." The company temporarily ceased production of the product as it sought to solve the problem which turned out to be a mold, called Mucor circinelloides, that causes dairy products to spoil but does not pose a health risk for … [Read more...]
Research Finds Chobani Yogurt Fungus Potentially Harmful; Company Disagrees
Research published in the peer-reviewed journal MBio has found that the fungus that contaminated Chobani yogurt and was the trigger for a recall last fall was potentially dangerous. At that time, a researcher at Cornell University said that the mold, Mucor circinelloides, "should not pose a health risk to most consumers. Very rarely, it can act as an opportunistic pathogen, but not through food and usually only for people with compromised immune systems through inhalation." In the study, researchers at Duke University isolated M. circinelloides from the yogurt and cultured it. The isolate was obtained from a container purchased by a couple in Texas who developed nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting after consuming the product. Researchers injected the isolate into mice. Some of them got … [Read more...]
Chobani Complaints Pour Into FDA
Complaints about recalled Chobani yogurt are pouring into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As of Friday, September 13, at least 170 people had contacted the agency to say they became ill after eating recalled Chobani yogurt. The FDA has not tested any of these individuals and has not established an association between the yogurt and the illnesses, agency spokespeople said Friday. On September 5, Chobani issued a recall of yogurt products because on "product concerns." There had been some reports of illness associated with yogurt in containers that appeared bloated or swollen. Some customers also reported an off taste and hissing or exploding containers. The yogurt was found to be contaminated with Mucor circinelloides, a type of mold that causes dairy products to … [Read more...]
Cornell Professor Identifies Mold in Chobani Yogurts
Randy Worobo, a professor of Food Science at Cornell University, said that the mold in the recalled Chobani yogurt containers is Mucor circinelloides. This species of mold is "not considered a disease-causing foodborne organism", according to the press release. He said in a statement, "Mucor circinelloides is a species of mold commonly associated with fruits, vegetables and dairy that has been reported to cause spoilage like swelling and bloating in yogurt. The mold should not pose a health risk to most consumers. Very rarely, it can act as an opportunistic pathogen, but not through food and usually only for people with compromised immune systems through inhalation." Some people have reportedly become sick after eating the yogurt, but there is no word on any confirmed illnesses or if … [Read more...]
