Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Golden Dipt® Jalapeño Breaders Recalled Kerry Inc. announced a recall for two lots of Golden Dipt® Jalapeño Breaders due to potential presence of E. coli O121 in the product. The Deloit, Wisconsin company sold the recalled product to foodservice distributors. The recall comes after one of the company’s suppliers recalled an ingredient used in the Jalapeño Breaders mix. The supplier said that two of their products, a red bell pepper nugget and a jalapeño nugget, caused the recall. The two products contain a small amount of flour recalled by General Mills due to potential E. coli O121 contamination. The Golden Dipt® Jalapeño…

Cheese Biscuit Mix Recalled due to E. coli Concerns International Commissary Corporation announced a recall of the following cheese biscuit mix products late Wednesday night: Marie Callender’s Cheese Biscuit Mix (7 oz.), with “Best By” dates of 3/22/17 and 5/17/17, and Marie Callender’s Cheese Biscuit Mix (14 oz.), with a “Best By” date of 6/17/17. The recall comes after a supplier notified ICC that an ingredient “contains flour which was recalled by General Mills because it may be contaminated with E. coli O121.” The recall notice issued by the company stresses that no other Marie Callender Cheese Biscuit Mix best by dates are affected by the…

Moshava California overnight camp, located in the San Bernardino mountains, is cutting it’s first session short due to an outbreak of Salmonella. 11 Campers Sickened by Salmonella; All Well on Road to Recovery A number of youth have fallen ill at a summer camp for girls and boys entering 3rd through 10th grades, according to a recent article published by Jewish Journal. “Recently, a group of 11 campers tested positive for Salmonella,” according to a statement released by Bnei Akiva of Los Angeles. “Thankfully, we have had no new cases since last week, and our affected campers are well on…

Almost three tons of chicken fritters are being recalled because they were prepared with General Mills flour that has been linked to an ongoing nationwide outbreak of E. coli O121. E. coli Outbreak Tied to Flour Causes… Chicken Recall? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) posted a Class I Recall (Health Risk: High) for 5,850 pounds of chicken tenderloin fritters and chicken breast tenderloin fritters initiated by Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc. late Tuesday evening. The problem that led to the recall “was discovered on July 7, 2016,” when the Van Buren, Arkansas-based company received notice…

Two flavors of Betty Crocker Cake Mix sold in the US – as well as one sold in Canada – are being recalled by General Mills due to the potential for contamination with the bacteria E. coli O121. At the very beginning of the company’s recall press release, General Mills reminds consumers “not to consume uncooked cake batter or raw flour products.” One Canadian, Two US Betty Crocker Cake Mixes Recalled The cake mixes being recalled are Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix and Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix, both sold in the United States, and Betty…

Continental Mills has announced a recall of its Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix. The recall was initiated due to concerns that the product may be contaminated with E. coli O121, a highly virulent strain of the bacteria. E. coli Contamination Concerns and the General Mills Outbreak The recall notice, which has been posted on the US Food and Drug Administration website, cites concerns that the mix may be contaminated with E. coli O121: “the company was notified by [its] supplier that [its] product, a blueberry nugget, is made with a small percentage of affected flour which was recalled by General Mills because…

In a recall involving two companies that have recently been forced to deal with a large number of food safety concerns, General Mills is recalling select quantities of its frozen Beyond Meat Vegetarian Indian Curry, a product sold exclusively at Whole Foods Markets. The recall comes as a result of concerns that the frozen meals may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly pathogen that is especially dangerous to young children; the elderly; immunocompromised individuals; and pregnant women, who may experience miscarriages or stillbirths if infected. “Beyond Chicken” Only Meat Substitute Product Effected The recall only encompasses Beyond Meat Vegetarian Indian…

Carbón Live Fire Mexican Grill in Chicago, Illinois voluntarily closed last week after being linked by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) to an outbreak of E. coli that sickened at least 25, including five hospitalizations. The city recommends that anyone who recently ate at Carbón who experiences symptoms of E. coli infection see a doctor for testing. Another Mexican Restaurant, Another Foodborne Outbreak Over the past few weeks, Food Poisoning News has covered three outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to specific Mexican food restaurants: a Salmonella outbreak linked to Ajuua’s Mexican Restaurant in Odessa, Texas; a Campylobacter outbreak linked…

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)  has announced a Class I recall of Lemongrass Basil Chicken products from Winter Gardens Quality Foods, Inc. due to the potential that the chicken is contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. The recall announcement was first posted to the FSIS website this afternoon. A Class I recall is made when there is a “health hazard situation” in which “there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death,” according to the USDA. Lifestyle Foods Lemongrass Basil Chicken Recalled due to Listeria…

General Mills, which on the last day of May recalled tons of flour produced and sold under the Gold Medal, Wondra, and Signature Kitchens brands, today expanded its recall to include additional flour produced last fall. Flour Recall Expanded as Outbreak Case Count Grows On the first day of July, as the company “continues to collaborate with health officials to investigate a multistate outbreak of E. coli O121,”  the recall was expanded to include flour “made earlier in the fall that may still be in consumers’ pantries.” “The recall is being expanded due to a newly-reported illness that appears to have stemmed from…