Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

E S Foods, a Woodbury, New York company, recalled 3,700 cases of “Meal Breaks” items this Tuesday. The product was widely distributed to school meal programs, as well as other foodservice distributors. The lack of labeling on the individual products makes the recall of the items particularly problematic. ”Meal Breaks” Distributed to School Meal Programs Recalled Due to Listeria Concerns E S Foods recalled the Meal Breaks due to the fact that each contained individually packed Sunrich Natural Sunflower Kernels (Roasted & Salted), Net Wt. 1 oz. The Sunrich kernels may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, and are part of the…

For the second time in two weeks, Salmonella has been detected in dairy products originating from Organic Pastures Dairy. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the Fresno, California-based company recalled its raw milk and cream on Monday, May 23rd as a result of those test results. CDFA Imposes Raw Milk Recall and Quarantine Order on Organic Pastures Dairy for Positive Salmonella Tests — Again. According to a news release by CDFA, “Raw milk and cream produced by Organic Pastures Dairy of Fresno County with a code date of June 1, 2016 is the subject of a statewide…

If you’re a Pennsylvania resident and ate sunflower seeds served on the salad bars at local MARTIN’S Food Markets, you may have been exposed to the potentially lethal bacteria Listeria monocyotogenes, said Martin’s Food Company on Tuesday. The potentially contaminated sunflower seeds were sold on salad bars at multiple locations (listed below) from May 20th – May 22nd. MARTIN’S Markets Serves Listeria-Contaminated Salad Seeds The following locations are the only MARTIN’S Markets that served the contaminated seeds: Ashland: 253 North Washington Highway Chester: 12601 Jefferson Davis Highway Chesterfield: 6401 Centralia Road, Chesterfield Colonial Heights: 3107-15 Blvd., Colonial Heights Glen Allen:…

Although the investigation into the nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Virchow linked to consumption of Garden of Life RAW Meal is over, as this site has previously mentioned, that does not mean that outbreak cases will stop being confirmed. Remaining Risk of Infection: Outbreak Status Irrelevant Many writers and consumers conflate CDC and FDA announcements that an outbreak investigation is over with an announcement that no new outbreak illnesses will occur. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Only a select portion of the population is aware of any given recall at any given time. Of that portion, only some…

More than 100 people became sick after eating at a Carrabba’s restaurant in East Lansing, Michigan. The Barry-Eaton District Health Department stated that tests had confirmed that the cause of the outbreak was norovirus; however, the origin of the contamination or had not been isolated as of that time. 100-Plus People Contract Norovirus at Lansing, Michigan Carrabba’s The people who fell ill dined at the Carrabba’s, located at 6540 W. Saginaw Highway, dined at the establishment on May 7th or May 8th. The Health Department’s community services supervisor, Greg Cabose, said the location voluntarily closed at 6:00 p.m. on the…

SunOpta announced an expansion of its May 4th recall of Planters brand sunflower kernels. The recalls all stem from SunOpta’s sunflower processing plant in Crookston, in northwest Minnesota. Both the initial recall and the subsequent expansion affect Planters branded sunflower kernels that the manufacture believes may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that causes a disproportionate number of potentially fatal infections in young children, people above the age of 65, and others with compromised immune systems. Massive Planters Sunflower Kernels Recall The Planters recall is one part of larger recall of sunflower seeds and kernels that involves several major food retailers and producers. SunOpta…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has completed its investigation, initially announced on March 20th, into an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo and Salmonella Senftenberg. Laboratory and epidemiological investigations concluded that pistachios produced Wonderful Pistachios were the likely source of the outbreak. Outbreak of Salmonella Tied to Consumption of Wonderful Pistachios The pistachios were sold nationwide, as well as in Mexico, Peru, and Canada, and under the brand names Wonderful Pistachios, Trader Joe’s and Paramount Farms. The outbreak ultimately involved eleven confirmed outbreak cases: two cases of Salmonella Senftenberg and nine cases of Salmonella Montevideo. Two cases required hospitalization, and…

United Natural Trading LLC, doing business under the name “Woodstock Farms Manufacturing,” recently announced the recall of a “number of lots of conventional walnuts and walnut-containing products.” The full list of recalled products may be found in the recall notice, which has been posted on the FDA website. Nationwide Recall of Walnuts and Walnut-Containing Products: A Listeria Recall Unrelated to Frozen Foods The walnuts and products containing walnuts as an ingredient subject to the recall by the Edison, New Jersey company were purchased by Woodstock from Gibson Farms, a third-party distributor. Woodstock Farms sold the products under the brand names Nature’s…

The Quaker Oats Company announced today that it is voluntarily recalling select Quaker Quinoa Granola Bars. The company’s recall comes after SunOpta, a large producer and distributor of sunflower seeds, announced a sizable recall of its products, sparking a number of secondary recalls by companies who used the SunOpta seeds in their products or further distributed them to other companies. Quaker Recalls Granola Bars While Further Investigating Issue With FDA The recall comes after Quaker discovered that one of its appliers had distributed sunflower seeds potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially lethal bacteria that disproportionately affects young children, the elderly, and…

Friday afternoon, the CDC quietly released a second – and final – update on a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to one lot of contaminated seeds three months after its first announcement. “Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts from One Contaminated Seed Lot,” reads the title of the report. Something is conspicuously missing from the final outbreak updates from public health officials, as evidenced by the title of the FDA’s initial report, which was released February 26th: “FDA Investigates Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts Produced by Sweetwater Farms.” The difference? The final reports don’t identify…