Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Contaminated with Cyclospora: Bagged Garden Salads Sickens 122 At least 122 people have reported illness due to bagged garden salads contaminated with Cyclospora throughout the Midwest. The bagged salads were sold at three chain grocery stores: ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco in a dozen states. Though the outbreak has been traced to the bagged salad product sold at ALDI, Hy-vee, and Jewel-Osco, the CDC believes that the bagged salads from these stores do not explain the number of Cyclospora infections and are continuing to investigate potential other products with Cyclospora contamination. The garden salads from ALDI were sold in Arkansas,…

Oklahoma Orders Statewide Recall on Raw Milk Raw milk from Swan Bros. Dairy, Inc. of Claremore, Oklahoma, has been recalled statewide after testing positive for Campylobacter jejuni. The traces of Campylobacter were found by the Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) during regulatory testing. Raw milk from Swan Bros. Dairy is sold in plastic packages in pints, half-gallons, and gallons, and the recall includes all products containing raw milk, including raw heavy cream, raw whole milk, raw skim milk, and raw 2% milk, which are sold in plastic pints. The raw milk products are sold directly from Swan…

Garden Salad Cyclospora Outbreak Affects Midwestern States The FDA, the CDC, state and local health officials have announced the investigation of a multi-state Cyclospora outbreak affecting various Midwestern states. Epidemiological traceback methods indicate that the spread of the Cyclospora outbreak is linked with ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco grocery store brand “garden salad”’, containing ice-berg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots. ALDI has notified the FDA that all “ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad” products have been removed from their store shelves. Hy-Vee Inc. and Jewel-Osco have both announced a recall on the 12-ounce bagged “Garden Salad” products sold at their…

Cyclospora in Salad: CDC and FDA Open Investigation on Bagged Salads Contamination The U.S. Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have opened an investigation on bagged salads contaminated with Cyclospora. It is believed that the bagged salads come from grocery store chains ALDI, Hy-vee, and Jewel-Osco. ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad from AlDI, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad from Hy-Vee, and Signature Farms Brand Garden Salad from Jewel-Osco have been traced as the likely source of the outbreak, though no official recalls have been made as of June 19, 2020. A…

Takeaways and Procedures from the USDA’s 2019 Summary of Recall Cases The number of food recalls have decreased in number since 2015 from a total of 150 food recalls, to an average of 125 in the years 2014-2019. However, while the volume of recalls have decreased, the number of Class I recalls related to meat and poultry– the most hazardous kind–have nearly doubled since 2013, increasing by 85%. In its Recall Summaries for the year 2019, The United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (USDA) published a total of 124 food recalls, the majority of which were…

Food Safety Tips: How to Handle Chicken Safely Though millions of Americans handle chicken every day, chicken and eggs account for the majority of foodborne illnesses in the United States, according to the CDC. Chicken is eaten more than any other meat in America, even though raw chicken contains three types of foodborne illness causing bacteria: Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens. During the process of cooking and consuming chicken, people are exposed to the bacteria both by eating undercooked chicken and through ingesting raw chicken juices. A dangerous myth concerning handling raw chicken is the need to wash…

43,000 Pounds of Ground Beef Recalled for Possible E. coli Contamination On Saturday, June 13, 2020, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a recall on 43,000 pounds of Lakeside Refrigerated Services’ raw ground beef due to a possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The contamination was first discovered through routine food safety testing conducted by the FSIS which revealed the presence of E. coli o157:H7 monocytogenes. The raw ground beef recently placed under recall was produced by Lakeside Refrigerated Services, a company based in Swedesboro, New Jersey, on June 1, 2020. All the…

Carnivora brand pet food sold in Canada has been recalled due to linked E. Coli contamination. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the E. Coli O157 strain found in the raw pet food has infected four people who were contaminated while feeding their pet. The E. Coli is suspected to have spread from cross contamination after handling the infected pet food. The Canadian pet food company brand, Carnivora Pet Foods, is out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is run by Riveriene Farm Ltd.. The recall was posted on June 12, 2020, recalling six different items: Carnivora…

NOW branded Macadamia Nuts Recalled for Potential Salmonella Contamination Now Health Group Inc. (NOW) of Bloomingdale, Illinois, is issuing a voluntary recall of NOW branded Macadamia Nuts due to concerns of potential Salmonella contamination. The contamination was found after routine sampling by NOW found traces of Salmonella in the finished Macadamia Nuts product in the same lot as the recalled product. While some of the contaminated lot was never sold and remains quarantined, the majority of the lot was already distributed to retailers. NOW has notified all retailers of the recalled macadamia nuts, asking retailers to pull the product…

Enoki Mushroom Listeria Outbreak Investigation Officially Closed The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced the official closure of the enoki mushroom listeria outbreak investigation on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. After an extensive investigation, the multistate listeria outbreak has been linked with Green Co, LTD. of the Republic of Korea. Enoki mushrooms are long, thin, and white mushrooms, traditionally used in Eastern Asian cuisine, and typically sold in clusters. Enoki mushrooms are also referred to under the other traditional names, enokitake, golden needle, futu, or lily mushrooms. The enoki mushrooms produced by Green Co,…