Listeria in Bagged Salads
LANDOVER, Md., Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Following notification from its supplier, State Garden, Giant Food of Landover, Md. has announced a voluntary recall of several Nature’s Promise organic bagged salad items due to the potential for listeria contamination. All affected products contain a “Best if Used By Date” of January 15, 2011.
The following products are affected by this recall:
- Nature’s Promise Organic Baby Spinach & Spring Mix, 7 oz., UPC 688267086410
- Nature’s Promise Organic Caesar Salad Kit, 10.75 oz., UPC 68826723573
- Nature’s Promise Organic Spring Mix, 16 oz., UPC 688267039089
- Nature’s Promise Organic Sweet Baby Lettuce, 7 oz., UPC 688267086403
- Nature’s Promise Baby Spinach w/ Ranch Dressing & Fork, 3.75 oz. UPC 688267123559
- Nature’s Promise Organic Caesar Salad w/ Caesar Supreme Dressing & Fork, 5.75 oz. UPC 688267123566
- Nature’s Promise Organic Spring Mix w/ Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressings & Fork, 3 oz. UPC 688267123542
To date, Giant has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.
Listeria is a common organism found in nature. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, which can arise up to several weeks after consumption. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.
Customers who have these products should discard them and bring their purchase receipt to any Giant for a full refund. Customers looking for additional information may call Giant Corporate Brands toll free line at 1-877-846-9949. Consumers may also visit our website at www.GiantFood.com or contact State Garden at 1-888-841-6191 for more information. If customers have any health concerns, they should contact their doctor.
This recall taken from: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/giant-food-issues-a-voluntary-recall-of-natures-promise-bagged-salads-114656094.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Listeria in Gluten Free Mac and No Cheese, and Wheat Free, Gluten Free French Bread Pizza
LAWRENCE, Mass., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Ian’s is voluntarily recalling specific lot numbers of two products due to a risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy persons may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
The following two products with the specific use-by dates and UPC codes listed are being recalled because they may have been distributed to retailers nationwide and sold in the frozen foods section of the supermarket:
- 8-ounce boxes of Ian’s Wheat Free, Gluten Free Mac and No Cheese with a use-by date of 26Aug2011 and UPC code 7-49512-43670-8 (372 packages impacted)
- 8-ounce boxes of Ian’s Wheat Free, Gluten Free French Bread Pizza with a use-by date of 28Aug2011 and UPC code 7-49512-91572-2 (120 packages impacted)
A total of 492 individual boxes are potentially affected.
Consumers who purchased the above products with the specific use-by dates and UPC codes listed are asked to return the products to the place of purchase to receive a full refund. Products that do not contain the specific use-by dates and UPC codes listed are not affected by the recall, and can be used by consumers.
Consumers with questions can contact Ian’s at 1-800-543-6637 twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, or at customerservice@iansnaturalfoods.com.
This recall taken from: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ians-voluntarily-recalls-two-products-due-to-risk-of-contamination-by-listeria-bacteria-114530034.html
3 Years of Product Recalled and Company Ordered to Close, Due to Clostridium botulinum
**Please note: this is an update on the black bean sauce recall S.T.O.P. previously reported.**
The state health department has issued a recall for more than one hundred locally produced food products.
They include jams, salad dressings, and sauces that were manufactured at a Waipio processing plant.
Health officials say the foods have a potential risk for botulism.
Basically — if you had a recipe you wanted bottled for sale — this is the place you came to.
Products like Arturo’s hot sauces.
“We’ve been in business for 30 years and have never had a product recall or problem with our product,” said Steve Geimer.
The Health Department issued an Order to Cease and Desist, after the U-S Food and Drug Administration found evidence of improper manufacturing standards at the First Commercial Kitchen plant.
A recall issued last Thursday only included two products: Ohana Flavors Black Bean Sauce and Barbs Local Style Black Bean Sauce.
But now, The recall includes EVERYTHING that was manufactured there over the past three years.
The Health Department says it issued the mass recall after the company failed to produce required documentation and because of inadequate testing to ensure no bacteria growth.
This article continues at: http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Waipahu-food-company-ordered-to-shut-down/54OIlk7SzkefBwrk9E0yHA.cspx
7 States Get and “A” and 14 Get an “F,” for Their Ability to Handle Foodborne Illness
WASHINGTON—A nationwide report card grading the 50 states and the District of Columbia on how well they detect, investigate, and report outbreaks of foodborne illness finds great variability—indicating that many states are only reporting a small fraction of the number of outbreaks as states with better detection and reporting systems.
Using 10 years of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Outbreak Alert! database, CSPI assigned a letter grade and created an outbreak profile for each state. CSPI used two states that are widely recognized for having strong investigating and reporting systems as benchmarks. Those states, Oregon and Minnesota, have excellent laboratory facilities and public health departments that are quick to interview individuals who are suspected to have been outbreak “cases.” They report nine and eight outbreaks per million people per year, respectively. Those two states, and five states that reported equally high reporting rates for outbreaks, received ‘A’s: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Washington, and Wyoming.
In contrast, 14 states reported only one outbreak of foodborne illness per million people: Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.
“States that aggressively investigate outbreaks and report them to CDC can help nail down the foods that are responsible for making people sick,” said CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith DeWaal. “But when states aren’t detecting outbreaks, interviewing victims, identifying suspect food sources, or connecting with federal officials, outbreaks can grow larger and more frequent, putting more people at risk.”
This article continues at: http://www.cspinet.org/new/201101191.html
S.T.O.P. is a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne pathogens by:
*Advocating for sound public policy
*Building public awareness; and
*Assisting those impacted by foodborne illness
The Cleaner Plate Club/Eat Cleaner 
