Summary of Recent Food Recalls and Outbreaks
Food News Round Up
Food News Round Up
FDA Recalls
If you want to see the whole list from FDA, check out their Recalls, Market Withdrawls and Safety Alert webpage and search for Food and Beverages under product type. There were seven new recalls last week - two were due to undeclared peanuts, two due to the presence of chemical contaminants, one due to pieces of plastic and one due to high levels of lead (Yikes!), and one, which I will discuss in more detail, was ice cream contaminated with Listeria.
That is a lot of recalls for one week.
Allergens
The two recalls due to undeclared peanuts is a failure of a facilities GMPs. A third of all recalls are due to misbranding and sending out a product that contains an allergen that isn’t on the label. The best way to prevent this is a good allergen control program which is followed, verified and validated.
Please book a call with Food Safety Mid Atlantic if you have any questions about your allergen control program. This may prevent you from a costly recall.
Listeria monocytogenes in Ice Cream
This is an outbreak as according to CDC (as of July 13) 23 illness, with 22 hospitalizations, one miscarriage, and one death are linked back to Big Olaf ice cream. Last week, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) formally shut down the manufacturing plant after 9 of 100 samples from the facility and its equipment tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. In addition 16 out of 17 samples collected from infected consumers also tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes (ref).
The more I read about this outbreak, the wider my eyes get. According to Food Safety News, and confirmed by the CDC timeline the first outbreak was in Jan 2021 and the last in June 2022.
Big Olaf made a statement on July 3 refusing to accept responsibility and they were noticeably slow at issuing a recall. This seems to standard practice now; Abbott Nutrition continues to deny any responsibility for the bacteria in its infant formula, and last year the water company, Real Water, never accepted responsibility for the hepatitis outbreak linked to their alkaline water. I don’t like it and would rather see food company comply with FDA and local health authorities when their product is linked to a foodborne illness.
Do you have any questions about either preventing Listeria or other foodborne illnesses? Do you have a recall plan? Please get in touch with Food Safety Mid Atlantic if you have any food safety concerns and take advantage of our free consulting call. Make your products with peace of mind with a recall plan that you feel comfortable following.
Other News
Abbott Nutrition reopened its Michigan facility after it was closed due to links with Cronobacter in infant formula and severe flooding. This article discusses some of the issues.
Daily Harvest Lentil and Leek Crumbles is recalled due to people getting ill after eating it. No cause has been identified. Or has it? Marion Nestle reports on Food Politics blog that there might be a culprit, the ingredient Tara. Bill Marker, the Food Safety Lawyer, has more to say about this outbreak. Do not eat Daily Harvest Lentil and Leak Crumbles.
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Who is Cathy Davies?
I write about the intersection of food science and food systems with an emphasis on food safety, food justice and resilience. I am concerned that climate disasters and changing weather patterns are affecting our ability to eat healthy, nutritious food.
I run a food safety consultancy, Food Safety Mid Atlantic, supporting small and mid-sized food businesses with their food safety plans and programs. My primary goal is to support my clients so they make food at cost that is safe, tasty and compliant with federal, state, and local regulations. My clients scale up their businesses while maintaining integrity with their values, knowing that the food they produce is safe.
If you are interested in learning more about my consulting services, please schedule a free call.
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Great information to keep in mind. Always enjoy reading your news Cathy.