Whole Foods Recalls PB Cookies in Four States

Whole Foods Market has recalled 3oz peanut butter cookies and 3oz peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies sold in its self-serve pastry case, and mini peanut butter cookies sold in 12-pack paper bags due to possible Salmonella contamination in the peanut butter used as an ingredient. The recalled cookies were sold before Sept. 29, 2012 in all Whole Foods Market stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.  No illnesses have been reported related to the cookies. This cookie recall is in response to a recall by Sunland, Inc., whose recalled peanut butter has been connected to 30 illnesses in 19 states in a rare outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney. Two of the recalled items are sold in the self-serve pastry case (3oz Peanut Butter Cookie, 3oz Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk), under the cookie PLU (47963).  The packaged cookies (Mini Peanut Butter Cookie 12pk) are sold in small, plain brown bags featuring a cellophane window on the front, an oval Whole Foods Market sticker that says "mini peanut butter cookies" and has the PLU (22096100000). The recall includes all of these cookies sold before Sept. 29, 2012. Signage is posted in Whole Foods Market stores to notify customers of this recall. Consumers who have purchased 3oz Peanut Butter Cookie, 3oz Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk or Mini Peanut Butter Cookie 12pk in these four states should discard them. The Austin-based grocery chain is offering refunds for purchase receipts.  Gretchen's Shoebox Express in Seattle is also initiating a recall of Evolution Fresh Brand Cinnamon Apple & Almond Butter Sandwiches and Almond Butter that contain Almond Butter named in the with the Sunland, Inc., recall. © Food Safety News More Headlines from Food Recalls »

Recall of Ricotta Linked to Listeria Outbreak Expands

The New York-based importer that recalled its ricotta cheese earlier this month after the product was linked to a multistate Listeria outbreak has expanded its recall to include all lots of the cheese distributed between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012.  The cheese subject to this now-expanded recall was sold to distributors who then sold the product to retailers and restaurants in AL, CA, CO, CT, D.C., FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA and WA between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012. Products were sold by Forever Cheese to supermarkets, restaurants and wholesale distributors.  The affected cheese was imported from Italy.  The expanded recall includes all lots and all production codes. The following lots/production codes may be found on the original wheel: T5086/440220, T5520/440315, T6048/440417, T6528/440519, T7012/440703, T7452/440601, T7939/440822, T8419/441003, T8899/441020, T9425/441202, T9962/441227, U1392/450126. The company warns that the cheese may have been cut or repacked before being sold and may not have been relabeled. If the product was relabeled, consumers may not be able to identify it. Because of this, "Each and every distributor and retailer are being contacted in an effort to recall any and all remaining product in the marketplace," says the company in its recall announcement. Those who have purchased any of the recalled cheese are urged to contact  their distributor or retailer for a full refund. Anyone with questions can call Jeff DiMeo at Forever Cheese at 888-930-8693 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday EST and mention "recall."

County in Florida Panhandle Sees Spike in Shigella Cases

Health officials in Okaloosa County, Florida have noticed an unusual trend this year. Instead of the average three Shigella infections the county sees each year, a full 73 cases have been reported since the beginning of 2012.  The Okaloosa County Health Department issued its initial warning to the public in early August, at which time an alarming 49 Shigella infections had been reported since the beginning of the year.   That number has risen significantly over the past two months. "We've had a total of 73 reported shigella cases this year, through today, but we were not able to determine a source of the outbreak," a spokesperson for OCDH told Food Safety News Wednesday. The health department is asking residents to help prevent the spread of infection and to report any illnesses. The agency has posted a notification on its website urging people to see a healthcare provider if they experience symptoms of shigellosis which include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting.  Illness generally begins within one to three days of infection. Most people recover completely within four to seven days. OCHD is also providing advice to prevent the spread of infection. "People with diarrhea should stay home from work or school for at least one full calendar day after symptoms stop," says the agency. "People who have diarrhea should not prepare food or drinks for others." Other recommendations from the health department include: -  Clean hands often.  Wash kitchen utensils, plates, cutting boards, and counter surfaces during and after food preparation - Cook meat and eggs thoroughly. - Wash raw fruits and vegetables. - Chill (refrigerate) promptly. - Separate;  don't cross-contaminate foods - Drink only from safe water supplies.  Boil water, if in doubt. Image from Okaloosa County Health Department © Food Safety News More Headlines from Foodborne Illness Investigations »

Costco Strip Loin Steaks From XL Foods Added To Recall

Kirkland brand Strip Loin Grilling Steaks sold at Costco in Edmonton, Alberta -- which apparently originated at the city's XL Foods Inc. -- were recalled Wednesday after the beef products were specifically linked to four E. coli cases.    The beef steak recall was limited to the Costco located at 13650 50 Street in Edmonton.  The steaks were sold between Sept 4 and Sept. 7, 2012. The four E. coli illnesses traced back to the Strip Loins sold at that location were by the Alberta Health Services. For the past ten days, ground beef from Edmonton's XL Foods has been recalled in ever larger amounts in both the U.S. and Canada. These events are now followed by the highly unusual report of steaks contaminated with E. coli. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been struggling to grasp what is going on at XL Foods since Sept. 3, when an E. coli test conducted by the U.S. came back positive. One focus of the Costco investigation is the meat tenderizing process, which might have driven the pathogen further into the meat. "It turns out some time late in August, there was an unusually high number of animals or an unusually high number of E. coli in animals, that went into the plant that were decontaminated in usual process, but it didn't knock it down enough," said Dr. Richard Arsenault, director of meat programs for CFIA. "It's not about more products coming out of the facility after the initial recall, it's about discovering more product in the distribution chain that's already been sent to retail that was made on original day we were looking at." XL Foods Inc, the largest Canadian owned and operated beef processor, issued its own statement after the Costco recall outlining some of the ways it is addressing CFIA inspection findings and promising to cooperate with all the investigating agencies.   XL did say there is yet no definitive link between its products and the ill Canadians. All beef steaks including the Strip Loin Grilling Steak prepared and sold in variable weight packages from Costco Wholesale store #156, located at 13650, 50th street, Edmonton, Alberta are affected by the CFIA alert.  These steaks were sold during the period September 4 through 7, 2012 and bear one of the following Packed On dates: 12 / SE / 04 12 / SE / 05 12 / SE / 06 12 / SE / 07 Food contaminated with the dangerous and often deadly E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled, according to CFIA.  © Food Safety News More Headlines from Food Recalls »

XL Foods E. coli Recall Includes 890,000 Pounds of Beef Shipped to U.S.

The massive Canadian XL Foods E. coli recall  -- which has now been expanded seven times -- includes some 890,000 pounds of beef manufacturing trim and an unknown amount of boxed beef that was sent to 12 U.S. processors, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The agency said Wednesday that officials have not yet determined, in total, how much potentially contaminated beef was imported into the U.S. from XL Foods before FSIS started halting product at the border after finding E. coli O157:H7 in a routine microbiological sample pulled on Aug. 30. The timeline of the large recall, which has unfolded haphazardly over several days, has consumer advocates and media questioning whether regulators moved expeditiously to protect public health. According to FSIS, U.S. officials confirmed the positive E. coli O157:H7 test late Sept. 3 and notified the Canadian Food Inspection Agency of the issue Sept. 4. The positive test sparked intensive follow up testing by FSIS officials. Three more E. coli O157:H7 positives were reported back to CFIA between Sept. 4 and Sept. 12., which indicates the slaughter plant likely lost control of its process to prevent contamination for some time, known in the industry as a "high event period." CBC News reported Wednesday that CFIA did not begin their in-plant investigation of XL Foods, which is one of the largest processors in Canada, until Sept. 13, nearly ten days after the contamination was first reported. The same day, the plant was de-listed, or temporarily barred from exporting product to the United States. CFIA first issued a recall Sept. 16, but as the investigation has continued, the agency has continued to expand the scope of the recall, posting expansions Sept 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 25. A CFIA spokesman did not get back to Food Safety News regarding questions about the agency's timeline. In the U.S., FSIS issued a public health alert on Sept. 20, but the agency is not issuing a recall "because the goal of such an action is to have the establishment most directly associated with producing adulterated product remove the product from commerce." In this case, that establishment is XL Foods in Canada so, FSIS says, it's CFIA's responsibility to oversee the effectiveness of the recall in Canada, while FSIS monitors the recall stateside.   Recall guru Phyllis Entis has been very critical of the agency's decision to not formally announce a recall, which she believes garners more attention than a public health alert. Entis, who runs eFoodAlert, a website that posts comprehensive food recall information daily, said Wednesday that she disagrees with the decision to not post a U.S.-based recall since multiple U.S. companies received the recalled product. FSIS is posting the names of retail locations that sold the recalled beef products, but Entis says the agency is missing several retail chains who have recalled XL Foods product. So far, FSIS lists Albertsons (all locations in Oregon and Washington state, as well as three locations in Idaho), and Food4Less, Jay C, Kroger and Safeway (for each chain, locations in the greater Cincinnati Area, Northern Kentucky, Dayton Ohio, Southeastern Indiana, Indiana -except Evansville - Illinois and Eastern Missouri). According to eFoodAlert, which rapidly gleans recall information directly from retailers across the U.S. and Canada, FoodsCo (California locations), Haggen Northwest Fresh (Washington and Oregon) and Safeway (Washington and Oregon) and TOP Food & Drug (Washington and Oregon) should all be on FSIS' retail distribution list as well. For a full list of recalled beef products, including all of the information for Canada, see eFoodAlert. Washington, DC-based advocacy group Food & Water Watch has also criticized FSIS for they say was a too slow response to the problem in Canada. "After knowing for 17 days that they had a potential public health crisis on their hands, the management of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) finally issued a 'Public Health Alert' at 9:00 p.m. on September 20, 2012 regarding tainted beef that had crossed the border from Canada," explained Wenonah Hauter, executive director of FWW, in a release sent out Friday titled: "Where's the Recall?" FSIS maintains that it took swift action in response to finding E. coil O157:H7 at the border. The agency has worked with all 12 plants that received the potentially contaminated beef to help track down and remove it from commerce. There are no known U.S. illnesses connected to the recall, but Canadian officials are investigating whether four E. coli infections in Alberta might be linked to steaks from XL Foods. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in the most severe cases, kidney failure and death. The very young, the elderly and individuals with weak immune systems are the most susceptible. Recalled products should be discarded. In general, ground beef products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to kill bacteria. Those concerned about a serious foodborne illness should contact their health care provider. © Food Safety News More Headlines from Government Agencies »

The Other Side of Antimicrobial Resistance

An editorial was recently published by Food Safety News entitled "Letter from the Editor: Antibiotic Resistance" (1). For the most part, I agree with this article. However, there are a few points that I think need clarification. I will use a "point-counterpoint" approach, although not all of these counterpoints are arguments. Point: "Antibiotics are integral in the treatment of many foodborne diseases, making this an important issue for the food safety community." Counterpoint: Yes, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a big deal. Antimicrobials are used in treating infections. However, they are not the first line of defense for treating foodborne illness, even in cases requiring hospitalization. Instead, the primary course of treatment is fluid therapy (2). Therefore, even if we could erase AMR in foodborne pathogens, it is unlikely that there will be a significant improvement in the outcome of foodborne illness cases.  Point: Drug-resistant infections take a staggering toll in the United States and across the globe. Just one organism, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), kills more Americans every year than emphysema, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease and homicide combined. Nearly 2 million Americans per year develop hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), resulting in 99,000 deaths - the vast majority of which are due to antibacterial-resistant pathogens. Two common HAIs alone (sepsis and pneumonia) killed nearly 50,000 Americans and cost the U.S. health care system more than $8 billion in 2006. Counterpoint: The impact of AMR is staggering. Resistant infections have been a problem since the discovery of penicillin, which is the reason for the invention of multiple types of antibiotics (3). It is also important to realize that very few of the bacteria listed in the above paragraph are related to livestock and food. In addition, several other medically important bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, have resistance patterns that cannot be explained from livestock antimicrobial usage (4). Point: "Antibiotics are becoming less and less effective, in part due to over-prescription and inappropriate use." Counterpoint: I don't really disagree with this point, but I would like to "fine tune" it a bit.  As soon as an antibiotic is first used, resistance begins to develop. Bacteria evolve under the selection pressure of antibiotic exposure. It is how they survive. Inappropriate or unnecessary use means extra pressure on the bacterial population, thus increasing the speed of evolution.  To the extent that agriculture is guilty for antimicrobial resistance, we repent. It is important to note that many producer groups are making major efforts to become more prudent in antimicrobial use, just like what is being done in human medicine.  Point: "If I am reading scientists correctly, there are multiple theories for antibiotic resistance and agreement that some occurs naturally in the environment. Some of these theories involve antibiotic uses by both humans and animals." Counterpoint: Both points are correct. The ability to resist antibiotics has been around since the first microbe. Many types of antimicrobial resistance were recently discovered in four million-year-old dirt that had never been touched by man or beast (5). Subsequently, any antimicrobial usage, even if appropriate, allows the resistant strains to become more prominent. Point: "Yet, is it just me, or is antibiotics used in animal agriculture the only thing we hear about when antibiotic resistance comes up? Am I wrong to look at antibiotic resistance as a big circle with animal issues maybe involving a 25 percent slice with lots of other unknowns out there?" Counterpoint: No counter argument here. You are correct! Agriculture is taking way too much of the heat for its contribution to antibiotic resistance, and all published risk assessments show this contribution to be negligible. I would venture to say the percentage is much less that 25 percent. One paper I published shows the average American is more likely to die from a bee sting (one in six million) than to get a few extra days of diarrhea due to macrolide (a common animal antibiotic) use in livestock (6,7).  Point: "I just have this feeling that allowing animal diseases to go untreated would not contribute to food safety."  Counterpoint: Again, I agree. Failure to treat or prevent illness leads to needless animal suffering. Additionally, some new research is showing that healthy animals that have recovered from a respiratory or infectious illness are more likely to be contaminated with foodborne pathogens such a Salmonella or Campylobacter (8,9). Point: "Antibiotic resistance is complex issue. Help direct our coverage by suggesting people we should talk to and places we should go. Where's the cutting edge research being done? This is not just some problem on the farm we haven't solved. It's bigger, broader and more complex.  Now, please submit your answers." Counterpoint: Amen brother. There many questions that have not been addressed. If society was not so busy pushing draconian and meaningless solutions such as the PAMTA (Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act) or collecting usage data without good data on resistance, then resources would be available to answer many of your thoughtful questions. References (1) Flynn, D. 2012. Letter from the Editor: Antibiotic Resistance.  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/08/letter-from-the-editor-antibiotic-resistance/#.UFeIPbKPU-I (2) Food Poisoning Center, Sanford, FL. 2011. What is the treatment for food poisoning?  http://www.medicinenet.com/food_poisoning/page6.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_food_poisoning (3) D'Costa, V. et al. 2011. Antibiotic Resistance is ancient. Nature 477:457-461 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v477/n7365/full/nature10388.html (4) Bywater, R.J., Casewell, M.W. 2000. An Assessment of the impact of antibiotic resistance in different bacterial species and of the contribution of animal sources to resistance in human infections. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 46(4):643-645. http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/4/643.full.pdf+html (5) Bhullar, K. et al. 2012. Antibiotic Resistance is Prevalent in an Isolated Cave Microbiome. PLoS One  7(4): 1-11.   (6) Ropeik D. et al. (2002). RISK! A Practical Guide for Deciding What's Really Safe and What's Really Dangerous in the World Around You. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2002. (7) Hurd, H. S., et al. (2003).  The Public Health Consequences of Macrolide Use in Food Animals: A Deterministic Risk Assessment. Journal of Food Protection, 67:5, 980-992. (8) Hurd, HS, Yaegar MJ, Brudvig, JM, Taylor, DT, Wang, B. 2012. Lesion severity at processing as a predictor of Salmonella contamination of swine carcasses. American Journal of Veterinary Research 73(1):91-97. (9) Hurd, HS, Brudvig, J, Dickson, J, Mirceta, J, Polovinski, M, Matthews, N, Griffith, R. 2008. Swine Health Impact on Carcass Contamination and Human Foodborne Risk. Public Health Reports. 123:343-351. © Food Safety News More Headlines from Opinion & Contributed Articles »

USDA to Host Food Safety Chat on Twitter

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be going live at 3 p.m. EST to answer questions about food safety on Twitter. Anyone is invited to attend these "virtual office hours," hosted by Dr. Elizabeth Hagen, USDA's Under Secretary for Food Safety in honor of National Food Safety Education Month.   USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service provided a list of topics consumers are urged to ask about in a press release Thursday. Some possible questions include: - How can I keep my family safe from foodborne illness? - What is USDA doing to bring down rates of E. coli and Salmonella illnesses? - If I discover a problem with my food, where can I report it? - What should I do if I have a recalled product?  Those wishing to ask these or other food safety questions can participate by following @USDA on Twitter and using the #askUSDA hashtag.  © Food Safety News More Headlines from Food Safety Leaders »