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Perdue Foods, LLC of Bridgewater, VA issued a voluntary recall of its chicken breast nuggets Tuesday after it discovered that the nuggets, which had undergone a recipe reformulation, contained milk that was not listed as an ingredient on product labels. Products subject to recall include are bundled packages including three 12 oz. tray packs of Purdue Original Chicken Breast Nuggets. Packages bear establishment number P. 369 inside the USDA mark of inspection and a sell-by date of December 16, 2012. The recalled nuggets were produced on October 16, 2012 and distributed to retail stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The retail distribution list will be posted on the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's website when it becomes available. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Food Recalls  |
11.01.2012
Chicken Nuggets Recalled for Undeclared Milk
A Made-in-Canada Solution to E. coli O157 Outbreaks
| Opinion
E. coli is a bacterium that is found in the intestines of all people, and is the best-studied free living organism, being used for recombinant DNA work, biotechnology, and many other uses. However, there are certain strains of E. coli that have acquired additional DNA that encode the ability to cause human disease, including meningitis, urinary tract infections or diarrhea, and in the case of O157, severe diarrhea which can progress to a fatal kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome, and long-term consequences including brain damage and chronic kidney failure. Several years ago, our laboratory at UBC discovered how O157 adheres to intestinal cells. With this knowledge, we considered the unorthodox concept of vaccinating cattle to prevent human disease. Approximately half of all cattle carry O157 in their intestines, although it causes no disease in cattle. Virtually all human disease come from cattle carrying O157, either through direct contamination of processed meat, (current recall) or by using irrigation water that contains cattle fecal contamination (eg. spinach recall) or as a drinking water supply, as in the Walkerton outbreak. We know that decreasing O157 in cattle would decrease human disease. In collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan, we did experimental trials in which we vaccinated cattle which proved very effective in blocking O157 shedding. Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. is an Ontario company that licensed the technology and did vaccine studies in thousands of cattle to show vaccine efficacy. The vaccine worked extremely well, showing there is a 99-per-cent reduction in bacteria shed in the feces and a 71-per-cent reduction in the proportion of animals shedding. It even caused decreased O157 levels in unvaccinated cattle when they were in pens with vaccinated animals. The vaccine, called Econiche, was commercially approved for use in Canada in 2008. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons the vaccine has not been used. The vaccine costs $3 per dose, and it requires two doses per animal. Farmers have no incentive to ask their vet to vaccinate their cattle, as it doesn't cause disease in cattle. They also have no financial incentive to spend this additional amount on the vaccine, as there is no current way to recoup this expense. There have been several independent scientific studies showing that if a vaccine was used, it would be very effective in vastly decreasing, if not eliminating O157 from processed beef. Moreover, the cost to vaccinate all 12.5 million cattle in Canada would be approximately $50 million, yet the current yearly cost for health care related expenses due to human O157 illness is over $200 million — not counting deaths. This does not include the large commercial expenses associated with beef recalls, food inspections and the negative international press associated with O157 recalls and outbreaks. This vaccine is the first in the world and represents a major opportunity to block O157 at the "preharvest" stage. Nearly all current control measures now used occur during processing or during inspections and sampling post-harvest. All data show the vaccine is a highly effective measure, yet it is not being used. To implement the vaccine, it will take both agricultural and health ministries in provincial and federal governments to participate, as well as a concerted effort by farmers and beef processors to implement the vaccine. Some of the cost could even be passed along to consumers to ensure safer beef products. All studies show the vaccine is completely safe, both for cattle and humans, extremely effective and makes strong economic and business sense, saving governments at least $150 million per year. There will always be O157 in beef until the vaccine is adopted and no amount of inspectors will detect all O157. The time is now to implement this unique made-in-Canada solution to avoid future recalls, outbreaks, human disease and death, and give Canadian beef a much improved image worldwide. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Opinion & Contributed Articles |
Carrot Chips Recalled for Potential Salmonella Contamination
| A California-based company is recalling approximately 5,600 cases of carrot chips because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. San Joaquin Valley-based Bolton Farms issued a voluntary recall of carrot chips produced on two consecutive days because samples of the product tested positive for Salmonella. The samples were collected on October 22 by a North Carolina health official, according to the recall announcement. The company received news of the positive Salmonella test October 31 and issued the recall the following day. The carrot chips, sold under the Bolton Farms brand, were sold to retail stores in the United States and Canada in 16 oz. bags, and bear one of the following two sets of markings:
BEST IF Consumers who have purchased the affected product are urged not to eat it and to return it to its point of purchase for a full refund. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Food Recalls |
African Union Makes Plans for Food Safety Authority
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The two-day workshop, hosted by the Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources Monday and Tuesday in Kigali, Rwanda, focused on how to carry out the African Union Commission's (AUC) call for a pan-African food safety body. The new authority will set safety standards for and monitor the African food supply, much like the European Food Safety Authority does for EU member states. Participants in this week's conference included health officials from Codex — an international food safety standard-setting body — and from African Union member states, along with regional representatives and point people from the African Union Commission (AUC). The goals of the workshop, according to the Bureau for Animal Resources, were to: - Reaffirm the need, the objectives, the structure and the functionality of a Food Safety Authority within AUC; - Reaffirm the need to establish in Africa a RASFF and its functionality; and - Set priorities on information to collect, and modalities of dissemination and sharing of such information; "In other parts of the world, such as European Union, there exists the "European Food Safety Authority and a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed" (RASFF)," said Francois Kanimba, AU's Minister of Trade and Industry, in a speech that marked the opening of the conference. "Our body could be along similar lines but taking into consideration the several food safety, cultural, social, economical, political and even scientific peculiarities of our continent," he remarked, as reported by All Africa. With increased standardization of the African food safety system will come an increased trade capacity, noted Kaniba, since products will not be rejected as often on the grounds of being unsafe. "Any initiative, be it at the AU or individual member state level, aiming to improve food safety by particularly complying with international food standards, will not only reduce food losses and increase food availability in the continent, but also promote exports from our countries by taking advantage of international trade opportunities, thereby increasing incomes, prosperity and wellbeing of our citizens," said Kinamba in his remarks. The conference also aimed to establish a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), a forum through which food and feed authorities could share information about companies whose products are deemed a risk to public health. The European Union established an RASFF in 2002. The African Union is made up of 53 countries and includes all sovereign African nations with the exception of Morocco. Madagascar and Guinea-Bassau were suspended from the AU following internal political upheaval. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Government Agencies |
Spinach Recalled for Possible E. coli
| Wegmans stores are recalling two sizes of pre-packaged spinach and mixed greens grown by State Garden due to possible contamination of E. coli O157:H7. The two products are: - Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach & Spring Mix, 11oz – UPC: 77890-16411 – ONLY product sold between 10/14/12 and 11/1/12. - Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach & Spring Mix, 5oz – UPC: 77890-16437 – ONLY product sold between 10/14/12 and 11/1/12. Consumers who purchased these items are asked to discard them or visit their Wegmans' service desk for a full refund. Food Safety News has not learned of any illnesses tied to this recall at this time. More Headlines from Food Recalls |
Bruegger’s raises $125K for Share Our Strength
| Advertisement  Bruegger's Bagels will donate nearly $125,000 to Share Our Strength's Dine Out For No Kid Hungry campaign, as a result of a month-long fundraising drive on the brand's Facebook page and through coupon book sales at its 300-plus bakeries across the United States. As part of its campaign, Bruegger's sold coupon books for $3 apiece that contained about $20 worth of free bagels, soups or sandwiches (some with purchase). In addition, Bruegger's donated $1 for each new "like" on its Facebook page for No Kid Hungry. The funds raised will help connect needy kids to effective nutrition programs, including school breakfast, summer and afterschool meal programs, and educate kids and their families on how to cook healthy, affordable meals. All told, Bruegger's raised quadruple the amount raised last year. "Bruegger's employees and its guests pulled out all the stops this year in the fight against childhood hunger," Jim Vinz, co-CEO of Le Duff America, Bruegger's parent company, and chairman of the Dine Out For No Kid Hungry advisory board, said in a press release. "Their tremendous efforts will help Share Our Strength provide relief for the 16.6 million children in this country who are at risk of hunger, and help ensure that every child in the U.S. gets the food they need." Dine Out For No Kid Hungry is part of a month-long hunger awareness campaign by Share Our Strength and other hunger-relief organizations. In its fifth year, the campaign attracted more than 8,200 restaurants this year, the most in its history. |
ADM Milling to expand Indiana plant
| Advertisement  ADM Milling, a wholly owned subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Co., has approved plans to expand the flour milling capacity of its wheat processing plant in Beech Grove, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis. Pending civil and regulatory approvals, the expansion is slated to begin in November 2012. The new facility will feature the latest automation technology and process controls to ensure high-quality products. The expansion will allow the Beech Grove facility to produce multiple products, including spring, winter, hard and soft wheat blends. When the project is complete, capacity at the Beech Grove facility will be 27,800 cwts, an increase of 8,400 cwts per day. "As customers look to ADM Milling for a larger quantity and variety of products, it's our job to help them grow," Mark Kolkhorst, president of ADM Milling, said in a press release. "This new capacity will allow us to provide a greater level of service to customers in the Beech Grove area." ADM Milling is one of the world's largest flour millers, with multiple wheat flour mills in the United States as well as in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and the United Kingdom. |