Recall: MoonPie Peanut Butter Crunch Cookie Sandwiches

Chattanooga Bakery Inc. Tuesday recalled its MoonPie Peanut Butter Crunch products with "Best By" dates of 02/26/13, 03/25/13, and 04/29/13 because its peanut butter supply might be contaminated with a rare strain of Salmonella. The Peanut Butter Crunch products are made with peanut butter from New Mexico-based Sunland Inc., which is involved in a recall of its own brands of peanut and almond butter and Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter, which was produced by Sunland, Inc. Those products have been associated with an multistate outbreak of the rarely seen Salmonella Bredeney now involving 30 confirmed cases in 19 states. Chattanooga Bakery's recalled Peanut Butter Crunch products (9.6 ounce multipack and 2.4 ounce twin pack) have not been associated with any of the reported illnesses.  "Regardless, we are taking this precautionary step to protect our customers and their families from any possible risk. Customers who have purchased this item are urged not to eat the product, and to dispose of it or return it to the retailer for a full refund," the company recall announcement said. The 110-year old Chattanooga Bakery  is know for its Lookout ™ and MoonPie™ products, which are not involved in the recall.   The family-owned Tennessee company distributes its products nationwide. © Food Safety News More Headlines from Food Recalls »

ACI 6th National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation

ACI 6th National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation Hilton Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile Chicago, IL Date/Deadline November 29, 2012 While the U.S. food supply remains one of the safest in the world, over the past year, the size and incidents of outbreaks have been in the headlines at an increasingly alarming rate.  Beef, leafy greens, cantaloupe, peanut butter  are just a few  of the products that have led to significant cost and litigation for food companies. The wave of litigation that has followed has shown no signs of slowing down. American Conference Institute's 6t National Forum on Food-Borne Illness Litigation will show you how to asses, manage and defend against the rising tide of food related litigation. Through an expert faculty representing both the plaintiffs and defendants in these cases, this conference will provide even the most seasoned professionals with the most cutting edge, comprehensive review of the paramount food contamination issues facing the food distribution and manufacturing industry. Join us to learn about: •    Employing third-party operational risk auditing procedures •    Developing an effective crisis management plan for implementing recalls, preventing litigation and protecting your public brand •    Deciphering food borne illness insurance coverage •    Assessing the value of a claim and negotiating a long term settlement •    Assessing weak links in your product supply chain and developing strategies for reducing the risk of contamination •    Minimizing the risk of litigation by complying with the Food Safety Modernization Act •    Using causation and the science behind the claims to win your case •    And much more For more information, please visit our website: www.americanconference.com/foodborne   Food Safety News readers  are entitled to a discount when referencing the code: FS 200

Multistate Outbreak Linked to Peanut and Almond Butter Expands

Another victim has been counted in the Salmonella Bredeney outbreak linked to contaminated nut products from a New Mexico company, bringing the number of people sickened from 29 people in 18 states to 30 in 19 states.  The number of ill people in each state was announced for the first time today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases by state are as follows: Arizona (1), California (2), Connecticut (3), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nevada (1),  New Jersey (2), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (1), Texas (4), Virginia (1) and Washington (2). CDC is still reporting that four victims have been hospitalized. Those sickened range in age from less than one year old to 77 years, with a median age of 7. The majority of victims - 66 percent - are children under the age of 10.  Illness onset dates range from June 11, 2012 to September 11, 2012. Illnesses that began after August 30 may not yet have been reported due to the usual time delay between when a person falls ill and when their case is reported, notes CDC in its outbreak update.  The victim from Minnesota reported eating Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter in the week before falling ill in late July, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.  Trader Joe's issued a recall of this brand of peanut butter Friday, before the supplier of that peanut butter -- New Mexico-based Sunland, Inc. -- issued its own recall of the Trader Joe's peanut butter along with other peanut and almond butters sold nationwide.  A description of products subject to that recall is available here.  "Investigations are ongoing to determine if any other foods are also a source in this outbreak," says CDC in its outbreak report. The agency recommends that people dispose of any remaining jars of recalled product, and notes that "This is especially important for children under the age of 5 years, older adults, and people with weak immune systems." Symptoms of Salmonella usually appear between 6 and 72 hours after exposure and include fever, chills, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache and muscle pains.  If you think you may have contracted a Salmonella infection, contact your healthcare provider.  © Food Safety News More Headlines from Foodborne Illness Outbreaks »

RBA honors Class of Emeritus members

Advertisement The Retail Bakers of America inducted three new emeritus members: Michael Kalupa, Edward Lee and Robert Smith. They were honored earlier this month during the general session at All Things Baking in Houston. Established in 2007, the emeritus membership is designed to honor individuals who influenced the RBA and the bakery industry. Emeritus members are nominated by RBA's board of directors and receive an individual lifetime membership to RBA. Mike Kalupa started in the baking industry at a very young age traveling with his father, Bud Kalupa, a salesman at Karp's Milwaukee Bakers Supply. In 1979 the two bought a bakery in Tampa, Fla. After a few years Kalupa and his wife Susan bought his father's share and took sole ownership of Kalupa's Bakery. Kalupa became  active with the Southeastern Retail Bakers Association (SRBA), serving on the board of directors and as president. He also served on the board of the RBA and was president of the organization. Rich Reinwald, of Reinwald's Bakery, accepted the award on Kalupa's behalf. (Pictured below, left to right: Ken Downey, RBA president; Susan Nicolais, RBA executive director; and Rich Reinwald, Reinwald's Bakery.) Ed Lee, editor emeritus of Modern Baking magazine, has been a journalist for 45 years, spending 30 of them in the baking industry. In 1982 he was named editor of Bakery Production & Marketing magazine. Five years later, he founded Modern Baking with partners Bill Donohue and John Meehan. Lee was chief editor of Modern Baking until the publishing company was sold to Penton Media in 1998, when he was named publisher of Modern Baking. He held this position until he retired in 2004. Lee also has served on the advisory board of the RBA and participated in various RBA projects. (Pictured below: Lee [right] accepts the award from RBA president Ken Downey.) Robert Smith began his career in the baking industry in the 1970s when he took a job at his father-in-law's retail bakery in South. He and his wife Peggy owned that bakery for more than 20 years, growing it from eight to 26 employees. In 1990 he sold the bakery and began working with Dawn Food Products for 10 years as a sales manager and training coordinator. He joined King Arthur Flour in 2000 as the company's national sales manager for bakery flour sales. He is now senior sales manager for bakery flour sales. Smith has served on the board and as treasurer for the SRBA. He also has served on the board and executive committee of the RBA. (Pictured below: Robert Smith delivers his acceptance speech.)

Seattle Woman Sues Forever Cheese and Distributor

Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Food Recalls Food Politics Lawsuits & Litigation Food Policy & Law Science & Research Foodborne Illness Investigations Local Food Sustainability Government Agencies Nutrition & Public Health World For Foodies Food Safety Leaders Victim Stories Opinion & Contributed Articles

Restaurant Inspections Stir Controversy in Portland, Maine

More restaurants are failing inspections in Portland, Maine because the city has raised its food safety standards without adopting a new law. The Portland Press Herald found 39 of the city's 49 restaurants inspected under a new health code have failed to pass. The newspaper's count was based on city records obtained under a Freedom of Access request filed under Maine law. Both local restaurant owners and the Maine Restaurant Association claim that higher standards are causing fewer restaurants to pass inspections.  Portland city health officials claim the spat of inspection failures are due to customer complaints and new business openings, not a tougher standard. Dick Grotton, president and chief executive officer of the restaurant association, says Portland's inspection process has changed, but its food code has not. A possible departure point came in August 2011 when Portland hired its first health inspector to inspect restaurants. In the past, code officers from the city planning department had handled restaurant inspections. Groton says it is going to take time for Portland restaurants to catch up to the calls being made by a single inspector. Portland allows a restaurant to have up to 13 violations, including as many as three critical violations, and still pass inspection. Like other jurisdictions, a critical violation is something that poises an immediate risk of illness or an imminent health risk. Maine restaurants can generally stay open while correction the non-critical violations. Critical violations must be addressed immediately. Portland has closed five restaurants in recent months that could not made corrections quickly enough.   Four of the closed establishments have since reopened. Portland restaurant owners say that in the past an inspection might be over in five minutes, whereas now it takes an hour.  Jason Loring, co-owner of the Nosh, told the Press Herald he does not have a problem with that.  "It's all about safety," he said. A story on the change in Portland restaurant inspections drew 158 comments in the Press Herald, with most indicating support for the stepped up enforcement.   "They should be strict, this is where people eat for crying out loud," said a reader known as Mattador64. Some did express concern about "over-regulation." © Food Safety News More Headlines from Nutrition & Public Health »

Officials Tracking Outbreak of Rare Salmonella Strain in Seven EU States

European Union health officials are investigating an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Stanley that has sickened over 400 people in seven member countries. While S. Stanley infections are rare outside of Southeast Asia and usually appear only among those who have traveled there, this outbreak is thought to have originated in poultry - probably turkey - produced in Europe, according to a new joint report from EU health authorities.  The first cases associated with this outbreak occurred in Hungary in August of 2011, but the outbreak was not detected until late June 2012, when health officials were alerted to the fact that an unusually high number of S. Stanley infections had been reported in Belgium. Since that time, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovak Republic and the United Kingdom have all reported cases of S. Stanley with a DNA fingerprint indistinguishable from the strain being tracked in Belgium. In most affected countries, the outbreak is thought to have begun in January of 2012, when a spike in S. Stanley infections was noted. The most recent case was reported on September 18.   To date, 167 cases have been confirmed as part of the outbreak and a further 254 cases are considered probable. The highest rate of illnesses has been in children under the age of five. According to the outbreak report - issued by the European Food Safety Authority and Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Friday - cases of the same strain of S. Stanley are still being reported and the outbreak is considered ongoing.  "As control measures have not yet been implemented to remove the source of infection and potential food vehicles from the market, it is likely that additional human cases of S. Stanley infections will be reported in EU Member States," says the report. Turkey Suspected as Source While officials do not know the exact source of the bacteria, they suspect that it came from somewhere in the European turkey production chain. The outbreak strain has been found among turkey flocks and in turkey meat in eight EU member countries, including six where outbreak-related illnesses have occurred.  In Austria, the outbreak strain was isolated in samples from turkey fattening farms, a turkey hatchery and from a turkey parent flock that originated in Hungary. Germany isolated the outbreak strain in two samples from turkey farms and four samples from turkey meat. In Hungary, the outbreak strain was discovered in three isolates from turkey breeding flocks, 15 isolates from fattening flocks, one from turkey meat and one from turkey neck skin. Belgium reported the outbreak strain in one sample of turkey meat, and Czech Republic found an indistinguishable strain in fattening turkey flocks. Poland isolated the outbreak bacteria in one sample from a turkey and three from turkey meat, while Finland and the UK each reported positive samples from turkey meat. However, some isolates of S. Stanley with a DNA fingerprint indistinguishable from the outbreak strain have also been found in samples from beef, chicken flocks, minced pork and beef, and even dogs, cats, peppermint and seagull, leading investigators to conclude that "contribution of other food and animal sources, such as beef, pork and broiler meat to the outbreak cannot be ruled out." Travel to Southeast Asia, however, has been ruled out as a source of the bacteria, since no victims have reported visiting that region prior to illness.  The Outbreak Strain Salmonella Stanley infections are extremely rare in areas outside of Southeast Asia. A total of eight outbreaks were reported in other regions between 1995 and 2011, according to the report. Between 2006 and 2012, 2,995 cases of S. Stanley were reported in Europe. Among the 2,309 of these cases for which travel history was known, 75 percent were determined to be travel-related.  In the U.S., one case of S. Stanley indistinguishable from the outbreak strain has been detected. The patient, a male, fell in on July 23, 2012, but did not report traveling outside the U.S. in the week before he fell ill.   All isolates of the bacteria found in the EU the turkey production chain have been shown to be resistant to nalidixic acid, an antibiotic used to treat severe Salmonella infections, among other bacterial infections.  Recommended Precautions EFSA and ECDC urge all food handlers at EU establishments to follow safety standards closely, taking special care to wash hands and avoid contact between raw turkey meat and other foods.  The agencies also ask that all Member States perform Pulsed Field Gel Electrophresis (PFGE) analysis on all S. Stanley isolates from 2011 and 2012 and report findings to ECDC at fwd@ecdc.europa.eu.