Supervalu Inc. is recalling some of its macaroni and cheese products over possible Listeria contamination concerns. Media outlets are reporting that supermarket chain, Supervalu, said its frozen Culinary Circle Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese is involved.
The recalled Culinary Circle Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese products were sold in a 38-ounce package at Supervalu’s Acme, Albertsons, Bigg’s, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s and Star Market, Shop ‘n Save, and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy in all of the states in which the stores operate said the Associated Press (AP). Supervalu announced that consumers can bring the recalled Culinary Circle Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese back to the store for a full refund or exchange.
Listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, can be serious and can sometimes cause fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may experience high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, Listeria infection in pregnant women can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
Listeria monocytogenes is responsible for an estimated 2,500 illnesses in the United States annually, with about 200 in every 1,000 cases resulting in death. Listeriosis can take days, even weeks, to develop and can present in anything from a mild flu-like illness to meningitis and septicemia.
The United States has been hammered in recent years with a wide variety of food-related illness outbreaks involving pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, an array of E. coli pathogens, and Salmonella, to name just a few. And, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency charged with protecting U.S. consumers from defective foods, drugs, and medical devices, has been harshly criticized for lax processes that have endangered and sickened scores of consumers.
Earlier this month, recently appointed Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., outlined her commitment “to prevent harm to the American people” through swift, aggressive, and effective enforcement of FDA laws and regulations. “The FDA must be vigilant, the FDA must be strategic, the FDA must be quick, and the FDA must be visible,” Commissioner Hamburg told a group of industry representatives, attorneys, consumers, and others attending a speech sponsored by the Food and Drug Law Institute in Washington, D.C.
“We must get the word out that the FDA is on the job.” Commissioner Hamburg noted that some FDA enforcement actions over the past several years “have been hampered by unreasonable delays” and “in some cases, serious violations have gone unaddressed for far too long.” She added that the pathways for enforcement actions “can be too long and arduous when the public’s health is in jeopardy.”
Commissioner Hamburg highlighted six initial steps designed to hone the effectiveness and timeliness of the FDA’s regulatory and enforcement system that include post-inspection deadlines, quicker warning letter processes, better collaboration with the agency’s regulatory partners follow-up warning letter and other enforcement action prioritization, timelier action in response to public health risks, and creation of a formal warning letter “close-out” process.”
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