Effective immediately, the Sweetwater Valley Farm, Inc. of Philadelphia, Tennessee is recalling its Tennessee Aged Black Pepper Cheese due to a potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The food product is listed as Tennessee Aged Black Pepper Cheese, Lot Number 616-361 and was distributed in five-, seven-, and 10-ounce ounce bars through Sweetwater Valley Farm’s retail store in Philadelphia, Tennessee as well as through a winery in Portland, Tennessee.

No more than 100 pounds of the possibly tainted Tennessee Aged Black Pepper Cheese were distributed between December 27, 2007 and May 12, 2008. Although no illnesses have been reported, to date, the recall followed a routine sampling program by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture which revealed that the finished product contained the Listeria moncytogenes bacteria. Sweetwater Valley Farm has halted distribution of the affected lot and continues its investigation into what caused the Listeria contamination. (more…)

The Georgia Department of Agriculture food scientists have discovered Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Bright Water Smoked Salmon & Cheese Spread, according to Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin. The Bright Water Smoked Salmon & Cheese Spread is manufactured by Bright Water Seafoods, LLC, of Charlotte, North Carolina 28217. The Bright Water Smoked Salmon & Cheese Spread contamination was found in a seven-ounce package marked BEST BY 060608; UPC code 1971100073.

According to Commissioner Irvin, “We have notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of today’s lab findings and we are warning the public about the contamination.” Irvin added, “We discovered this contamination as part of our sampling program. Sampling on a regular basis with a scientific protocol is a very important part of our food safety program.” (more…)

R&R Alsatian Sausage and Products has recalled its beef jerky products that were sold in bulk quantities at its Castroville location on April 25 and later.  The recall has been initiated due to possible contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, according to the Department of State Health Services in Texas.

Laboratory testing of the product conducted as part of a routine health services inspection detected Listeria monocytogenes in samples of the beef jerky.  Consumers who have the product should not eat it and should destroy it or return it to R&R. Packages contain the product name and company name. (more…)

Gourmet Boutique of Queens, New York is recalling about 286,000 pounds of fresh and frozen beef, pork, and poultry products that may be contaminated with listeria, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said this weekend.  The recall is a Class I alert, which carries the highest priority and is only issued when there is a “reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”  The Gourmet Boutique recall affects products sent to supermarkets and food stores nationwide and was the second such action in two months for the company.

The company recalled nearly three-dozen products, including fresh foods sold under the names Gourmet Boutique Curry Chicken Salad, Gourmet Boutique Turkey Club Twister, and Jan’s Buffalo Bob tortilla wrap sandwiches.  Frozen products include Archer Farms mini beef, pulled-pork, and chicken burritos.  Salad products possibly containing contaminated meat were recalled and produced between April 19 and 24; frozen products were produced between October 23 and April 23.  Many of the recalled fresh products bore May 2 or 3 “sell by” or “best before” dates. (more…)

Consumers who bought raw milk from Piney Ridge dairy farm in New Bethlehem, Clarion County, and Clark and Elaine Duncan’s farm in Meadville, Crawford County, after March 10 should discard the raw milk immediately due to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized and Pennsylvania farms selling raw milk must be permitted and inspected to reduce health risks associated with such products.  Another case of Listeria monocytogenes was found at Piney Ridge dairy last year.  “During routine testing, samples taken at the dairies tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes,” said Wolff.  “If consumers have raw milk from these farms, they should discard it immediately.”  The Department of Agriculture has suspended sales of raw milk at the dairies and is requiring corrective action be taken.  Samples were taken from the farms on March 31 and tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes April 4.  Multiple laboratory samples must test negative before sales can resume. (more…)

Listeria tainted milk has prompted Pennsylvania health officials to issue  a warning about raw milk sold by a dairy in Butler county.   State agriculture officials say the raw milk from the Fisher’s Dairy in Portersville, a town in southwestern Pennsylvania, should be discarded immediately because samples tested positive for the bacteria Listeria.  Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized or homogenized.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2,500 people become seriously ill with listeriosis annually; 500 result in death. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious although relatively rare infection.  Listeriosis is a type of food poisoning especially dangerous to the elderly, pregnant women, newborns, and those with chronic medical conditions.   (more…)

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is voluntarily recalling four types of prepared chicken due to potential Listeria contamination.  When notified by the supplier, Stop & Shop immediately removed all recalled products from sale.  Stop & Shop received no reports of illness.  The affected products were sold at the deli counter, in bulk and pre-packaged, in various weights and covers all of the following items, sold on or after February 26, 2008:

•    Breaded Chicken Cutlet labeled:  GB BRD CHIX CUTLETS
•    Breaded Chicken Cutlet labeled: GB BR CHIX CUTLTS
•    Chicken Marsala labeled:  GB CHIX MARSALA
•    Grilled Lemon Chicken labeled:  GB GR LEMON CHIX
•    Grilled Lemon Chicken labeled:  GB GR LNI CHCKN
•    Grilled Teriyaki Chicken labeled:  GB GR TERIYKI CHIX
•    Grilled Teriyaki Chicken labeled: GB GR TRYKI CHICKN) (more…)

More frozen dinner have been recalled because of potential Listeria contamination. The US Department of Agriculture recalled 12 different Gourmet Boutique frozen meat dinner products. The Gourmet Banquet frozen dinner recall includes almost 7,000 pounds of Gourmet Boutique frozen meat products that may be contaminated with bacteria linked to the sometimes fatal disease listeriosis.

The dinners containing meat and poultry were sent to Georgia, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The recalled items’ production number is GBD 08058. (more…)

Meijer Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has pulled 2,184 pounds of frozen entrees from its shelves over concerns that the frozen dinners could be contaminated with Listeria.  However, Meijer company representatives say only 21 packages of the potentially Listeria contaminated frozen dinners have been sold in four states, including one each at stores in Holland and Big Rapids, Michigan.  Meijer spokesman Frank Guglielmi said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) alerted the company on Friday that microbiological sample testing showed the food could be tainted with Listeria, a bacteria that can cause illness or death.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious although relatively rare infection.  Listeriosis outbreaks have been associated with consuming unpasteurized or raw milk, contaminated soft cheeses, vegetables, and ready-to-eat meats.  The Listeria bacterium is found in soil and water.  Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill, contaminating foods of animal origin such as meats and dairy products.  The bacterium has been found in processed foods that become contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses and deli counter cold cuts.  The disease typically affects pregnant women—often resulting in stillborn deaths or miscarriage—newborns and those with weakened immune systems.  Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea.  If infection spreads to the nervous system, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur. (more…)

Listeria, a sometimes deadly form of food poisoning, has made news in recent weeks, as Listeria outbreaks have been tied to tainted milk and other ready-to-eat foods. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new draft compliance policy to the control the growth Listeria monocytogenes – the bacteria that causes Listeria – in ready-to-eat foods.  This is a groundbreaking policy in that this is the first time different policies have been created for foods that do and do not support growth of the toxic organism.  The American Meat Institute (AMI) has long looked to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to adopt a similar science-based policy reflecting international standards adopted by Europe, Canada, and other nations.

For foods that do not support the growth of the listeria bacteria, the FDA will revise its tolerance level; the “zero tolerance” standard for ready-to-eat foods that do support the growth of the bacteria will not change.  Three draft documents are published in today’s Federal Register, including a draft Compliance Policy Guide that provides guidance for FDA staff on the agency’s enforcement policy, a draft Guidance for Industry on Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Refrigerated or Frozen Ready-to-Eat Foods, and a Notice of a Public Meeting on March 28, 2008 to receive public comments on the proposed changes to the agency’s policy for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in ready-to-eat foods under FDA jurisdiction. (more…)