Some Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix products have been recalled for potential salmonella contamination.  The Quaker Oats Company announced the products in the recall are a small quantity of Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix:  Original, Original Complete, and Buttermilk Complete.  No other Aunt Jemima, frozen Aunt Jemima, or Quaker products are affected.

The products in question are sold in two- and five-pound boxes with Best Before dates of FEB 08 09 H through FEB 16 09 H stamped on the top and contain the following UPC codes:

•    30000 43272:  Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete, 5 lb.
•    30000 05040:  Aunt Jemima Original, 2 lb.
•    30000 05070:  Aunt Jemima Original Complete, 2 lb.
•    30000 05300:  Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete, 2 lb. (more…)

The makers of Progresso Soup and Hot Pockets are recalling some products because they contain Hallmark/Westland meat.    Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company recalled 143 million pounds of meat, following a videotape of plant workers treating cattle cruelly and violating federal regulations.  Most meat has likely been consumed; at least 37 million pounds were used for school lunches—the company is a top supplier to that program—and federal nutrition programs.  In the wake of this scandal, two of the world’s largest packaged-food companies—General Mills Inc. of Minneapolis and Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, part of Nestlé SA of Switzerland—said they are also  recalling products.

General Mills said it began a recall of 35,000 cases of its Progresso Italian Wedding soup because it contained beef from a supplier that received meat from Hallmark/Westland.  A company spokeswoman said she couldn’t say whether all of the product had been removed from store shelves yet; each case of soup contains between six and 12 cans.  Nestlé said it recalled some boxes of Hot Pockets sandwiches that contain beef from a vendor that used Hallmark/Westland, including some Philly Steak & Cheese sandwiches and some Croissant Crust Philly Steak & Cheese sandwiches sold in two-pack boxes.  A Nestlé spokeswoman said the recall involves about 49,000 cases of Hot Pockets; each case contains eight boxes.  Nestlé told retailers to remove the product from stores.  Minnesota supermarket chain Supervalu, Inc., said it began removing the Progresso soup and Hot Pockets items, as well as some frozen ground-beef patties linked to the recall.  A spokeswoman for Hormel Foods Corporation said no Hormel products were recalled; however, one of its subsidiaries—Southern California’s Farmer John’s—will recall a “small amount” of hot dogs and cotto salami. (more…)

The situation that sparked the Hallmark/Westland meat recall earlier this month might not be an isolated incident.  Other meat processors might be illegally slaughtering so-called downer calls, but the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it has no way of knowing if meat processors follow downer cow rules.  That frank admission from the head of USDA is just more evidence that the agency is in over its head, and is not doing enough to keep the food supply safe.

The USDA announced earlier this month that the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company was recalling 143 million pounds of meat, making it the largest meat recall in US history.  Most of the meat is beef and the recall comes after plant workers were caught on videotape forcing unfit cattle into slaughter.  The head of the USDA said officials are reviewing why the plant processed the downer cows, and also said that  it was too early to determine if such incidents were isolated to Hallmark/Westland.  “We are reviewing our procedures, how we work with the plant, how our inspectors work, our staffing needs,” Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said.  “And until we find out, we can’t assess other plants, and we can’t say… this is an isolated incident or an ongoing practice.”  Most of the meat has likely been consumed, but at least 37 million pounds were used for school lunches and federal nutrition programs, according to the USDA. (more…)

The Hallmark/Westland beef recall has raised serious questions about federal oversight of the beef industry, and now it is shedding light on the way that industry tries to influence the regulatory process.  According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the beef industry has been putting pressure on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to scale back the massive beef recall announced earlier this week.

The Hallmark/Westland beef recall involved 143 million pounds of potentially tainted meat, making it the largest recall in US history.  The Hallmark/Westland beef recall came just weeks after disturbing undercover video shot by the Humane Society showed workers at the plant using several abusive techniques to make sick animals stand up and pass a pre-slaughter inspection. These included ramming cattle with forklift blades and using a hose to simulate the feeling of drowning. (more…)

Listeria-tainted popsicles are the latest food to be recalled because of the food-borne bug. Ca Rem #1 Ice Cream, SeaTac voluntarily recalled its coconut-flavored popsicles after it was discovered that the non-dairy frozen dessert may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The frozen treat recall was initiated when routine sampling and analysis by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Listeria.  No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product.

The Ca Rem #1 Popsicle is sold in 3-ounce un-coded plastic bags, primarily in Asian food markets and restaurants in western Washington and western Oregon.  Consumers who have purchased Ca Rem #1 popsicles should throw out the product and not eat it.  Questions can be directed to the company at 206-720-1887.
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E. coli tainted meat has sickened 5 people in 2 states, prompting a recall of 188,000 pounds of contaminated ground beef patties and other products.   The ground beef recall by the Minnesota-based Rochester Meat Company is the largest recall of E. coli contaminated meat so far this year.

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), ground beef tainted with E. Coli O157:H7 distributed by the Rochester Meat Company has sickened four people in Wisconsin and a fifth person in California. E. coli is a bacterium that occurs naturally in the intestines of most animals, including humans. Most types of the bacteria are harmless, but the E. coli 0157:H7 strain can be particularly dangerous to people. The symptoms of E. coli poisoning usually occur within 3 to 9 days after a victim eats contaminated foods. E. coli 0157:H7 causes a disease called hemorrhagic colitis, which is the sudden onset of stomach pain and severe cramps. This is followed by diarrhea that is watery and bloody. Sometimes there is vomiting, but there is no fever. The illness lasts about a week. While most people will recover completely, E. coli poisoning can be very dangerous for children, the elderly and anyone with a weak immune system. In some cases, E. coli 0157:H7 will cause a disorder called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be life-threatening. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), E. coli 0157:H7 is responsible for sickening 73,000 people every year, and of those, 60 will die from the disease.

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New Era Canning Company has issued yet another canned bean recall over botulism fears.  According to a notice posted on the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Website, New Era Canning Company of New Era, Michigan is recalling several more varieties of canned beans, including Mexican style chili beans, green beans, and dark red kidney beans that were shipped to food service and retail customers.  A record review by New Era Canning revealed that some of the cans from each lot may not have been adequately cooked.  Undercooking canned foods can create an environment where botulism spores can grow.  In December, New Era Canning issued a recall for just over 1,000 cans of green beans because of botulism concerns.

Botulism is an extremely dangerous disease that can lead to paralysis and even death. The disease generally appears between 6 hours and 2 weeks after eating a contaminated food. Symptoms of botulism include blurred vision, drooping eyelids, muscle weakness, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. Muscle weakness usually appears first in the shoulders, and travels progressively down the body. If not treated properly, botulism can paralyze breathing muscles. Victims can spend months on ventilators until the botulism toxin is out of their system. Anyone who ate a recalled New Era product who is now experiencing any of these symptoms needs to seek medical attention immediately.

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The Topps Meat Company, the bankrupt ground beef processor that recalled millions of pounds of E. coli tainted meat in September, might soon have a new owner.  Premio Foods, of Hawthorne, N.J., is seeking to purchase Topps Meat via a federal bankruptcy proceeding in a deal that could close in early January. The 67-year-old Topps Meat Company was forced to seek Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection following an E. coli outbreak that sickened 100 people in the US and Canada that was blamed on the company’s frozen ground beef products.

Topps Meat Company, a leading US frozen ground beef processor, recalled over 330,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties in late September following an E. coli outbreak in New York that sickened six people and was linked to one of its products.  While investigating the Topps ground beef E. coli outbreak, health authorities discovered a box of Topps frozen ground beef patties in one of the victim’s freezers.  Testing revealed the patties were infested with E. coli O157:H7. Days later, Topps recalled another 21 million pounds of beef.  Before it was over, the Topps Ground Beef E. coli outbreak spread to 8 states and several Canadian provinces.  Unable to absorb the costs of the Topps ground beef E. coli recall, the company closed its doors on October 5, and filed for bankruptcy in November.  Its Elizabeth, New Jersey processing plant has been idle ever since.

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November’s Jeno’s and Totino’s frozen meat pizza recall has taken a toll on General Mills’ bottom line.   According to the company, its Pillsbury USA  division that made the E. coli tainted Jeno’s and Totino’s pizzas was hit particularly hard, as net sales for the division fell two percent.  According to General Mills, the Jeno’s and Totino’s pizza recall knocked $20 million off its second quarter operating profit. Overall, the E. coli pizza recall helped to increase the cost of sales to $2.3 billion, a 7.8 per cent increase from the same period in 2006.

On November 1st, General Mills recalled Totino’s and Jeno’s frozen pizza due to E coli O157:H7 contamination. The Totino’s and Jeno’s pizza recall involved some 414,000 cases of frozen pizzas (nearly 5 million individual pizza pies) already shipped to stores. At least 21 people contracted the same E. coli 0157:H7 strain linked to the General Mills Jeno’s and Totino’s frozen meat pizzas, and nine of those victims have reported eating the E. coli-tainted pizzas prior to becoming ill. The outbreak  spanned 10 states, including Illinois (1), Kentucky (3), Missouri (2), New York (2), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (8), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1). While all of the victims of the General Mills E. coli outbreak have fortunately recovered so far, at least half of them did require hospitalization. But the General Mills Jeno’s and Totino’s frozen meat pizza E. coli outbreak could be more extensive because according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), for every case of E. coli that is reported, two go unreported.

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A canned green bean recall has been issued amid botulism fears. New Era Canning Company in Michigan said Friday that it was voluntarily recalling 1,026 cans of green beans because they may be contaminated with bacteria that cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.  New Era Canning Company said it was recalling 171 cases of GFS (Gordon Food Service) Fancy Blue Lake Cut Green Beans with the lot code 19-H-7FL and UPC 939-0111-873.  Each case contained six cans in six-pound, five-ounce sizes.  The canned green beans were distributed to food service customers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia and were sold through GFS Marketplace stores in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.  The potential contamination was discovered through testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Clostridium botulinum can cause life-threatening illness or death; however, no illnesses have been reported to date.  Consumers should not eat the beans even if they do not look or smell spoiled.  “New Era Canning in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Michigan Department of Agriculture is thoroughly evaluating all processes and procedures to determine the cause of the problem,” the company said.

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