The baking mix products were distributed nationwide through direct sales and food service distribution centers and include the following products:

According to the company, the recall was as the result of notification by CHS Foods that ingredients used in the aforementioned products were being recalled for Salmonella.  The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continue their investigation as to what caused the problem.

The illnesses have been associated with a small cluster of Salmonella Mbandaka illnesses in other states, MDH spokesman Doug Schultz told Food Safety News. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now investigating illnesses potentially connected to the outbreak, said CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell.

Schultz said he did not believe the children were related to each other. Neither child was hospitalized and they are both recovering.

The tahini, distributed to retailers nationwide, has been voluntarily recalled since April 28 for contamination of Salmonella Montevideo and Mbandaka. Following an expansion on May 9, the recall now includes tahini products with expiration dates ranging from Jan. 1, 2014 to March 15, 2015.

The product is sold in 1 LB glass jars, 2 LB glass jars and in 40 LB plastic pails. The UPC codes for those products are:

1 LB jar, 0-75013-28500-3

2 LB jar, 0-75013-28510-2

40 LB pail, 0-75013-04018-3

According to the company, the recalled lots have a code stamped on the lid dated between “EXP JAN 01 – 2014 up to and including EXP JUN 08 – 2014” and “EXP OCT 16 – 2014 up to and including EXP MAR 15 – 2015.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released this latest data from its Reportable Foods Registry (RFR) last month. The Registry is an online forum where companies notify FDA when a food they distribute that may be contaminated or contain undeclared allergens.

The majority of products reported to the RFR are subsequent entries, meaning that they contain a food produced by a different company that has been flagged for a health risk. This was the case for both the sliced onions and imported mangoes that topped the list of RFR submissions last year.

In July of 2012, Gill’s Onions of California issued a massive recall of sliced onions after samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. According to the RFR report, this finding eventually resulted in 136 submissions to the RFR.

Then in August of last year, mangoes imported from Mexican grower Agricola Daniella were recalled after being linked to a multistate Salmonella outbreak that sickened 127 people. The discovery of contamination in the Mexican mangoes led to 107 subsequent entries in the RFR, according to FDA.

This year marks the third year FDA has released data from the Registry, which was established by the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007. According to the Act, FDA must be alerted of a reportable food via an electronic portal within 24 hours of the company discovering the problem.

In total, 1,095 entries were submitted to the Registry between September 8, 2011 and September 7, 2012, or Year 3 of data collection, reported the agency. That number reflected a significant increase from the 882 foods reported during Year 2. The agency says Year 1 was much higher, with 2,240 products reported, because the discovery of Salmonella in a flavor enhancer led to 1,071 subsequent reports to the RFR. 

Of the Year 3 reports, 224 were primary reports. All but 3 of those primary reports were mandatory industry reports related to a recall in partnership with FDA, while the remaining 3 were voluntary. The number of primary reports has been similar for all three years, said the agency.

Data from the RFR is useful not only in identifying products that pose an immediate public health threat, but in identifying types of foods that pose a potential future threat, according to FDA.

“We can use the data to identify hazards associated with products for which we have not previously made such an association and thus identify foods for which preventive controls may be needed,” said Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Mike Taylor in the report’s introduction. ”The data are also being used to help target inspections, plan work, identify and prioritize risks and develop guidance for industry.”

Pure Eire Dairy of Othello, WA issued a recall of its organic pasteurized non-homogenized skim, reduced fat 2% milk, and whole and heavy cream milk products bearing the expiration dates of  5/15/13, 5/18/13 and 5/20/13 Monday.

The recall is based on what the dairy describes in its press release as “improper pasteurization” of the milk and milk products with the specified expiration dates.

The recalled pasteurized milk products, which are sold in plastic and glass 8 oz, 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon containers, include:

• Organic Heavy Cream Pasteurized, in 8oz and ½ gallon plastic containers
• Organic Pasteurized Skim Milk, non-homogenized, ½ gallon plastic and/or glass jug
• Organic Pasteurized Skim Milk, non-homogenized, 1 gallon plastic jug
• Organic Pasteurized Reduced Fat 2% Milk, non-homogenized, ½ gallon plastic and/or glass jug
• Organic Pasteurized Reduced Fat 2% Milk, non-homogenized, 1 gallon plastic jug
• Organic Pasteurized Whole Milk, non-homogenized, ½ gallon plastic and/or glass jug
• Organic Pasteurized Whole Milk, non-homogenized, 1 gallon plastic jug

According to the dairy’s press release, “legal pasteurization” of the milk was not achieved because during processing, the airspace above the milk failed to reach the proper pasteurization temperatures.

Pasteurization is a process in which milk is heated to specified temperatures (according to the method of pasteurization used) to kill harmful illness-causing bacteria such as E. coli and Campylobacter.

The problem at the dairy was detected and corrected during an inspection by the Washington State Department of Agriculture on May 10, 2013, according to the dairy’s press release.

As of the evening of May 13, there had been no reports of human illnesses associated with these pasteurized products.

The recalled milk was sold in Western Washington, the Tri-Cities, Walla-Walla and Spokane. The dairy encourages customers who bought any of the products subject to the recall to return them to the place where they bought them for a full refund.

The recall does not include the dairy’s raw milk products.

Local health jurisdictions in Washington state are not being asked to participate in any formal recall verification activities at this time, but appropriate staff should be aware of the recall, advises the state’s Health Department.

How was the milk pasteurized?

Like many small-scale producers, Pure Eire Dairy uses a process known as “vat pasteurization.” In that process, the milk is held at 145 degrees F (62.8 C) for 30 minutes and then quickly cooled.

While that may sound like a relatively simple process, FDA inspectors, while conducting tests as part of the Dairy Initiative Program, found some problems with vat pasteurization, among them improper equipment design and improperly operated airspace heaters.

That latter problem is critical, according to information about this topic in the book Listeria, Listeriosis and Food Safety, published by the CRC Press,  because air temperatures above the product in the vat must be kept at least 5 degrees F (2.8 degrees C) higher than the product at all times to make sure the milk or cream is properly pasteurized.

In an interview with Food Safety News, dairy co-owner Richard Smith said that the dairy was pasteurizing the milk at 150 degrees F in the three instances in which the state detected a problem.

“We were under the impression that the air temperature was OK because the milk was held at 150 degrees,” he said.

Even so, the dairyman said that “out of an abundance of caution,” the dairy decided to recall the pasteurized products produced during the three occasions when the air temperature above the milk in the vat was not 5 degrees higher than the milk in the vat.

“We have a loyal customer base. We want to be up front with them,” he said.

Like others who prefer vat-pasteurized milk, Smith said the process leaves the milk less damaged than when it’s pasteurized under a commonly used process known as  ultra-high-temperature (UHT) pasteurization. Under UHT, which is used by many of the large processors, the milk is heated to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) for about 1 to 2 seconds.

Advocates of vat pasteurization say that vat-pasteurized milk has a better taste and texture than milk pasteurized using UHT. In addition, they say it can be used to make products such as yogurt, cheese and keffir, because the enzymes in the milk haven’t been destroyed, as they are when milk is pasteurized using UHT.

The cows

Pure Eire Dairy, which Smith and his wife, Jill, and their two children began in 2009, has 100 Jersey cows, all of which are raised organically and 100 percent grass-fed. A small portion of the milk from the cows is sold as raw milk;  the rest is vat-pasteurized.

Freshness is key, says Smith.

“We don’t bottle anything without an order. What we don’t have orders for we put back on the fields as fertilizer.”

Licensed by the state for both its pasteurized and raw milk, Smith said the dairy has enjoyed an “unblemished history” when it comes to food safety issues.

Outlets involved in the recall

Western Washington Retailers

•         Bay View Thriftway

•         Eatonville Co-Op

•         Ken’s Market

•         La Marzocco

•         Marlene’s Market Locations

•         Minglement

•         Nature’s Remedy

•         ONVO

•         PCC Natural Markets

•         Peninsula Markets

•         Ralphs Thriftway

•         Select Gourmet Foods

•         Tacoma Boys

•         Tacoma Food Co-Op

•         Top of the Hill Quality Produce

•         West Seattle Produce

•         Whole Foods Gig Harbor

Tri-Cities Retailers

•         Yoke’s Pasco

•         Yoke’s Kennewick

•         Yoke’s West Richland

•         Albertsons

•         Highland Health Foods

•         Richland Health Foods

•         NW Regional Food Hub

Served At:

•         Ethos Bakery and Espresso

•         Taverna Tagaris

Walla Walla Retailers

•         Andy’s Market

•         Daily Market Co-op

•         Harvest Foods

•         Blue Valley Meats

•         Super 1 Foods

Served At:

•         Colville St. Patisserie

Spokane Retailers

•         Huckleberry’s

•         Main Market Co-op

•         Yoke’s Mead

•         Yoke’s Argonne

•         Yoke’s Indian Trail

•         Lorien Herbs

At least nine patients have been hospitalized, and 82 percent of those ill are 21 years old or younger. Two of those hospitalized developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a kidney disease resulting from severe E. coli infections.

Farm Rich has recalled a number of products, all of which are listed here. The recalled products have best-by dates ranging from January 1, 2013 to September 29, 2014.

Consumers are encouraged to discard any recalled Farm Rich products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are currently investigating the cause of the Farm Rich E. coli contamination.

According to FDA, carrot and beet juices from Juices Incorporated (aka Juices International and Juices Enterprises) of Brooklyn, N.Y. have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum due to food safety insufficiencies in production.

FDA filed a complaint for permanent injunction against the company in October of 2010 after the company failed to correct continuing sanitation violations at its facility.

A judge ordered the permanent injunction in January of 2011, thus blocking the company from manufacturing or selling product until it corrected its sanitation issues.

However, Juices Incorporated failed to comply with the consent decree, prompting a Judge for the Eastern Disctrict of New York to issue an Order to Enforce Consent Decree.

Now, FDA reports that “FDA investigators recently confirmed that Juices Incorporated and its owners continue to manufacture and distribute juice products and other beverages.”

Juices from the company were recently found in New York City area retail establishments and restaurants, reports FDA.

While the company’s carrot and beet juices are the ones that pose a particular botulism risk due to the way they have been produced, FDA is also recommending that consumers avoid any products made by Juices Incorporated, including Ginger Beer Drink, Agony Peanut Punch, Front End Lifter Magnum Punch, Irish Sea Moss, Cashew Punch, Sorrel Drink, Pineapple Twist, Soursop Juice, Corn Punch and any other types of juice the company might have distributed.

The carrot and beet juices FDA says are known to pose a botulism risk include:

• Carrot Juice Drink
• Carrot & Beet Juice Drink
• Carrot & Ginger Drink
• Double Trouble Carrot Punch
• Ginger Beet Juice
• Beet Juice Drink

The following two products are subject to recall:

• “Ready To Eat” Gourmet Hungarian Brand Mild Smoked Sausage
• “Ready To Eat” Gourmet Hungarian Brand Spicy Smoked Sausage

Each product bears the establishment number ‘EST. 44866′ and was produced between February 25 and May 2, 2013.

The company was in the process of receiving a Grant of Inspection from the USDA, but had not yet received it. USDA investigators became aware of the issue after finding the company’s product for sale in a retail location.

No illnesses have been associated with the product.

So while food companies might benefit from traceability and government may eventually demand it, food chain traceability is in large part about building relationships with consumers and giving them what they really want – the ability to trust that they know what they are eating.

Knowing what’s in your food and where it comes from sounds simple enough, but food chain traceability is a complex worldwide issue. It requires consistent standards and adequate technology in an ever changing world.

The Food Safety News traceability series is sponsored by Infor.

Take the role of imports for example. Today 15 percent of the food consumed in the U.S. comes from foreign sources, and that percentage is much higher in some sectors like seafood, of which 80 percent is imported.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a voluntary organization that since 1947 has developed standards for technology and business.

ISO has developed about 1,000 standards specifically for food to deal with subjects ranging from agricultural machinery, logistics, transportation, manufacturing, labeling, packaging and storage.

“Today more than ever, food products regularly cross national boundaries at every stage of the supply chain,” ISO says.

International standards help others develop systems for supply chain management.

The best-known developer of these standards is Global Standards One (GS1), an international non-profit association dating back to an ad hoc group that came together to develop the Uniform Grocery Product Code. GS1 is a big player in the ISO, with members in more than 100 counties.

Bar codes, electronic business standards, global data synchronization and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are all in the GS1 tool bag. It also maintains all those Uniform Product Codes (UPCs) in the United States.

Selecting the technology and system to manage the supply chain for food and food ingredients is an important decision. When there is a problem with a food product and it must be recalled, a food chain traceability system can truly show its stuff.

Food companies need to be able to quickly identify the product, which lots are involved, where they were shipped and where they are now.

While food traceback continues to evolve to meet the private sector’s needs, it can also be boosted (or hampered) by public policy. Over the past 12 years in the U.S., these “boosts” have included:

- The 2001 Bioterrorism Act: As of Dec. 11, 2006, food processors are required be able to identify the origin of all food received by lot, code or other identifier and provide the same information when releasing products. The Act applies to both foreign and domestic food, including all ingredients. Civil and criminal actions can be taken if information is not provided upon request to FDA within 24 hours.

- The 2011 Food Modernization and Safety Act: FSMA Empowers FDA to order mandatory recalls and establish a food product tracing system. The Act requires FDA to use pilot studies and stakeholder recommendations to develop the food product tracing system.

FDA has commissioned the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) to do much of the traceability work called for in the FSMA.

IFT has conducted two pilot projects, one on tomatoes and the other on processed foods including chicken, peanut butter and spices. The goal of the pilot project is to see how rapidly these foods can be traced to each prior step, and ultimately to their origins.

IFT produced a 300-page document for comment in March that suggests FDA needs a technology platform that would allow “efficient aggregation and analysis” of data submitted to FDA upon request.

Foods selected for the pilot project had been associated with outbreaks between 2005 and 2010. Key findings from IFT’s analysis of current product tracing practices indicate the following challenges associated with outbreak investigations:

• It can be tedious and difficult to sort through hundreds of pages of documents
• Confusion can arise when data definition is lacking
• Products often carry inconsistent item descriptions
• Wrong or incomplete information causes delays
• Companies operating under multiple names are difficult to identify as sources

IFT said that although FSMA limits FDA to enacting additional recordkeeping requirements to “high-risk foods,” outbreaks during the last several years reinforce the fact that foods previously considered “low-risk” can quickly find themselves on the “high-risk” list. Therefore, IFT suggested that FDA take the opportunity to advise the entire food industry on “best practices” for recordkeeping through the use of guidance documents.

Additional IFT recommendations to the FDA include:

• Clearly identify the types of data that industry needs to provide during an outbreak investigation
• Require each member of the food supply chain to develop, document and implement a product tracing plan
• Pursue the adoption of a technology platform to allow the FDA to efficiently aggregate and analyze data reported in response to regulatory requests
• Coordinate traceback investigations and develop response protocols between and among state and local health and regulatory agencies
• Offer extensive outreach and education around future regulations and expectations

“IFT expects that these recommendations will not only help protect consumers, but also help develop a better framework for industry and government to focus on food system improvements in the coming years,” said IFT President John Ruff in a statement on the document.

The FDA is soliciting input on the IFT report and will issue its own recommendations in a report to Congress. 

The new food safety law also directs FDA to make its own recommendations on traceability in a report to Congress.

This is the first in a series of articles about traceability sponsored by Infor.  Coming next week:  A look at how food is traced from farm to fork.

P.E. & F. Inc. of St. Louis, MO issued a voluntary recall of its frozen, ready-to-eat meatballs Thursday after routine sampling by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) revealed Listeria monocytogenes in the product.

Because the company “inadvertently” failed to hold the product before these test results were returned, according to FSIS, the product was distributed to the marketplace.

Products subject to the recall are labeled “Fazio’s Meatballs.” They come in 15 oz. packages marked with lot code 041114 and establishment number “EST. 12051,” which can be found inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Frozen meatballs subject to this recall were produced on April 11, 2013 and sold at retail store in the St. Louis area.

No reports of illness have been associated with consumption of this product.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture collected the sample on April 24 and confirmed the presence of the Listeria bacteria Thursday.

No illnesses have been reported. Symptoms of Listeria infection generally take three days to three weeks to appear.

In 2007, raw milk from Stump Acres caused a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 29 individuals, which prompted the agriculture department to revoke the dairy’s raw milk license. Pennsylvania state law allows for licensed dairies to sell raw milk, though Stump Acres has reportedly been operating without a license since the 2007 outbreak.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is advising anyone who drank milk from Stump Acres and experiences symptoms of Listeria poisoning to contact a healthcare provider.

A New York firm is recalling its herring fillets because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Prime Food USA of Brooklyn issued a voluntary recall of its Latis brand Herring Fillet “Antalja” in Oil and its Latis brand Herring Fillet in Oil with Spices Tuesday after routine sampling by the New York State Department of Agriculture detected Listeria in a sample of the company’s product.

This is the second recall issued by Prime USA, which imports its products from Latvia, in a month.

In mid-April, the company recalled two other types of herring fillet and as well as salmon fillet slices.

The Latis brand Herring Fillet “Antalja” in Oil subject to the recall is packaged in 7 oz (200 grams) plastic containers marked with a best-by date of “Best before (L): 11.02.2014,” and can also be identified by UPC 4 751004 071607. The Latis brand Herring Fillet in Oil with Spices is packaged in 7 oz (200 grams) plastic containers and marked with a best-by date of “Best before (L): 11.02.2014.” The UPC on this product is 4 751004 079429.

The herring fillets were distributed in New York State.

No illnesses have been connected to the recalled products to date.  

Krinos Foods, LLC of Long Island City issued a voluntary recall of its Krinos brans TAHINI ground sesame seeds Monday after the Michigan Department of Agriculture found Salmonella in a sample of the product collected at a retail store.

Product subject to the recall is sold in 1 lb. or 2 lb. glass jars. The 1 lb. jars can be identified by UPC 0-75013-28500-3 and the 2 lb. jar can be identified by UPC 0-75012-28510-2. Both sizes of jar are marked with an expiration date between EXP OCT 16 – 2014 and EXP MAR 15 – 2015. Expiration dates are stamped on the lid of the product.

The company reports that no illnesses have been connected to the recalled tahini, to its knowledge.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled product should discard it but keep the gold cap stamped with the expiration date and return it to the company. More information about returning the product is available here.

Natura Pet Products, which issued a recall of select lots of four brands of pet food last month, has expanded its recall to include all of the company’s dry pet food and treat products with expiration dates through March 24, 2014.

The recall was initiated after the Michigan Department of Agriculture discovered Salmonella in a sample taken from a pet food bag, and was expanded after both that agency and the Georgia Department of Agriculture discovered Salmonella in more dry pet food and a cat treat.

In addition to the four brands subject to the initial recall: California Natural, EVO, Healthwise and Innova, Natura has included its Karma brand products in this latest recall. Go here for a full list of recalled products.

No wet food or biscuits are affected by this recall, according to the company.

Products subject to this recall were sold through veterinary clinics and certain pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Costa Rica, as well as online.

“Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.”

Pets can be carriers of Salmonella without showing symptoms and can infect other animals or humans, notes FDA.

“If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian,” advises the agency.

Consumers who have purchased these products should discard them or contact the company for a refund.

These products with the accompanying lot codes are subject to recall:

• Vitae Cockatiel with Sunflower 2lbs (#2840081)
• Vitae Cockatiel with Sunflower 4lbs (#2840090)
• Vitae Small Hookbill 4lbs (#2840225)
• Vitae Small Hookbill 20lbs (#2840234)
• Vitae Hookbill with Sunflower 4lbs (#2840252)
• Vitae Large Hookbill 4lbs (#2840279)

These products were shipped between May 2012 and February 2013.

Humans may contract Salmonella by handling contaminated animal feed.

“This recall was the result of a routine testing performed by Specialty Commodities, which revealed that the finished products, which include parsley that is on recall from Specialty Commodities, contain Salmonella,” a recall notice read. ”The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continue their investigation as to what caused the problem.”

A New York firm is recalling certain imported sliced salmon and herring products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Prime Food USA of Brooklyn issued a voluntary recall of its Latis brand Herring Fillet “Mateij,” Herring Fillet “Forelka” in Oil and Salmon Fillet Slices Wednesday after testing by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets revealed Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of product.

The products were imported from Latvia and sold in New York State.

Products subject to the recall include:

- Latis Brand Herring Fillet “Matiej,” packaged in 17.64 oz (500 grams) plastic containers. The 17.64oz (500gram) container has a partial code: 01.14 and UPC Number 7541004076916.

- Salmon Fillet Slices packaged in a 7.5 oz plastic container marked with code.15.07.13(17JL).

- Herring Fillet “Forelka” in Oil, packaged in 11.64 oz (330gram) plastic oval containers. The 11.64oz (330gram) container is marked with code 07.01.14(09JR).

No illnesses have been connected to consumption of these products to date, according to the recall announcement.