On Thursday, March 10, 2011, what was already Friday in Japan, the country experienced an 8.9 magnitude earthquake, reported by Japan’s Meteorological Agency to be one of the strongest earthquakes recorded in the nation’s history. In addition to dozens of aftershocks that rattled cities and villages hundreds of miles from the epicenter, the massive earthquake
Attorney Bill Marler Uses Social Media to Support Wisconsin Public Unions
Food safety attorney Bill Marler is using social media to encourage other law firms to show support for public union employees in Wisconsin. Marler is closing his law firm early Friday as a gesture of solidarity and as a protest against the state’s efforts to reduce collective bargaining power for Wisconsin public union employees.
As
McCormick recall announcement an error
A news release from McCormick & Co. says that the Georgia Department of Agriculture released an erroneous press statement Wednesday claiming that McCormick was recalling several products manufactured with hydrolyzed vegetable protein due to bacteria contamination.
The Public Affairs Office of the Georgia Department of Agriculture Thursday stated that the original press statement was in
Hazelnut Industry Likely to see Change after Outbreak
Lynne Terry at the Oregonian wrote a typically great article today on possible changes in Oregon’s hazelnut industry after it was recently identified as the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in the midwest.
The E. coli outbreak — the first involving hazelnuts — marks a wake-up call for one of Oregon’s signature
Hartmann slides on contempt of court charge
Raw milk bad boy Mike Hartmann has managed to do the raw milk movement a general disservice over the course of the last year. His products have sickened over a dozen people with E. coli O157:H7 and campylobacter, and he has defied the State of Minnesota at pretty much every opportunity, despite running
Food Safety News Featured Article: Nuts! How to Crack an E. coli Case
Loosely defined, epidemiology is the study of diseases and conditions as they move through populations of people, one objective being to identify the source of injury so that the cause can be eliminated. Ross Anderson’s article today in Food Safety News, spawned by the hazelnut E. coli outbreak, is a good primer on the science:
Seven
A History of Nut Recalls and Outbreaks
March 2011 – Skippy Peanut Butter: Salmonella
Unilever United States, Inc. today announced a limited recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella.
December 2010 – Tropical Nut & Fruit: Salmonella
Tropical Nut & Fruit of Charlotte, NC, is voluntarily recalling all its products containing walnuts supplied by Atlas Walnuts, LLC after November 16, 2010 because they have the potential to contain Salmonella.
December 2010 – Multistate DeFranco and Sons In Shell Hazelnuts
An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 was associated with eating DeFanco and Sons in-shell hazelnuts (also known as filberts) that had been purchased from bulk bins in grocery stores or in a repacked form sold from November 2, 2010 to December 22, 2010 in multiple states and Canada.
August 2010 – AustiNuts: Salmonella
AustiNuts Wholesale, Inc. is issuing this voluntary recall of pistachio kernel products due to a recall that was issued by its supplier California Delights, Inc. who issued a recall for two shipments of pistachio kernels received by AustiNuts Wholesale, Inc. in July 2010 due to the possibility of contamination with Salmonella
August 2010 – Aunt Patty’s: Salmonella
GloryBee Foods, Inc., of Eugene, Oregon is voluntarily recalling Aunt Patty’s brand 5-pound bags of Whole Raw Pistachios and 25 lb. boxes of Specialty Commodities brand Whole Raw Pistachios Kernels, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
January 2010 – Harris Teeter Farmers Market: Salmonella
Hines Nut Company has initiated a recall of 270 packages of Pine Nuts, packaged under the brand name Harris Teeter Farmers Market. The Pine Nuts were purchased from Red River Foods in Camarillo, CA, and have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
January 2010 – Parkers Farm: Listeria
Parkers Farm, Inc. of Coon Rapids, Minnesota today expanded the previously announced recall of products to include all date codes because they have the potential to be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.
News and Notes: recent food safety events
Outbreaks:
Hazelnuts sold nationwide have been determined to be the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has resulted in at least 7 illnesses. Residents of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan fell ill with E. coli infections after eating the unshelled hazelnuts, which were sold in bulk bins at grocery stores, packaged individually
Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Confirms Hazelnuts Contaminated with E. coli O157:H7
Earlier today I wrote in this post about George Packing Co.’s refusal to name its suppliers because of an alleged lack of conclusive evidence that hazelnuts were the source of the multi-state E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Just a few hours ago, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) announced that they had found the conclusive
Bologna Products Recalled Due to Possible Contamination with Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxin
Earlier today, the Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) of USDA announced that Zwiegle’s Inc., located in Rochester, New York, is issuing a recall of approximately 2,997 pounds of bologna products that may be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin. FSIS has classified this as a Class I recall, which the agency describes as presenting “a