eFoodAlert

Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

United States

• Food Safety Recall: The Kroger Company recalls Private Selection Fresh Salsa (12 oz), Private Selection Salsa, Hot (12 oz), and Private Selection Pico de Gallo (12 oz), because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were sold in Kroger (Greater Cincinnati, including Northern Kentucky, Dayton, OH and South Eastern Indiana, Central and Northwest Ohio and N. West Virginia panhandle, Greater Memphis, TN, Arkansas, Mississippi and Western Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Eastern WV, Eastern Kentucky, SE Ohio), Jay C, Food4Less and FoodsCo stores. This recall may be linked to the March 24th recall of fresh jalapenos by Castellini Produce.
• Food Safety Recall: Claravale Farm (Paicines, CA) recalls Raw milk (1 qt; yellow or green plastic cap; Code dates of Mar 27 and earlier), Raw nonfat milk (1 qt; blue plastic cap; Code dates of Mar 27 and earlier), and Raw cream (1 pt; white plastic cap; Code dates of Mar 27 and earlier), due to possible Campylobacter contamination. The California Department of Public Health has released a retail distribution list for these recalled raw milk products.

Canada

• Food Safety Recall: Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent Inc. recalls Fromage au lait cru à pâte molle affiné en surface (1 kg; Codes 04 12 11, 05 12 11, 11 12 11, 14 12 11, 23 12 11, 24 12 11, 25 12 11, 26 12 11, 30 12 11, and 31 12 11), due to contamination with Staphylococcus aureus. The recalled raw milk cheese was sold in retail stores in Ontario and Quebec.

Europe

• Allergy Alert (Sweden): withdraws Candyking Chokobunny (No. 310 789) and Candyking Påskmix (No. 310 798) due to the presence of undeclared whey powder.
• Food Safety Recall (UK): Ella’s Kitchen Ltd. recalls Stage 3 Seriously Comforting Cottage Pie with a Pinch of Cinnamon (Best before February 2013), because the product pouch may contain hardened cinnamon, which could present a choking risk. The recalled product was supplied to Tesco stores only.
• Food Poisoning Alert (Italy): The Ministry of Health reports that three people became suddenly ill after ingesting Cargill Manchester brand Sorbitol Food Grade (Produced in Italy by Cargill Srl. Div. Amidi-Der-Spec Castelmassa) as part of a test for food intolerance conducted at a private outpatient clinic in Barletta. One of the victims, a 29-year old woman died as a result of cardiac arrest; the other two people – one of them comatose – remain hospitalized.
• Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall (UK): Wockhardt UK Ltd. recalls Co-codamol 8/500 tablets (pkg of 32 tablets; codeine phosphate 8mg, paracetamol 500mg; Batch #LL11701; Expiry Sep 2014), because some blisters may contain the higher strength co-codamol 30/500 tablets. Physicians and pharmacists are requested to contact patients who may have received the recalled batch of tablets.
• Outbreak Alert (UK): The UK Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Pathogens has reported 49 non-travel associated cases of Salmonella Poona between October 24, 2011 and March 19, 2012, compared to 21 and 33 cases during all of 2009 and 2010, respectively. Cases have occurred across England and Wales, although not in London or the East Midlands. Fourteen of the victims received hospital treatment. Forty of the cases are due to a single genetic strain of Salmonella Poona. Possible sources of the illnesses is under investigation.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0448): Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in lamb liver from Germany; distributed to Germany.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0449): Salmonella group O7 in dried black mushrooms from Vietnam, via the Netherlands; distributed to Germany.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0452): Parasitic infestation with Anisakis of chilled monkfish from Spain; distributed to Italy.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0454): Unknown hazard in sorbitol from the United Kingdom; distributed to Italy.
• Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2012.0455): Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in feed supplement for homing pigeons from the Netherlands; distributed to Germany.
• Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0457): Glass fragments in strawberry conserve from France; distributed to Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket’s recall web site.