Cashews recalled over glass worry

Snyder’s-Lance, Inc. is initiating a voluntary recall for a limited amount of Emerald® 100 Calorie Pack Roasted & Salted Cashew Halves & Pieces product, distributed nationwide, due to the possible presence of small glass pieces. This voluntary recall covers only specific production codes of the following product:

Emerald® 100 Calorie Pack Roasted & Salted Cashew Halves & Pieces 7 Packs / 0.62oz

Although our investigation is ongoing, it is believed that the source of the glasses the raw cashews received from one of the suppliers under a specific lot code.

The recall was prompted after receiving a consumer complaint.

The voluntary recall is limited to the production codes listed below. To locate the production code on the carton or inner package, consumers should look next to the nutrition facts panel. No other production codes, sizes or varieties of Emerald products are affected by this recall.

Information regarding Emerald product affected by this recall:

Product Name	Retail Carton UPC Code	Retail Carton Best Before Date	Inner Package UPC Code	Inner Package Production Code
Emerald 100 Calorie Packs Roasted & Salted Cashew Halves & Pieces	0 10300 33324 1	12 DEC 16 13 DEC 16 18 DEC 16 21 DEC 16	0 10300 33399 9	15346D346S 15347D346S 15352D346S 15355D346S

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Glass in Cans causes Recall

Listeria found in Wylwood brand frozen broccoli

Frozen broccoli packaged under Save-A-Lot’s exclusive Wylwood brand is being recalled in 11 states after a random test by Ohio officials found Listeria monocytogenes.

This product photograph is posted on the FDA website with a recall notice for Wylwood brand frozen broccoli. The broccoli is recalled in 11 states because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture collected the frozen broccoli for testing at the retail store level, so there is concern that consumers may have packages of it in their homes.

The recalling company, Alimentos Congelados S.A., reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the broccoli was distributed to stores in:

Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Consumers and retailers can identify the recalled Wylwood brand frozen broccoli, which is packaged in 16-ounce plastic bags, by the following label information: UPC 5193300110 and a bag code of A25335P or A15335P.

“The company has ceased distribution of frozen broccoli cuts, and is fully cooperating with regulatory agencies,” according to the recall notice on the FDA website.

“Consumers who purchased the frozen broccoli cuts are urged not to consume this product and throw it away.”

For refund information and other questions, consumers can call 800-888-4646, Mondays through Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.

Symptoms of infection from Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can take up to 70 days to develop after exposure to the pathogen. Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children and high-risk individuals including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women and life-threatening conditions in high-risk individuals.

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CDC says deadly outbreak over; Dole, FDA silent on salad plant

Dole Food Co. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remain mum on the status of a salad processing facility linked to a deadly international Listeria outbreak, which began in May 2015 and wasn’t declared over until this week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The salad production facility in Springfield, OH, was highlighted in Dole’s 2010 corporate report.“At present I don’t have any updates yet to share regarding the Springfield (Ohio) facility,” Dole’s William Goldfield said March 25, adding that he hoped to have an announcement in the “upcoming weeks.”

Dole officials did not provide any additional comments when asked about the CDC’s final outbreak update, posted yesterday.

The FDA is similarly silent on the topic. An agency notice issued Thursday after the CDC’s announcement referred to the investigation in the past tense, but did not include any information other than details already released by the CDC.

Nineteen people in 9 states were confirmed to have had listeriosis infections from the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes as was found during random sampling of bagged salads collected at retail by the FDA, according to the CDC’s final outbreak update.

All 19 victims in the U.S. were so sick that they required hospitalization. One person in Michigan died.

Canadian officials also declared an end to the outbreak this week. Lab analysis confirmed 14 people in Canada contracted listeriosis, with the likely source identified as bagged salads from the Dole plant in Springfield, OH.

Three of patients in Canada died, but authorities there are not 100 percent positive their deaths were caused by their infections.

Men in black playing it close to the vest
The FDA will not release its report on inspections of Dole’s salad plant in Springfield.

The agency reported earlier this year that Dole officials voluntarily closed the plant on Jan. 21. On Jan. 27 Dole recalled all salad varieties, distributed under various brands, that were produced at the plant.

Until regurgitating the CDC’s notice Thursday, the FDA had not posted an update on its investigation since Jan. 29, even though there has been ample time for initial and follow-up laboratory tests to be completed on samples from the salad plant.

Agency officials denied a request from Food Safety News for the Form 483 on the Dole facility inspection, saying the publication would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request for the public document. That request is pending with the FDA.

The FDA issues a “Form 483” to management of companies at the conclusion of inspections that reveal conditions that “may constitute violations of the Food Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act and related Acts,” according to the FDA website.

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General Mills’ 301 INC invests in Tio Gazpacho

Tio Gazpacho, maker of chilled, ready-to-drink vegetable soups, has closed a $1.25 million Series A funding round with 301 INC, General Mills’ business development and venturing unit, as the lead investor.

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Boulder Brands’ founder invests in Perky Jerky

Sunrise Strategic Partners, a Boulder, Colo.-based accelerator of emerging brands co-founded by Steve Hughes and Trilantic North America, have announced a minority investment in Perky Jerky, maker of all-natural premium beef and turkey meat snack products.

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Campbell Soup, Del Monte to remove BPA from packaging

On March 28, Campbell Soup announced plans to complete a transition to cans that do not use bisphenol A (BPA) linings by the middle of 2017.

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