Pita Pal recalls salads with corn linked to Listeria outbreak

Ripples of recalls continue to come from food manufacturers and retailers for products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes from frozen vegetables and fruits that have been linked to an outbreak that started in 2013 and is ongoing.

Late Thursday Pita Pal Foods LP of Houston recalled several fresh vegetable salads and corn relish made with frozen corn recalled earlier this week by CRF Frozen Foods Inc. The CRF recall includes more than 350 organic and conventional vegetable and fruit products sold under 42 brands by most major national and regional grocery chains.

Also on Thursday, CRF updated its recall, adding product identification details. The complete list of CRF recalled products is on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. However, that list does not include secondary recalls such as the Pita Pal Foods salads.

Officials with Pita Pal reported they distributed the corn relish, three-bean salads and other refrigerated products to retailers and food service distributors in eight states: California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

The specific Pita Pal products under recall have expiration dates or “Use/ Freeze by Dates” through June 13 this year. All recalled Pita Pal products are packaged in plastic containers with snap on lids. Recalled products are:

• 2/5lbs Food Service Pita Pal Corn Relish Salad
• 2/4lbs Food Service Pita Pal Mediterranean 3 Bean Salad
• 2/4.5lbs Food Service Pita Pal Texas Caviar
• 8oz Pita Pal Texas Caviar
• 8oz Pita Pal Mediterranean 3 Bean Salad
• 24oz Pita Pal Mediterranean 3 Bean Salad
• 28oz Pita Pal Chipotle Quinoa Salad

“This recall is in direct response to information received from CRF Frozen Foods, an ingredient supplier to Pita Pal Foods LP of frozen corn,” according to the recall notice on the FDA website. “CRF Frozen Foods initiated a voluntary recall on a specific lot of corn that Pita Pal Foods, LP purchased from the supplier and it was used in the manufacturing of the salads listed above.

“Pita Pal Foods, LP has destroyed the specific product lot of corn in question. In addition all customers and distributors affiliated with Pita Pal Foods LP have been notified and instructed to destroy any product that could potentially be affected. Consumers that have any of the above products on hand should return them to the retailer where the product was purchased for a refund.”

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EFSA risk assessment finds process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found glycerol-based process contaminants in palm oil, in addition to other vegetable oils, margarines, and some processed foods.

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Sunflower seed Listeria threat causes recalls of salad, trail mix

Diverse foods, ranging from Trader Joes’ broccoli and kale chicken salad to Brown & Haley Mountain Thins trail mix, were added today to the 100 or so snack products recalled Tuesday because of Listeria-contaminated sunflower seeds.

Also added to the recalls today were bulk sunflower seeds sold at some of Giant Eagle’s Market District stores in Ohio.

Giant Eagle’s recall notice on the Food and Drug Administration’s website names SunOpta Inc. as the supplier of the sunflower seeds. SunOpta recalled Planters brand and Dakota’s Best brand snacks Tuesday because of possible Listeria contamination of sunflower seeds.

Dozens of other products including protein bars, nuts, trail mix and sunflower seeds were also recalled Tuesday because of potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to a recall notice from TreeHouse Foods Inc.

“Giant Eagle supplier SunOpta has informed the company that sunflower seeds sold in the bulk section of its Carmel Market District have been voluntarily recalled due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination,” according to the Giant Eagle recall.

The affected product was sold in the bulk foods sections of the Carmel Market District with a PLU of 65167. It was available for purchase both loose within the bulk bin between Feb. 15, 2016, and May 3, 2016, and in pre-packaged containers with sell by dates of Aug. 1, 2016, through Aug. 19, 2016.

“Customers who have purchased the affected product should dispose of it or return it to their local Market District store for a refund,” Giant Eagle’s recall recommends.

“In addition to this public communication regarding this recall, Giant Eagle initiated its consumer recall telephone notification process. The consumer recall process uses purchase data and consumer telephone numbers housed in the Giant Eagle Advantage Card database to alert those households that purchased the affected product and have updated telephone contact information in the database.”

Brown & Haley trail mix
Although the company did not name the supplier of the sunflower seeds, Brown & Haley of Tacoma, WA, also attributed its recall today to possible Listeria contamination of sunflower seeds.

Only one Brown & Haley product, Mountain Thins Trail Mix, is subject to the recall, according to the company’s notice on the FDA website.

“Brown & Haley was notified by our supplier of sunflower seeds of the possibility that some sunflower seeds provided to Brown & Haley may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes,” according to the recall notice.

Mountain Thins Trail Mix flavor was distributed to select retail stores nationwide. Lots being recalled were distributed between March 7 and April 25 this year.

Identifying packaging codes are listed in the recall notice.

Neither Giant Eagle nor Brown & Haley indicated the volume of product under recall.

Trader Joe’s recalls almost 17 tons of salad
Complete distribution details were not provided in the recall notice for Trader Joe’s brand Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad with white chicken meat. However, the manufacturer, Ghiringhelli Specialty Foods of Vallejo, CA, did report the potentially contaminated food was shipped to Trader Joe’s distributors in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

The 33,610 pounds of slaw-salad was produced April 26 through May 1 and has “USE BY” dates of 05/02 through 05/07. Other identifying label information on the clear plastic containers includes:

“9.3-OZ. Trader Joe’s Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad with White Chicken Meat; Sunflower Seeds, Cranberries and a sweet & Spicy Vinaigrette.”

The recalled slaw-salad also bears establishment number “P-17156” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

“The problem was discovered on May 3, 2016, when the company’s vendor of sunflower seeds notified the company that the product might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes,” according to the recall notice for the Trader Joe’s slaw-salad.

“According to the recalling firm, all affected product has been removed from the market channels. FSIS will verify removal through recall effectiveness checks.”

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Snacks, nuts, protein bars recalled for Listeria concerns

About 100 different snack products including brands such as Planters, Great Value, Meijer, Publix, Roundy and HyVee are being recalled nationwide because of possible Listeria contamination related to sunflower seeds.

All but two of the recalled products — including all of the store brands — are manufactured by TreeHouse Foods Inc. of Oak Brook, IL. The company supplies retailers and food service operations across North America. In February it completed acquisition of ConAgra Private Brands, according to its website.

SunOpta Inc., a Canadian company with its U.S. headquarters in Edina, MN, recalled the other two products: Dakota’s Best Biggy’z brand roasted and salted kernels; and Planters brand sunflower kernels. Packaging codes and “Best By” dates, which are all in 2017, are included in the recall notice here.

The TreeHouse recall notice says one of the company’s suppliers alerted it to the Listeria monocytogenes risk. Both TreeHouse and SunOpta are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the recalls and investigation into the root cause of the potentially deadly contamination.

“We have isolated the production window to a short timeframe and are working with the FDA and customers to control and dispose of affected product,” according to the SunOpta recall notice. “We are aware of one customer complaint that did not involve an illness, and we are not aware of any consumer issues due to consumption of this product.”

Recalled brands of sunflower seeds, other packaged nuts, trail mixes and various granola-type bars manufacturer by TreeHouse Foods Inc. include:

• Amport
• Best Choice
• Eating Right (Lucerne)
• Family Gourmet
• Food Club
• FoodHold
• Gold Emblem
• Great Value
• HyVee
• K&G
• Meijer
• Naturally Select
• Natures Harvest
• Nice
• Our Family
• PCC
• Publix
• Roundy
• ShurFine
• Signature Kitchen
• Smart Sense
• Southern Grove
• Spartan
• Super Value
• Tops
• Western Family

Consumers are urged to check their homes for the recalled products. The recalled products should not be consumed. The recall notices have details on receiving refunds for the recalled products.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products and then developed symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection should see a doctor.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others 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.

Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost everyone who is diagnosed with listeriosis has “invasive” infection, in which the bacteria spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

The symptoms of invasive listeriosis infections vary from person to person:

Pregnant women typically experience fever and other non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue and aches. For people other than pregnant women, symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches.

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Listeria outbreak spurs CRF to expand frozen food recall

CRF Frozen Foods has expanded its recall of certain frozen fruits and vegetables to include everything produced in its Pasco, WA, facility since May 2014 after learning seven people have become sick with Listeria infections. Two have died.

More than 350 products sold under 42 brands are included in the recall. The products were sold in all 50 states and Canada. Several major retailers’ brands are part of the recall, including: Costco, Costco Canada, Walmart, Safeway and Trader Joe’s.

CRF Frozen Foods posted the notice of the expanded recall at 11:45 p.m. Monday in the form of a news release. The Food and Drug Administration then picked up the recall notice, posting it on the agency website and issuing an alert to subscribers at about 10 a.m. today.

“This expanded recall of frozen vegetables includes all of the frozen organic and traditional fruit and vegetable products manufactured or processed in CRF Frozen Foods’ Pasco facility since May 1, 2014,” according to the recall notice.

“All affected products have the best by dates or sell by dates between April 26, 2016 and April 26, 2018.”

The long shelf life of the recalled frozen produce is of particular concern because consumers could have purchased the products long ago and not realize they have them in their homes.

A complete list of products and brandish included in the recall notice.

Products include organic and non-organic broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, corn, edamame, green beans, Italian beans, kale, leeks, lima beans, onions, peas, pepper strips, potatoes, potato medley, root medley, spinach, sweet potatoes, various vegetable medleys, blends, and stir fry packages, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries.

CRF had already suspended operations at its Pasco facility as of April 25 following its initial voluntary recall of a limited number of frozen organic foods. The company had notified all retailers as of the posting of the expanded recall late Monday night.

“(The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has informed CRF Frozen Foods that the government has identified seven people from three states who became ill and were hospitalized due to Listeria. Some of these illnesses have been linked to consuming CRF-manufactured or processed products,” according to the recall notice.

“CDC also informed us that, sadly, two of these individuals later died, but that Listeria was not the cause of death in either person.”

Listeria monocytogenes is a microscopic organism that can survive very cold temperatures. It can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others 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.

“We apologize for any concern or inconvenience this expanded recall has caused our customers and consumers who enjoy our products. We are issuing this release to alert consumers not to eat these products,” according to the company’s recall notice.

“Consumers who purchased these products may return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund, or simply discard them. Consumers with questions may call the company’s consumer hotline at 844-483-3866, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.”

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Recalls of cookies, cakes linked to peanut-tainted flour

Recent cookie and cake recalls from Safeway, Jewel, 7-Eleven, Chick-fil-A, Cinnabon, Bakery Express and other retail outlets are linked to flour containing low levels of undeclared peanut and supplied to CSM Bakery Solutions in Tucker, GA.

The flour was used in products CSM distributed to its customers in packaging that did not reveal the presence of peanut, according to the company. Consuming peanuts can cause serious and possibly life-threatening reactions in those who are allergic or have a severe sensitivity to the legume.

Post-production testing by CSM revealed there were traces of peanut in the flour, said Dennis Murphy, the company’s vice president of communications.

“We were getting a hit we shouldn’t have been getting,” he said Monday. “Our first concern was that we were introducing anything. Our analysis showed that no, we were not.”

Murphy said CSM was not disclosing the name of the flour manufacturer, and an April 22 company recall announcement only noted that the presence of peanut was “a result of incidental contact.” He added that CSM has arranged for another flour source and is taking additional steps to deal with the situation.

“You want to make sure you get all the product back or verify that it’s been destroyed. Second is to secure another supplier of flour, which we’ve already done. Then third, to make things right with our customers,” Murphy said.

“I would say that, for the most part, this is behind us, but you don’t want to say it’s finished until you know that it is.”

As of Monday there have been at least eight related recalls posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Those recalls were:

April 30: Saturday’s recall involves two products and three retail outlets. Safeway recalled 8-inch Single Layer Red Velvet Cake sold in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico (Farmington and Aztec), South Dakota and Nebraska. ACME recalled 12-inch Decorated Chocolate Chip Cookies sold in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York. Jewel stores in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana also recalled the 12-inch decorated cookies.

April 29: CSM recalled Cinnabon Stix sold in bakery cups, bags and boxes that may have been distributed to Cinnabon retail locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. The company announced that all Cinnabon bakeries would “discontinue the sale of Cinnabon Stix until CSM has confirmed that the potential source of peanut allergens has been contained and eliminated.”

April 29: Orlando-based Bakery Express of Central FL. Inc. recalled select two-packs of 7-ELEVEN FRESH TO GO cookies which were distributed to 7-Eleven convenience stores in Florida.

April 28: 7-Eleven Inc. of Irving, TX, recalled full baked chocolate chunk, sugar and oatmeal raisin cookies produced by CSM Bakery Solutions frozen cookie pucks (dough). The company noted that these fully baked cookies prepared from frozen pucks were distributed and sold prior to Friday, April 22, at 45 different 7-Eleven stores in Missouri, South Carolina and Texas.

The chocolate chunk, sugar and oatmeal raisin cookies are sold fresh in a self-serve bakery case or within a countertop self-serve, acrylic case. There is no UPC code or label attached to these cookies, 7-Eleven’s recall stated.

April 27: Bakery Express of Southern California recalled two-pack cookies in three different flavors sold under the 7-ELEVEN FRESH TO GO brand. These recalled products were distributed and sold throughout southern California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Bakersfield local 7-Eleven stores.

April 26: Glenn Wayne Wholesale Bakery of Bohemia, NY, recalled three different varieties of two-packs of  7-ELEVEN FRESH TO GO brand cookies sold at 7-ELEVEN stores throughout New York state. These recalled cookies had best-by dates of April 22, 23 and 25, 2016.

April 25: Old Home Kitchens of Bogart, GA, recalled its branded 14-ounce Sliced Lemon Crème Cake, Sliced Vanilla Crème Cake and Sliced Strawberry Swirl Crème Cake “due to a potential presence of peanut allergen in a CSM Bakery Solutions supplied ingredient.”

The recalled cakes were distributed in “multiple retail stores” in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

April 22: CSM recalled a list of Chick-fil-A Chocolate Chunk Cookies with ship-by dates ranging from March 25, 2016, to April 15, 2016, and best-by dates of Sept. 13, 2016, to Oct. 8, 2016. These recalled cookies were distributed through Chick-fil-A restaurants.

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Republic of Tea recalls organic turmeric ginger green tea for Salmonella risk

The Republic of Tea is recalling its Organic Turmeric Ginger Green Tea in response to a possible health risk. The Novato, CA-based company stated April 29, 2016, that it was notified by a supplier of the possibility that one lot of its organic ginger ingredient may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

There have been no illnesses reported in connection with this voluntary recall, and no other company teas are impacted by this recall, the statement noted.

The organic ginger supplier reported this finding from another customer, the tea company stated. The Republic of Tea and the organic ginger supplier have conducted their own investigations and have tested numerous samples of organic ginger by accredited independent third-party laboratories and confirmed the absence of Salmonella.

Despite the fact it was confirmed that there was no Salmonella in the organic ginger that was tested, The Republic of Tea is recalling the following Organic Turmeric Ginger Green Tea:

• Organic Turmeric Ginger Green Tea – 50 CT Tin
  • UPC: 7-42676-40355-5 – Best Sipped by March 23, 2018
• Organic Turmeric Ginger – 250 CT Bulk Bag
  • UPC: 7-42676-30655-9 – Best Sipped by March 23, 2018
• Organic Turmeric Ginger – 250 CT Bulk Bag
  • UPC: 7-42676-30655-9 – Best Sipped by April 13, 2018
• Organic Turmeric Ginger – 50 CT Refill Bag
  • UPC: 7-42676-42155-9 – Best Sipped by March 23, 2018

Customers may return the recalled Organic Turmeric Ginger Green Tea to The Republic of Tea for a replacement tea, or for a full refund.

Todd B. Rubin, company president, said this recall was a first for The Republic of Tea. The company’s website description of the product does not mention the recall but states that the tea “is temporarily unavailable and will be back in stock on May 20, 2016.”

For questions and concerns, email teasafety@republicoftea.com or call 1-800-298-4832, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT.

Salmonella bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

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