Hunt’s Chili Kits recalled nationwide for Salmonella risk

Conagra Brands Inc. is recalling Hunt’s Chili Kits from retailers, military commissaries and online shoppers nationwide because of possible Salmonella contamination.

To see additional product photos provided by Conagra, please click on the image.

“The chili seasoning used in the packet originated from a supplier who informed the company of the potential presence of Salmonella in a raw material used in the chili seasoning (packet contained in the kit). Although no Salmonella was found in the finished product supplied to Conagra Brands, the company has decided out of an abundance of caution to recall the product,” according to the recall notice posted on the Food and Drug ADministration’s website.

“Consumers who have purchased this item are advised not to consume it and return it to the store where originally purchased. Conagra Brands is cooperating with the FDA on this recall and is working with customers to ensure the packages are removed from store shelves and are no longer distributed.”

No reports of adverse reactions or injuries related to the recalled chili kits had been received as of the posting of the recall notice on Sunday. There is concern that consumers may have the recalled chili kits in their homes, especially because of the long shelf life of the product.

Consumers can identify the recalled chili kits by looking for the following label information:

• Hunt’s Chili Kit, 44.8-ounce with the UPC number 20-0-27000-42063-2, the MFG/Lot Code 3534619500 and a best-by date of “Apr 04, 2018”
• Hunt’s Chili Kit, 44.8-ounce with the UPC number 20-0-27000-42063-2, the MFG/Lot Code 3534622200 and a best-by date of “May 01, 2018”
• Hunt’s Chili Kit, 44.8-ounce with the UPC number 20-0-27000-42063-2, the MGF/Lot Code 3534619600 and a best-by date of “Apr 05, 2018”

Anyone who has eaten the recalled product and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the pathogen.

Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Most individuals recover without treatment. In some cases, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Consumers with questions should call the Conagra hotline at 800-921-7404.

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Beach Beat: Public’s right to know should trump trade secrets

ICYMI, as the texters say, the FDA finally came clean about a dirty food production operation, naming Dixie Dew Products Inc. as the manufacturer of soy-based goo marketed as an allergen-free alternative to peanut butter.

The revelation Friday evening came weeks after FDA inspectors found filthy conditions, insect infestation and broken food safety equipment at the Kentucky production plant. They went in to check the plant on March 3 because little kids across the country were infected from with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 that was found in unopened jars of soy nut butter produced by Dixie Dew.

The violations were immediately evident, and the outbreak victim list was growing, but the Food and Drug Administration waited four weeks to name the producer. In the meantime, individual companies that had used the soy paste in their branded products were left to initiate their own recalls and consumers were left in the dark.

How much faster would products have been recalled if FDA had made public the name of the manufacturer and its list of customers? We will never know.

What we do know is that the outbreak count climbed from 12 sick people in five states to 29 people in a dozen states in the four weeks between the initial outbreak announcement and the FDA’s move to go public.

Twenty-four of the 29 victims are children, according to the Friday update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The median age of the victims is 8. A dozen victims have required hospitalization and nine victims have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure.

Why didn’t FDA reveal Dixie Dew as the manufacturer and use its considerable power to force all companies involved to immediately initiate recalls? Federal law protects “confidential corporate information” is the standard response from FDA officials.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of that refrain. It’s true that federal agencies can’t lobby Congress, but FDA should take a cue from the folks over at the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service who figured out how to get a rule change. The FSIS can and does collect and release retail distribution details and other information that helps consumers identify recalled meat and poultry products.

At least one member of Congress thinks its time for a change in the way FDA handles such situations. Representative Rosa Delauro, D-CT, praised FDA for shutting down Dixie Dew this past week, but called for the agency to do more.

“Not only did Dixie Dew fail to take action to prevent contamination of its products, we do not even know all of the names and locations of where the recalled products were sold,” DeLauro said in a news release.

“While the FDA made the right decision in shutting down the Dixie Dew plant, the agency should take another step forward and reverse its policy of withholding the names and locations of stores and schools where recalled food products are sold.

“As we have seen with Dixie Dew, it is irresponsible and insufficient to rely on the good faith of food corporations to provide all the necessary recall information. Americans deserve to know these details to ensure their health and safety.”

Research published in the March edition of the Journal of Environmental Health supports the argument for public disclosure.

Authored by a trio of food safety heavy hitters from academia — Benjamin Chapman of North Carolina State University, Maria Sol Erdozaim of Kansas State University, and Douglas Powell formerly of K-State and currently living and consulting in Australia — the special report on when to go public pulls together information from dozens of sources.

“The intent of this special report is to contribute to the discourse on public risk communication related to foodborne hazards, and to argue for the establishment of guidelines for determining what is timely, the information content of going-public messages, and to aid public health entities in protecting consumers’ health,” the researchers wrote.

Chapman and his fellow researchers examined numerous examples of foodborne illness outbreaks and how government responded and why. Some common denominators emerged in the answers to the “why” question:

• Concern about public panic and/or information overload, which can lead to recall numbness;
• Fear that the source of a pathogen could be misidentified, causing undeserved damage to specific companies or segments of industry, such as when FDA incorrectly identified domestic tomatoes as a source, later to discover that imported peppers were actually the cause of an outbreak; and
• A lack of guidelines or procedures for determining when to go public, which encourages officials to wait longer to release information.

The researchers address each of these points and others, citing various government people and policies as well as previous research.

“There is no indication in the literature that consumers benefit from paternalistic protection decisions to guard against information overload,” Chapman, Erdozaim and Powell found on the point of public panic.

“Good risk communication practice is to be open and transparent; withholding information, for whatever seemingly logical reason, denies consumers the opportunity to take measures to protect their health. The information might eventually leak out anyway, thereby undermining an organization’s credibility.”

It’s worth the time to read the rest of the Chapman, Erdozaim, Powell report, but for those who don’t have time, let me cut to the chase for you.

“Public health officials have a challenging job: it can be difficult to discern true signals about an emerging risk from random noise. But establishing some ground rules — and publicizing those rules — would help build public trust,” the trio of food safety researchers contend.

“We propose that communicators and public health organizations develop guidelines for public disclosure of risks based on the questions in (the table at right). … Communication is important for educating the public about steps that individuals can take to reduce the spread of infectious disease and to protect themselves.

“Not naming the source of an outbreak or giving recall information too late affects the public’s trust in agencies. Furthermore, when the agencies themselves do not have a standard procedure regarding when to name or not name implicated firms in an outbreak, it seems as though the agencies’ priority is the firm and not public health.”

Well said.

 

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Frozen burritos recalled because of positive Listeria tests

Menu Del Sol brand frozen burritos that have 11 months of shelf life left are under recall after tests showed positive results for Listeria monocytogenes.

The multi-national company Sigma Alimentos Congelados produced the burritos and posted the recall notice late Friday night with the Food and Drug Administration. The company distributed the frozen bean and cheese burrito two-packs to retailers in California and Nevada.

“The potential contamination was found as a result of routine product testing and the recall is being initiated out of an abundance of caution,” according to the recall notice.

“Consumers are reminded to fully cook frozen food products according to package instructions. Consumers who have purchased Menu Del Sol frozen beans and cheese burritos with the (specified) lot number and best by date are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the consumer hotline at 800-706-8289.”

Because the best-by date on the recalled burritos is March 1, 2018, officials are concerned that people may have the potentially contaminated products in their homes. Consumers can identify the recalled burritos by looking for the following information on the wrappers:

• Menu Del Sol brand frozen “Beans and Cheese” burritos;
• 2-pound twin-packs;
• Lot number C3018;
• Date code “BEST BY MAR01 18” and
• UPC number 45230-05601.

No illnesses had been reported as of the posting of the recall notice, but it can take up to 70 days for symptoms of Listeria infection to develop after exposure. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled burritos and developed symptoms should seek medical attention immediately and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Listeria.

People who have eaten the recalled burritos are urged to monitor themselves for the coming weeks for symptoms of Listeria infection.

Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Healthy people may have mild, short-term symptoms, but children, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system is at his risk of serious and sometimes fatal infections.

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Positive Listeria test results spur ice cream recall in Canada

Foodservice operations in Canada are being warned not to serve Wholesome Farms brand ice cream cups made for multi-national supplier Sysco Corp. because federal tests showed Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Central Smith Creamery of Selwyn, Ontario, recalled the Wholesome Farms brand “Vanilla Sundae Cup” products Friday, according to a notice on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) website.

Distribution details were unclear, with the recall notice indicating foodservice operations at hotels, hospitals, nursing homes and other unidentified institutions received the ice cream. The recalled ice cream was sent to the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, and possibly nationwide.

“This recall was triggered by Canadian Food Inspection Agency test results. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products,” according to the recall. “Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below. Food service institutions, such as hospitals and nursing homes, should not serve or use the recalled product.”

Public health officials are concerned people may have unused portions of the recalled ice cream in their homes. No illnesses had been reported in connection to the recalled ice cream as of Friday.

“Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased. Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick,” according to the recall.

“Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, the infection can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. In severe cases of illness, people may die.”

The recalled ice cream can be identified by the following label information:

• Individual Wholesome Farms Vanilla Sundae Cups in 115 ml containers with the product code 017032 and no UPC number; and
• 48-count cases of Wholesome Farms Vanilla Ice Cream Sundae Cups in 115 ml containers with product codes 7382200017032029 and 2/1/17 and a UPC number of 00074865915427.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled ice cream and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the pathogen.

It can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms to develop, so anyone who has eaten any of the recalled ice cream is urged to monitor themselves for symptoms of infection for the coming weeks.

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Chipotle eliminates preservatives in tortillas

Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced that it has eliminated added colors, flavors, and preservatives in all the ingredients it uses to prepare its food.

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European Chemicals Agency concludes glyphosate is not a carcinogen

The European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment (ECHA RAC) has concluded that the available scientific evidence does not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate as a carcinogen, as a mutagen, or as toxic for reproduction.

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Examining the link between the microbiome, autism

A review paper published in Nutrition Reviews explores the current evidence base regarding the gut environment and nutritional status of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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