It's Beef AGAIN 546,000 Pounds Recalled

UPDATE:
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Two deaths and 26 other illnesses may be linked to fresh ground beef that has been recalled because it might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, a federal health official said Monday.

One of the deaths involved a New York adult with several underlying health conditions, said Lola Scott Russell, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The other is a death previously reported by New Hampshire, where state health officials said a patient died due to complications.

Russell said all but three of the suspected infections are in the northeastern U.S. and 18 are in New England.

Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms recalled almost 546,000 pounds of fresh ground beef that had been distributed in September to stores from North Carolina to Maine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's recall notice, dated Saturday, said that the possibly tainted meat had been sold in numerous ways, from meatloaf and meatball mix to hamburger patties.

Some of the ground beef was sold at Trader Joe's, Price Chopper, Lancaster, Wild Harvest, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores in packages that carried the number "EST. 492" on the label. Those products were packaged Sept. 15-16 and may have been labeled with a sell-by date from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, meaning they're no longer being sold as fresh product in supermarkets, Fairbank Farms said.

The rest of the ground beef, packaged in wholesale-sized containers under the Fairbank Farms name, was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. That meat was likely repackaged for sale and would likely have differing package and sell-by dates.

The USDA was urging customers with concerns to contact the stores where they bought the meat.

Fairbank's CEO, Ron Allen, urged consumers to check their freezers for the recalled ground beef.

Located in the southwestern corner of New York a few miles from the Pennsylvania line, Fairbank Farms has had two other voluntary recalls over the last two years, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

In September 2007, the company recalled 884 pounds of ground beef products because they may have been contaminated with E. coli, the agency said. And in May 2008, it recalled 22,481 pounds of ground beef products that may have contained pieces of plastic.

Symptoms of E. coli infections include stomach cramps that may be severe and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli infections can sometimes lead to complications including kidney failure.

Symptoms usually show up three to four days after a person eats contaminated food, although in some cases it can be as long as eight days. Officials said anyone having symptoms should immediately contact a doctor.

Russell, the CDC spokeswoman, said the E. coli strain involved in the recall, 0157:H7, infects about 70,000 Americans a year and kills 52.

First Posting:
ASHVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 2) - A New York meat company has recalled almost 546,000 pounds of ground beef because, according to health officials, contaminated meat has caused illness and one death. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Saturday the meat sold by Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms was linked to cases of E. coli-related illness in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. New Hampshire health officials say one person died and two others became ill. The federal agency says the ground beef
was sold at numerous retail stores. Each package carried the number “EST. 492” on the label.
In addition, ground beef packaged under the Fairbank Farms name was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and was likely repackaged for sale....more

Recall of Premium Edge Cat Food- Thiamine Deficiency

October 20, 2009

FDA is providing the following information from Premium Edge Pet Foods to alert pet owners of a voluntary recall of certain cat foods manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods for Premium Edge. The affected brands were found to contain an inadequate level of thiamine, which may cause clinical signs of thiamine deficiency in cats eating this food. FDA is working on this situation and will provide additional information as it becomes available. If your veterinarian diagnoses that your cat has become ill from consuming the affected pet food, please ask your veterinarian to file a report with FDA.

Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall on the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult cat food and Premium Edge Hairball cat food: RAF0501A22X 18 lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6 lb. The date of manufacture is May 28, 2009. All retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves. The retailers were also asked to contact their customers via email or telephone requesting them to check the date code of the food. However, if you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, please return them to your retailer.

Symptoms displayed by an affected cat will be neurological in nature. Symptoms may include wobbly walking or muscle weakness, paralysis of the hindlimbs, seizures, ventroflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, and abnormal eye movement called nystagmus. Any cats fed these date codes that display these symptoms should be immediately taken to a veterinarian....More

To contact Premium Edge Pet Foods, please call 800-977-8797 between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm central time, Monday through Friday.

Organic Baby Food Recall Botulism this Month

WASHINGTON (Oct. 20) - Plum Organics of Emeryville, Calif., is recalling some of its apple and carrot portable pouch baby food because of concerns over possible botulism contamination.
The product was sold individually throughout the country at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us stores. The recalled product is sold in 4.22-ounce pouches, with a "best by" date of May 21, 2010, and UPC 890180001221.

Plum Organics apple and carrot portable pouch baby food with a best buy date of May 2110, shown above, and UPC code 890180001221 have been recalled.
The company is concerned that the baby food may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism, a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition. Consumers should not use these products, even if they appear to be normal, because of the possible health risk.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the baby food, and no other Plum Organics products are affected, the company said in a statement.
More information is available by calling 888-974-3555 or by e-mailing info@plumorganics.com.
More from the FDA

Another Spinach Recall Announced: Calif. firm recalls spinach after salmonella found

SALINAS, Calif. — A California distributor is recalling two brands of bunched spinach after routine testing detected salmonella.

The California Department of Public Health says Ippolito International, of Salinas, is recalling 1,715 cartons of spinach harvested from Sept. 1-3, and sold to retail, foodservice and wholesale buyers.

The bulk of the cartons were packed under the "Queen Victoria" label and shipped to California, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba in Canada.

The recall announced Thursday also affects cartons packed under the "Tubby" label and distributed in California and New York.

Consumers with questions or need additional information on where recalled products were sold may contact Ippolito International, LP at 1-831-772-9991.

RECALL "BUTCHER BOY RED CHILE BEEF & BEAN BURRITOS."

Windsor Foods, a Riverside, Calif., establishment, is recalling approximately 2,268 pounds of beef and bean burrito products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Each case of Butcher Boy brand burritos, subject to recall, contains a total of 72 burritos and bears the establishment number “EST. 1905″ within the USDA mark of inspection; the package code “1219215;” the case code “2080001;” and advises “KEEP FROZEN.”
more...

Green Onions From Mexicali Recalled

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a voluntary recall of iceless green onions grown in the Mexicali Valley.According to the USDA , routine testing of iceless green onions shipped by Steinbeck Country Produce of Salinas , California found a positive result for Salmonella. The onions were farmed and packed by a grower in Mexicali, Baja California , Mexico. To date , no illnesses associated with the green onions have been reported. Steinbeck Country Produce has voluntarily recalling the onions with code numbers 96CPGO07 or 9CPO937 shipped between August 4 and August 22 , 2009. USDA said that vendors who received the product were immediately notified of the recall and were instructed to destroy the product. The onions were distributed in California, Massachusetts , Texas , Indiana , New York, Michigan , Missouri , Kansas and Arizona.....More

Ground Beef Recall Due to Salmonellosis

WASHINGTON, August 6, 2009 - Beef Packers, Inc., a Fresno, Calif., establishment, is recalling approximately 825,769 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today......more