"recall" news and stories

Before you make your next PB&J, check the jar. Unilever has issued a recall on two varieties of Skippy peanut butter due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recall applies to Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter sold in sixteen states.

Affected states are Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

No illnesses have been reported yet, but consumers are urged to discard any purchased 16.3 oz plastic jars with a UPC of 048001006812 or 048001006782 (found below the bar code on the product's label) and a 'best-if-used-by-date' of MAY1612LR1, MAY1712LR1, MAY1812LR1, MAY1912LR1, MAY2012LR1 or MAY2112LR1.

Salmonella can prove fatal for young children, elderly or people with weakened immune systems.

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that Massachusetts-based State Garden Co. has issued a voluntary recall of fresh-cut salad products processed in its plant on January 4. The recall comes after samples of State Garden salad mixes were found to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

State Garden distributes packaged salad products throughout the Northeast. The affected products include baby conventional and organic arugula, baby spinach, baby romaine, spring mix and organic herb salad. These products are marketed under the following names: Gold Quality, Hannaford, Natures Place, Natures Promise, Roche Bros, Northeast Fresh, Noreast Fresh, Olivia's Organics, Signature, Wegmans.

The products that are being recalled have trace-back codes of 45693 and 45703, which are typically found in the upper right corner of bag labels. The "best if used by" date should be no later than January 15, 2011. The FDA has provided a complete list for consumers.

First it was thousands of cases of parsley that were recalled by J&D Produce for a positive test for salmonella; now the company has voluntarily recalled 18 additional vegetables. According to a release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Texas-based J&D is taking the precaution of including its produce (mostly leafy greens, sold under the Little Bear brand), from dill to arugula to mustard greens, in the recall, in case of cross-contamination.

"It's imperative to protect public health, even if that means being overzealous in expanding the scope of the products we're calling back," said James Bassetti, president of J&D Produce Inc. "We will work closely with regulators, health officials and our customers in bringing back the products."

No illnesses have yet been reported in the 16 states where J&D products are distributed.

For a full list of produce, and the UPC's, see this FDA release.

And or additional information, contact J&D Produce by email at: qa@littlebearproduce.com; by fax: 956-381-9732; or by phone at 956-380-0353.

There's trouble in Candyland. Whole Foods and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have announced a recall of gingerbread houses produced by Rolf's Patisserie and sold in Whole Foods stores. The reason? There's a possible connection to outbreaks of Staphylococcus aureus food poisoning, according to this F.D.A. press release. It says that the assembled gingerbread houses are decorated and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with a Whole Foods Market scale label; some scale labels also may list "Rolf's Patisserie" as part of the description.

The recall affects all gingerbread houses sold after November 1, 2010, in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

The FDA adds that customers who have purchased any of the listed products from Whole Foods Market may return them to the store for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Whole Foods Market at 512-542-0878 weekdays between 8:00am and 5:00pm Central Standard Time.

The FDA has issued a recall of all Sally Jackson Cheese due to a possible contamination of E. coli. Sally Jackson produces raw cheese from cow's-, goat's- and sheep's milk. These cheeses do not bear a USPC code, as they are wrapped in leaves and tied with twine. The company is based in Oroville, WA but the cheese has been distributed nationwide to restaurants, distributers and retail stores.

As per the FDA: "Customers who have purchased Sally Jackson cheeses are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 509-429-3057, Monday through Friday, between 8:00am and 5:00pm Pacific Time."

Sally Jackson is one of the pioneer women cheesemakers. She had recieved a grant from the Carter Administration in the 1970s to produce her raw cheese on her Okanagan Highlands farm from the raw milk of her pasture-raised livestock. The cheese is then aged for the required 60 days (for raw cheeses) in signature dried chestnut leaves. You'll even find her product at the famed Murray's Cheese Shop, whose owner once referred to Sally as "one of America's great artisans."

Here at Slashfood we believe that's as true today as it's ever been. Ms. Jackson has had a long record of producing fine cheeses safely and we wish her the best in the future.