A California meat packer has recalled more than 825,000 pounds of ground beef that may be linked to salmonellosis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week.
Beef Packers, Inc., of Fresno, Calif., recalled the ground beef products on Aug. 6, 2009. Meat included in the recall was produced between June 5, 2009, and June 23, 2009; contains the code "EST. 31913" on its labels and was distributed to 11 states.
Officials say the meats may be linked to an outbreak of salmonella in Colorado. The strain of that particular outbreak -- salmonella Newport -- is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs.
A California lettuce producer has recalled bulk and wrapped romaine lettuce after a batch tested positive for salmonella.
Tanimura & Antle, Inc. of Salinas, Calif., issued the recall for its Tanimura & Angle wrapped single whole-head romaine lettuce, banded single whole-head romaine lettuce and naked (unwrapped) single whole-head romaine on July 21. The nationwide recall applies to lettuce purchased before July 23.
The move comes after the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture tested positive for salmonella. No illnesses have been reported. The lettuce affected by the recall was harvested between June 25 and July 2, and should be past its shelf life, company officials said.
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea and abdominal pain. Anyone with questions about the romaine recall should call Tanimura & Antle at 877-827-7388.
Time to stop making the Dunkaccinos. Dunkin' Donuts has temporarily stopped selling its popular coffee drinks and hot chocolate on worries equipment used to make instant nonfat dried milk may be contaminated with salmonella.
Dunkin' Donuts officials told Slashfood that none of its products were contaminated, and the temporary halt in sales is just a precautionary measure.
"We have confirmed that no Dunkin' Donuts products were contaminated," Michelle King, a spokeswoman for Dunkin' Donuts, says. "However, we have made the decision to temporarily withdraw the beverages from our stores to ensure the safety of our customers."
Yesterday, the University of Pennsylvania announce that, in light of the threat of salmonella-tainted peanuts, they are all peanut butter and related products from the schools' dining halls, cafes and vending machines. In place of the products, there are signs stating why the staple is missing. School officials aren't saying when peanut butter will return to campus, but they're in conversations with suppliers to determine that date.
Thing is, they've even pulled peanut butter that has shown no sign of being contaminated, stating that:
Because the investigation is ongoing and the list of suspected items from the FDA keeps expanding, we have taken a conservative, proactive stance.
What do you think? Positive and proactive, or inflammatory and fearful?
This past weekend, Reuters reported the death of an elder woman in Minnesota due to Salmonella infection. She is the seventh person in the U.S. to die from this bacteria. As of last Wednesday, 491 people have been infected during the current outbreak. And, 125 products have been recalled by the FDA, including cookies, crackers, ice cream and even some pet foods.
Below are some ways to avoid possible infection:
Washing your hands and kitchen surfaces before working with any food may seem obvious, but many people forget.
Wash your hands and counter tops or cutting boards in between working with vegetables and raw meats to avoid cross-contamination.
Antibacterial soap or simple soap and water work well.
Use fresh, clean dish towels and change often.
Thoroughly wash all fruit, even if you are not going to eat the skin.
Any fruit that might touch the ground, such as tomatoes, is susceptible to Salmonella. So, spend even more time scrubbing these fruits.
Cut off any vines or parts that were attached to the plant. When eating tomatoes, make sure to cut off and discard the hard nib on the top of the fruit, because the bacteria can implant itself there easily.
Take off the outer leaves of cabbage and lettuce, and the outer skin of onions.
When baking, make sure to thoroughly cook the baked foods before eating them. Salmonella usually comes from raw eggs. Do not eat raw cookie dough no matter how tempting it may be!
Salmonella poisoning often occurs from poultry and raw eggs that haven't been properly cooked, or frozen and not properly cooked, or left sitting too long after being cooked.
Got pets? Make sure after handling them you wash your hands.
You better think twice next time you bite into what appears to be a nutritious Luna bar. The Los Angeles Times recently had an article stating that Clif Bar and Co. announced a recall of Clif and Luna brand bars that contain peanut butter. The decision was based on the FDA's announcement that traces of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination have been found in a plant owned by Peanut Corp. of America. The plant which manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste supplies companies nationwide. To find out what other food products have been affected, you can view an online list put together by the FDA.
While food shopping yesterday, I noticed a shelf full of Luna bars. I can't help but to feel mildly skeptical of the FDA. Just how seriously should we take this Salmonella scare? After doing some online research yesterday, I found out that there are approximately 40,000 cases of Salmonella infection reported every year in the U.S. In the summer of 2008, there was a Salmonella outbreak that seemed to have been caused by fresh jalapeño and serrano peppers from Mexico, raw tomatoes, and fresh cilantro. The highest amount of cases occured in Texas and New Mexico.
Originally, I thought that Salmonella was only present in raw meat, in particular poultry. In turns out that any foods that have been in contact with raw meat could also contain the bacteria. I'm just perplexed as to how it could have ended up in this peanut butter plant. Does it say something about the sanitary conditions of the plant or could it have happened anywhere?
Lycopene lovers across the country can now heave a sigh of relief. The FDA has announced that it is once again safe to eat all forms and styles of tomatoes. It seems that the unprecedented outbreak of salmonella that swept the country has finally slowed. People are still cautioned to take care when eating hot peppers as they may still be carriers.
I must admit that the FDA's warning didn't alter my personal tomato consumption over the last month. Pennsylvania and New Jersey were both cleared of any contamination and so I just took care to only eat local 'maters. How has the tomato warning effected you? Did you or anyone you know get sick from bad produce?
Fast food lovers, fear not - the tomato is coming back to your sandwich, taco, and pizza. According to CNN, Wendy's International Inc. began restocking restaurants on Sunday with tomatoes from northern Florida. If your Wendy's doesn't have them, they should be back soon.
CNN also reports that Yum Brands Inc. (the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W and Long John Silver's restaurants) is also starting to resupply its restaurants with tomatoes from areas that have been cleared of salmonella risk.
I'm glad to see that this tomato scare is coming to a close.
Gourmet's Barry Estabrook investigated the hows and whys of salmonella's introduction to the produce we eat. The following is an excerpt of his findings published on Gourmet.com.
How in the hell does salmonella get inside a tomato?
Excuse the bluntness, but that question has been much on my mind this week in the wake of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) warnings against eating raw red tomatoes. The agency took action after 145 diners in 16 states were sickened by tomatoes tainted with salmonella, a bacteria carried in the intestines of animals and humans.
After making several calls and receiving no satisfactory answer to my simple question, I finally reached David Gombas, senior vice president of food safety and technology at the United Fresh Produce Association, a trade organization. He frankly admitted that while there are a number of potential ways for salmonella bacteria to get from some animal's intestines into your fresh salsa, the exact mechanism remains a food-safety mystery that the industry would dearly love to solve. This explains why outbreaks of the disease are so common. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says that more than 3,000 Americans have been sickened by tomatoes in 24 different outbreaks since 1990, a number that looks even more sobering when you realize that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only 1 in 30 salmonella cases ever gets reported.
All of the McDonald's restaurants have stopped serving sliced tomatoes in all of its locations after various customers got sick in 16 different states in what might be an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. 23 people have gotten sick so far, so McDonald's doesn't want to take any chances.
Odd how all of this talk about the fast food industry and eating meat and all that, and what is making people sick is tomatoes. The chain says that they'll still keep serving grape tomatoes, but they aren't serving sliced tomatoes until further notice.
Shayna told you last week about the recall involving Malt-o-Meal cereal because of possible salmonella contamination. Now comes word that people might have actually gotten sick from the cereal.
Officials are investigating 23 cases of people getting sick from the same strain of salmonella that affected the cereal. The cereal recalled was distributed across the country under the Malt-O-Meal name as well as other names, including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's (yikes, that's where I shop!), ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality.
The people who got sick are from 13 different states.
It sure does seem like I've heard about a lot of recalls lately. Is it always like this, or did I just not pay attention before? I don't know about that, but I do know that Malt-o-Meal is voluntarily recalling some of it's cereals due to the possibility of salmonella contamination.
The unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals with the "best if used by" dates from April 8, 2008 to March 18, 2009 are the focus of the recall. Malt-o-Meal says that the recall is a result of internal safety testing and that no one has reported becoming ill.
Several brands of alfalfa sprouts are on recall in western U.S. states over fear of salmonella contamination. Salad Cosmo USA Corporation recalled shipments of sprouts from Save Mart Supermarkets and Lucky Stores across California and Washington Saturday. A day later, Trader Joe's recalled tubs of Nature's Choice Alfalfa Sprouts in their California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington stores. The recall only applies to the TJ's sprouts with a "Sell By" date of March 9 or earlier.
Apparently no illnesses have been reported but still better safe than sorry. If you can't find good sprouts try some finely chopped green peppers or a little watercress in your sandwich instead.
Between beef recalls and threats of mad cow disease, the simple action of eating is quickly becoming less of a pleasurable activity and more of a chore, or, in some cases, a big wager.
Think you know your salmonella from your E.Coli? Feeling bored? Test your smarts with National Geographic's food safety quiz. Yes, I know, online quizzes are pretty nerdy, but this one actually provides you with decent information. After you answer each question, the site gives you a brief synopsis of the topic, so you can bulk up on your food safety knowledge for your next dinner party.
Or, even better: when the weather gets warmer and you attend a picnic, turn to your friend as she takes her first bite of chicken salad and bust out with, "Did you know that food borne illnesses are more common in warmer weather?" and watch her spit out her food and glare at you. If nothing else, your new found knowledge will provide you with hours of entertainment.
A food recall involving chocolate? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Yup, Kraft food is recalling 24,000 cases of their Baker's Premium White Chocolate Baking Squares (6 oz.) because they might contain salmonella. The use by dates are March 31, April 1, April 2, and April 3 (all 2008), followed by the letters XCZ. The UPC code 0043000252200.
Kraft is advising that customers throw out the white chocolate. If you need more information about the recall, Kraft's phone number is 800-310-3704.
Yesterday, the University of Pennsylvania announce that, in light of the threat of salmonella-tainted peanuts, they are all peanut butter and related products from the schools' dining halls, cafes and vending machines. In place of the products, there are signs stating why the staple is missing. School officials aren't saying when peanut butter will return to campus, but they're in conversations with suppliers to determine that date. 
Fast food lovers, fear not - the tomato is coming back to your sandwich, taco, and pizza. According to CNN, Wendy's International Inc. began restocking restaurants on Sunday with tomatoes from northern Florida. If your Wendy's doesn't have them, they should be back soon. 
All of the McDonald's restaurants have stopped serving sliced tomatoes in all of its locations after various customers got sick in 16 different states in what might be an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. 23 people have gotten sick so far, so McDonald's doesn't want to take any chances.
Shayna told you last week about the recall involving Malt-o-Meal cereal because of possible salmonella contamination. Now comes word that people might have actually gotten sick from the cereal.
Several brands of alfalfa sprouts are on recall in western U.S. states over fear of salmonella contamination. Salad Cosmo USA Corporation recalled shipments of sprouts from Save Mart Supermarkets and Lucky Stores across California and Washington Saturday. A day later, Trader Joe's recalled tubs of Nature's Choice Alfalfa Sprouts in their California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington stores. The recall only applies to the TJ's sprouts with a "Sell By" date of March 9 or earlier. 
Between beef recalls and threats of mad cow disease, the simple action of eating is quickly becoming less of a pleasurable activity and more of a chore, or, in some cases, a big wager.
A food recall involving chocolate? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate
