NOW IT’S E.COLI IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SALADS!

There have been a slew of recalls of ready-to-eat salads and other “grab and go” foods in the U.S. lately. Most have been triggered by possible contamination by Listeria bacteria. Now there’s a recall because of E.coli contamination. And it’s not just any old E.coli. It’s that more deadly E.coli 0157:H7 than can actually send you to the hospital with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) if you are unlucky.

Athertone Foods, Inc. of Richmond, California, operating as Glass Onion Catering and Gourmet Foods (sounds more up-market doesn’t it?) is recalling a slew of different ready-to-eat salads and wraps because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. The salads were sold in Northern California by Walgreens, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods (10 out of its 40 Northern California stores). Glass Onion Catering and Gourmet Foods is a rising force in the prepackaged, grab-and-go gourmet food industry with its products being marketed under several retail brands.

Today Whole Foods Market announced its own recall of these suspect Glass Onion-produced products - ready-to-eat Artichoke Wheatberry Salad and Southwest SooFoo®* Salad (so-so gourmet sounding!). This is yet another recall for the rapidly expanding supermarket that prides itself on being the world’s leader in natural & organic foods. It now has more than 340 stores in the U.S., U.K. & Canada! Most of my food-conscious friends shop at Whole Foods, because they fully believe that the food is better and safer, and worth the extra cost.

Wait a minute…Think about it. This high end food market is getting its prepared salads from the same supplier as is Trader Joe’s. And even worse, as is Walgreen’s! I cannot see any of my friends buying their salads at Walgreen’s. But they might as well. And it could be a whole lot cheaper. That’s our industrialized food supply for us (see my previous post). As for these ready-to-eat salads and other products that save us spending 5 minutes in the kitchen...Well, if you read this blog, or have read the book, you know how I feel about them.

To your good health,

TSF

OVER 200 SUNLAND NUT BUTTER PRODUCTS NOW RECALLED

Well, we have yet another expansion of the Sunland, Inc. Peanut Plant nationwide recall in the U.S.(which also includes other nut and seed butters). Can you believe it: from 101 products to 240 products, dating back to March 1, 2010. Doesn't our industrialized food system make your mind boggle?

Some of these recalled products have expired dates and others may still be sitting in you home storage, refrigerator or cupboard, opened or unopened. The products were distributed under the Company’s own label and under other brand names, including Trader Joe's, Archer Farms, American Choice, Kirkland, Natural Value, Arrowhead Mills, Cadia, Serious Food,Sun Harvest, Harry and David, Sunland, and more. They were sold by grocery and retail chains,such as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Target, Fresh & Easy, and many other stores. They were also available for purchase on the internet (including amazon.com).

For products added read the FDA-published recall: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm322747.htm?source=govdelivery.

For the old list try the Sunland website:http://www.sunlandinc.com/788/html/pdfs/SunlandRecall.pdf.

Look - let's just play it safe: until we find out the cause, avoid any nut or seed butters (including in processed products, such as crackers, cookies, ice- cream, chocolates, candies, prepared foods....)no matter what the brand. Who wants this nasty Salmonella bacteria?

To your good health,
TSF

UPDATE: Now that around 70 raw and roasted peanut products have also been recalled, the total number must be over 300! Will Sunland survive this?

E.COLI TURNS UP AGAIN IN BAGGED SALADS

It's bad news again for bagged salad eaters in the U.S. Ready Pac Foods, Inc. located in Irwindale, California, which prides itself on its safety record, has issued a recall for 5,379 cases of bagged salad products containing Romaine lettuce, because they may be contaminated with E. coli (E.coli O157.H7). This is the most common of the worst kind of E.coli bacteria.

The Use-by Date on these ready-to-eat salad products is November 18, 2011. The salads have been sold in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Here's the full list, so that you can check your refrigerator. No other Ready Pac Foods, Inc. products are included in the recall.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION UPC # BEST IF USED BY
10oz. Ready Pac Caesar Romaine 0-77745-00202-6 NOV 18
9.25oz Ready Pac Santa Fe Caesar Complete Salad 0-77745-21404-7 NOV 18
10oz. Ready Pac Classic Caesar Complete Salad 0-77745-20566-3 NOV 18
10oz. Ready Pac Bella Romaine 0-77745-21407-8 NOV 18
10oz. Dining In Classic Caesar Salad Kit 0-11225-02530-3 NOV 18
10oz. Raley’s Caesar Romaine 0-46567-71642-8 NOV 18
10oz. Trader Joe’s Romaine Salad 0013-2145 NOV 18
16oz. Trader Joe’s Very American Salad 0020-7225 NOV 18
10oz. Safeway Farms Caesar Romaine 0-21130-98350-6 NOV 18
9oz. Safeway Farms Hearts of Romaine 0-21130-98358-2 NOV 18
10oz. Safeway Farms Complete Caesar Supreme 0-21130-33677-7 NOV 18
10.25oz Safeway Farms Complete Southwestern Ranch 0-21130-33679-1 NOV 18

You will see from the above list that poor Safeway (as well as several other stores) has yet another recall (see earlier posts).

If you find any of these products in your home, throw it out or take it back to the store for a refund. You can also call Ready Pac Foods during office hours at at (800) 800-7822. They seem to be bending over backwards -a good thing - to track the products and help consumers. If you or anyone else in your family have eaten it, remember that not every package is contaminated, so don't panic. But do watch out for the usual symptoms of food poisoning.

To your good health,

TSF

WHERE IS THE CONTAMINATED TURKEY BEING SOLD?

The USDA promised information on who was actually selling the potentially Salmonella-contaminated ground turkey (see previous posts) in the U.S. This information hasn't come out yet. My blog's search information shows that a lot of people want answers. Trader Joe's customers seem to be particularly concerned.

However, now that the word has gone out, you can basically assume that the recalled items have been withdrawn from store shelves. The larger retailers have systems in place which assure that this happens. As for the smaller stores, I don't know if they received any product from Cargill (the recalling company) but I doubt it. This huge food producer would tend to have large customers.

That basically leaves you checking your refrigerator - or, going through your garbage to find the packaging if you bought some pre-packaged ground turkey recently and can't remember which one it was. The company has actually posted a good list, with photos of each product, on http://stage1.order.cargill.com/na3047772.pdf. You may want to check this to refresh your memory.

What I can do is to name the states which have most likely sold the potentially contaminated ground turkey since theses are where the illnesses have occurred. Take a look at the map. By the way, the one death so far, was in California. A lot of people are still hospitalized and seriously ill.

To your good health,
TSF

UPDATE: If you live in California which gives you the specifics on where the turkey was sold there, and telephone numbers to call at the stores. In other states, search the websites of your state health agencies.