EXPANDING FOOD RECALLS

Food contamination and food recalls often follow the same pattern in industrialized nations. They start small, with a "limited" recall, and then expand to become huge, and even nationwide recalls of different food products and brand name foods. From the first recall to the last linked one, the whole process can take weeks or even months.

That is what is happening with the ongoing peanut and other nut butter recalls in the U.S, and to a lesser extent, with the mango one.

The nut recall started with Trader Joe's recalling its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter made with sea salt, and Sunland, Inc. which made the product for TJ's, recalling its peanut and almond butter - 2 days later. Over a period of days, this recall has expanded to include other types of nut products made by Sunland, and, to include various retailers and other manufacturers of foods which used them - some of them small businesses. These are simply innocent victims.

This nut butter recall is still very much ongoing. There are now too many products to even list here (check the FDA site) - candies, chocolates, sandwiches, crackers, brownies, crunchies, ice-creams, and so on as well as a multitude of nut butters. Even top (that is, expensive, and supposedly "healthy") stores such as Whole Foods are involved (see Oct. 4 post)- as well as many others.

As for the Mexican Daniella Brand mango recall, this was first announced in the U.S. about a month ago. Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc, must have known then that many of its fresh-cut fruit packages contained the same mangoes, and it should recall them. But only now is it getting around to doing so. Their recall includes a long, long list of fresh-packaged fruit items of all kinds (in cups, bowls, packages) that were made with these possibly Salmonella-contaminated mangos. They were distributed to retail outlets such as Walmart and 7-Eleven. This huge corporation which can afford the cost of the recall better than some small family-run company, should know better - and have acted immediately.

As I've said before - don't eat any mango or nut butter products or restaurant foods for a while - no matter what brand name, until all this gets sorted out. (Oops...Did I really eat mango sorbet at that restaurant last night?)

To your good health,

TSF

WHY IS LEAD IN CANDY?

This is probably a final blog on this topic. But it is important. Most children eat candy. The last thing parents want is for that candy to be contaminated with lead.

The current revelation of high levels of lead in candy imported from Pakistan is not the first - nor will it be the last incident. Throughout the years, there have been cases in the United States of lead-contaminated imported candy from various countries. In fact, in 2009, the Food and Drug Administration advised pregnant women and young children not to eat candy imported from Mexico because of this risk.

How do you know when the lead is there? The point is, you don't. The candy tastes the same. Nor will you (or your children) have symptoms at the lower blood levels. As the levels of lead in blood rise, symptoms will start to appear. The younger the child, the more he or she will be at risk because lead affects the child's developing nerves and brain. The fetus is especially vulnerable, which is why pregnant women need to be so careful. When symptoms do appear, they are often vague and easy to dismiss - irritability, sleeplessness, anemia, headaches, loss of appetite, low energy, and so on.

How does lead get into the candy? Spices could be the cause, especially chili powder which is extensively used in candies and soft drinks to give them that extra "punch." As explained in The Safe Food Handbook (section on "Can There be Lead in our Spices?), it could happen because of the way the chilies are dried, processed or stored. So is domestic candy any safer? It is hard to tell. It may also use imported chili spices as an ingredient. But both spices and candy are tested for such unhealthy substances, although such testing cannot cover or catch everything.

TSF

TOXIC CANDY

I love the black humor in their branding, and can see why the products appeal to a certain age-group of children. Even my dog was excited by the odd noises emitted by their website. And the company's facebook site, with about 1,600 fans, offers $1,000 reward to the person who posts the funniest image of eating their candy (I am tempted...).

But I wonder if Circle City Marketing and Distributing (doing business as Candy Dynamics, Indianapolis), foresaw how the labels of "Toxic Waste" and "Nuclear Sludge" children's candy might play in the event that they really turned out to be toxic to children.

And they have. The FDA has announced some of "Nuclear Sludge®" brand ones contain levels of lead above the U.S. FDA's maximum tolerance level of 0.1 ppm). This could cause health problems, particularly for infants, small children, and pregnant women - and especially if they eat several pieces of candy, as many children (and, yes, guilty) adults do. The posts on their facebook site show that fans eat 20 or more at a sitting! In fact, some scientists are concerned that many American children's high levels of lead (not found to be linked to any paint issues), are indeed caused by what they eat - or suck on, such as candy. This is a serious health issue (I'll do a future blog).

The company is recalling all lots and all flavors of the smaller sized "Nuclear Sludge" candies that were distributed from the product's inception in May 2009 through January 2011. These candies were imported from Pakistan. They were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders in the US, as well as in Canada, and in limited quantities in Guatemala, Ireland, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, South Africa, and who knows where else. Thank you again risky imports.

I am pleased to say that the company is discontinuing the sale of Nuclear Sludge® products in the U.S. (Canada - take action too). Let's just stick to getting our toxic waste from the environment instead of from our candy!

TSF