Saturday, May 31, 2014

Canada: Products Containing Sprouted Chia Seeds Recalled Due to Salmonella

Advantage Health Matters and Back 2 the Garden are recalling various products containing sprouted chia seeds from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

Brand Name
Common Name
Size
Code(s) on Product
UPC
Organic Traditions
Sprouted Chia Seed Powder
227 g
BIO13SCS275
BIO13SCS290
BIO14SBCS290
BIO13SBCS310
BIO13SCS330
BIO13SBCS353
BIO13SBCS364
8 54260 00616 2
Organic Traditions
Sprouted Chia Seed Powder
454 g
BIO13SCS275
BIO13SCS290
BIO14SBCS290
BIO13SBCS310
BIO13SCS330
BIO13SBCS353
BIO13SBCS364
8 54260 00546 2
Organic Traditions
Sprouted Chia Seed Powder
50 lb
BIO13SCS275
BIO13SCS290
BIO14SBCS290
BIO13SBCS310
BIO13SCS330
BIO13SBCS353
BIO13SBCS364
None
Organic Traditions
Sprouted Chia & Flax Seed Powder
227 g
BIO13SFCB273
BIO13SFCB288
BIO13SFCB305
BIO13SFCB310
BIO13SFCB345
BIO13SFCB350
8 54260 00621 6
Organic Traditions
Sprouted Chia & Flax Seed Powder
454 g
BIO13SFCB273
BIO13SFCB288
BIO13SFCB305
BIO13SFCB310
BIO13SFCB345
BIO13SFCB350
8 54260 00547 9
Organic Traditions
Sprouted Chia & Flax Seed Powder
50 lb
BIO13SFCB273
BIO13SFCB288
BIO13SFCB305
BIO13SFCB310
BIO13SFCB345
BIO13SFCB350
None
Back 2 the Garden
Sprouted Chia Seed Powder
200 g
BIO13SBCS290
BIO13SBCS310
BIO13SBCS322
BIO13SBCS340
BIO13SBCS350
Variable

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthriti

Friday, May 30, 2014

5/31/14 Health News; 11 Genes Predicts Alcoholism Risk,♦ New Vaccine Imprisons Malaria Parasite in Blood Cells ♦ E.coli, MRSA Can Linger on Airplane Surfaces for Days

Genes Predicts Alcoholism Risk, A group of 11 genes can successfully predict whether an individual is at increased risk of alcoholism, a research team from the United States and Germany reported. The panel of genes is highly accurate in its differentiation of alcoholics from controls at a population level, but less so at an individual level, likely due to the major and variable role environment plays in the development of the disease in each individual, the authors noted. Nevertheless, such a test could identify people who are at higher or lower risk for the disease. Continue Reading
New Vaccine Approach Imprisons Malaria Parasite in Blood Cells
Scientists seeking a vaccine against malaria, which kills a child every minute in Africa, have developed a promising new approach intended to imprison the disease-causing parasites inside the red blood cells they infect. The researchers said on an experimental vaccine based on this idea protected mice in five trials and will be tested on lab monkeys beginning in the next four to six weeks.Source:Continue Reading
E.coli, MRSA Can Linger on Airplane Surfaces for Days  

In a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Barbaree and his Auburn University colleague, Kiril Vaglenov, decided to analyze the survival of two common types of bacteria in airplane-like conditions: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and E. coli O157:H7.  The researchers tested the duration of the two pathogens on six types of materials obtained from an unnamed major airline: an armrest, plastic tray table, metal toilet button, window shade, seat pocket cloth, and leather. They exposed the items to each pathogen, and then left them in an incubator which mimicked typical airplane conditions to see how long the pathogens could survive. Contimue Reading

Canada: Smoked Fish Recalled Due to Botulinum

Orr's Fine Meats and Deli is recalling Smoked Fish from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
The following products have been sold from Orr's Fine Meats and Deli in Parry Sound, Ontario.
Recalled products
Common Name
Size
Code(s) on Product
UPC
Smoked White Fish
Variable (1 filet)
All
None
Smoked Lake Trout
Variable (1 filet)
All
None
What you should do
Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
Food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

Turkey Products Recalled Due To Lack of Inspection

Jyang-Lee's Kitchen, a Maine company, is voluntarily recalling all Jyang-Lee's Kitchen brand poultry products that did not receive the full benefit of inspection. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Maine Meat and Poultry Inspection (MMPI) program made the announcement today.
Jyang-Lee's Kitchens operates an establishment in Coopers Mills, Maine. This recall is being issued because the Coopers Mills, Maine establishment had not been issued a State or USDA Grant of Inspection. Without the Grant of Inspection, inspection program personnel were not assigned to the establishment. Products produced without inspection are considered unfit for human consumption and must be recalled.
The products subject to recall include:
Jyang-Lee's Turkey Wonton
  • 15 count plastic bags with no code
Jyang-Lee's Mainely-Turkey Elegant Egg Roll
  • 6 count plastic bags with no code
Jyang-Lee's Turkey Dumpling
  • 12 count plastic bags with no code
MMPI and the company have received no reports of illnesses due to consumption of these products.
The turkey products included were shipped to Maine retailers only. Consumers may return any of the recalled turkey products to the retailer of purchase, or contact Jyang-Lee's Kitchen 207-549-4507.
Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Angela Fargin, with Jyang-Lee’s Kitchen at 207-549-4507.

Indoor Tanning Raises Risk of Melanoma

tanning bed 350x233
Using sunlamp products such as tanning beds or tanning booths increases the risk of skin damage, skin cancer and eye injury, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and numerous other health organizations. A particularly dangerous result is melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology and the World Health Organization, indoor tanning heightens the risk of developing melanoma by 59 percent, and the risk goes up with each use. Despite these risks, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), thousands of Americans will opt for an indoor tan. The ACS estimates that nearly 13,000 people die each year from skin cancers—approximately 9,700 of which are from melanoma. The ACS predicts that in 2014, melanoma will account for 76,100 cases of skin cancer.
To help protect consumers and inform them about the risks of indoor tanning, FDA is changing its regulation of sunlamp products and UV lamps intended for use in sunlamp products. The changes strengthen the oversight of these devices, and require that sunlamp products carry a visible, black-box warning stating that they should not be used on people under the age of 18.
This change is due to concerns that the effects of UV radiation add up over time, and children and teenagers who are exposed to indoor UV radiation are at greater risk for skin and eye damage.
“There is increasing evidence that tanning in childhood to early adult life increases the risk of skin cancer, including melanoma,” says FDA dermatologist Markham Luke, M.D., Ph.D. In fact, according to an overview of studies published in the journal Pediatrics, melanoma is the second most common cancer in women in their 20s and the third most common cancer in men in their 20s in the U.S. Luke adds that many experts believe that at least one reason is the increased use of sunlamp products by U.S. teenagers and young adults.
The overview in Pediatrics suggests that doses of UV radiation emitted by high pressure sunlamp products may be up to 10 to 15 times higher than that of the midday sun, an intensity not found in nature. UV-A radiation penetrates to the deeper layers of the skin and is often associated with allergic reactions, such as a rash. This is not to say that outdoor tanning is safe. In fact, the World Health Organization has classified all UV radiation as a carcinogenic (cancer causing).
Manufacturers of sunlamp products (including tanning beds and booths) must comply with applicable FDA regulations for both medical devices and radiation-emitting products. Based in part on risk information and recommendations from experts at an earlier FDA Medical Device Advisory Committee meeting, the agency is reclassifying these devices from Class I (low risk) to Class II (moderate risk). FDA can exert more regulatory control over Class II devices, notes FDA medical device expert Neil Ogden. For example, once the reclassification is effective, sunlamp products will have to undergo a premarket review by FDA and comply with requirements relating to performance testing, software validation, and biocompatibility.
FDA is also requiring that certain user instructions and promotional materials for sunlamp products and UV lamps intended for use in sunlamp products include the following warnings and contraindications (a contraindication means that the risk outweighs the benefit):
  • the product is contraindicated for use on persons under the age of 18 years;
  • the product must not be used if skin lesions or open wounds are present;
  • the product should not be used on people who have had skin cancer or a family history of skin cancer; and
  • people repeatedly exposed to UV radiation should be regularly evaluated for skin cancer.
“We believe the reclassification will not only strengthen oversight of sunlamp products, but also help consumers be better informed about, and protected from, this sort of exposure,” Ogden says.
Practices to Avoid
Certain practices involving sunlamp products are especially dangerous. These include:
  • failing to wear appropriate protective eye wear, such as goggles—this can lead to short- and long-term eye injury;
  • starting with long exposures (close to the maximum time for the specific sunlamp product), which can lead to burning. Because sunburn takes 6 to 48 hours to develop, you may not realize your skin is burned until it’s too late;
  • failing to follow manufacturer-recommended exposure times on the label for your skin type (some skin types should not tan with UV radiation at all, for example, those with skin that burns easily and doesn’t readily tan); and
  • tanning while using certain medications or cosmetics that may make you more sensitive to UV rays. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.

Great Britain: Smoked Salmon Recalled Due to Listeria

The Fine Seafood Company has recalled all date codes (grey packs only) of its Smoked Salmon 70g packs due to high levels of Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes can cause illness in certain groups of people, such as pregnant women, unborn and newborn babies, and anyone with reduced immunity, particularly the over-60s.
Product name: Smoked Salmon (Whiskey cured and oak smoked)
Brand name: Fine Seafood Co
Pack size: 70g (grey pack only)
All date codes
The Fine Seafood Company has recalled the above product from customers. Point-of-sale notices will be displayed in stores explaining the actions consumers can take if they have bought the affected product. No other Fine Seafood Company products are known to be affected.
If you have purchased the above product, do not consume it, but return to store of purchase for a full refund.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

5/29/14 Health News: Food additive Can Cause obesity and fatty liver disease ♦ First Pizza Delivery By Drone ♦ Unreliable Flu Tests ♦ Giant Rats That Can Sniff Out TB

First Pizza Delivery By Drone,
Let’s say you’re a busy Italian restaurant in South Mumbai. Your customer wants a pizza delivered NOW NOW NOW but traffic is totally insane. What do you do? You send that pizza by drone! Continue Reading
Food additive culprit behind obesity and fatty liver disease
Researchers have linked food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG) to obesity and disorders associated with the metabolic syndrome including progressive liver disease. Continue Reading
FDA Worried About Unreliable Flu Tests
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is concerned that 15-minute influenza tests are all too often unreliable and inaccurate, and could lead to a public health crisis if infected patients are told they don't have the flu when, in fact, they do. To protect against another pandemic... Continue Reading
Giant Rats That Can Sniff Out TB

:BBC Earth’s Extraordinary Animals series visited the social enterprise Apopo in Tanzania to see how the rats are trained, and discover what makes a rat's sense of smell so superior. A rat makes about eight sniffs a second compared with two for humans. Rats also smell in stereo, distinguishing two similar odours with one sniff. And around one in every 100 of a rat’s genes is involved with odour detection, compared with one in 1,000 humans.Continue Reading

Recall for Organic Sprouted Chia Seed Products

Navitas Naturals, the Superfood Company is voluntarily recalling products which contain Organic Sprouted Chia Powder due to possible health risks related to Salmonella contamination. “We have chosen to voluntarily recall products containing Organic Sprouted Chia Powder with the goal of utmost safety for our consumers” stated Zach Adelman, Navitas Naturals CEO.
The affected products were distributed nationally and include:
  • Navitas Naturals Organic Sprouted Chia Powder, 8 oz, UPC 858847000369 with best buy dates from 04/30/2015 through 09/05/2015
  • Navitas Naturals Omega Blend Sprouted Smoothie Mix, 8 oz, UPC 858847000314 with best buy dates from 07/29/2015 through 09/19/2015
  • Williams-Sonoma Omega 3 Smoothie Mixer, 8 oz, SKU 506436 with best buy dates from 09/12/2015 through 10/02/2015
No other Navitas Naturals products are affected by this recall.
Consumers who have purchased this item are urged to not eat the product, and to dispose of it or return it to the store where it was originally purchased.
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses.
The company is working closely with FDA and California Department of Public Health on this issue. “Ensuring the premium quality of the superfoods we provide is our highest priority,” said Adelman.” We stand behind the safety and integrity of our products and their valuable superfood nutrients,” confirmed Adelman.
Customers with questions or who would like product replacements or refunds may contact
888-886-3879 between 8:00-4:30 PST, Monday through Friday.
Chia Powder Label
Omega Blend label
Omega 3 label