Kroger Recalls Fresh Spinach

Spinach plant in November, Castelltallat

The spinach is thought to be infected with listeria. It was their Fresh Selections Tender Spinach sold in 10 oz. bags which had a use by date of 9/16/ 2012. This spinach was sold in 15 states. You can return the spinach to Krogers for a full refund. For information on which stores were effected go to Kroger.com on there service page.

This recall points out one major problem with recalls on produce. This recall was issued on the 9/18 whereas the use by date was 9/16. Because spinach is a perishable product the most of the spinach has already been eaten.

Listeria can cause serious illness especially in pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. last year 30 people including one fetus died from listeria infected cantaloupe.

There is a Bacteriophage treatment approved by the FDA for use on food products. It will kill listeria. It is presently used on fresh salmon. It is time that the food industry starts using it on more food products.that are subject to listeria contamination.

Indiana Officials find Salmonella in Watermellon

Twenty Five people in 8 states after eating watermelon. State and federal are investigating to see if the watermelon is from Cumberland farms. Cumberland farms has instituted a recall of there watermelon. .This is a different strain of salmonella than the salmonella found on there cantaloupe.

So far cumberland cantaloupe has caused 270 illnesses and 4 deaths. Recently the CDC has found a second strain of salmonella in the cantaloupe which accounter for 30 of the illnesses
 

California Cantaloupes Recalled because of Salmonella

California Cantaloupes Recalled because of Salmonella


FDI Marketing Inc recalled close to half a million cantaloupe that were packed between August 27 and September 10, 2012. These cantaloupe were shipped to Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Mexico. The cantaloupe crates were marked “826 CALIFORNIA WESTSIDE.” These cantaloupe should be discarded or returned to the store for a refund. You may call FDI Marketing with any Questions at 1-559-449-0244


As a company committed to food safety DFI Marketing Inc. routinely samples products for food borne pathogens prior to harvest by third party laboratories. The company’s internal sampling of the cartons involved in this recall were negative for salmonella.

Retail customers who may have received this product should contact DFI Marketing Inc. Consumers who may have this product should discard it or return it to the store where they purchased it. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-559-449-0244 24 hours a day.

But a single cantaloupe in a test by USDA' Microbiological Data Program (MDP) did come back positive for Salmonella and that prompted recall.. So far there has been no sickness reported from these cantaloupes.

Three Dead Fourteen Hospitalized from Eating Frescolina Ricotta Salata Cheese

Forever Cheese, Inc has recalled 800 wheels Frescolina brand ricotta salata cheese .
with lot number T9425 and production code 441202 which was sold between June 20 and Aug 9. because of Listeria Contamination .This cheese is not the same as soft ricotta cheese sold in tubs and used to make lasagna.


Listeriosis symptoms include fever and muscle aches, diarrhea and other stomach illness.
It can have a death rate of up to 40% the CDC said two of the illnesses were in newborn babies, the CDC said. Listeria is most dangerous for pregnant woman. It can infect the fetus in the womb. It is also dangerous for children under 6, people over 65 and people with a weakened immune system.

Most people who consumed the cheese would not know where it came from because it was distributed in large wheels for retailers or restaurants to break down into smaller servings or packages. If you have ricotta in the refrigerator it is best to throw it out. When in doubt throw it out. For a refund contact the store where you purchased it for a refund, or call Forever Cheese at (888) 930-8693.

Raw Milk and Butter Recalled

California’s Organic Pastures Dairy has its third recall in less than a year. The first was for an E. coli outbreak and the last two because of Campylobacter bacteria found in their products. These are not their only recalls, they have had three other recalls in past years. If you live in California, you can get a list of stores where the recalled products are sold at Food Safety News.

The bad news is that after six recalls, people are still buying their products. Under present laws the FDA can not close down a dairy or even charge them a fine.
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Campylobacter is no laughing matter. This bacterial infection can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, headache and muscle pain and can last up to 10 days. Long-term complications may include contracting Guillain Barre Syndrome ( when your immune system attacks your nerves) If Campylobacter gets in the bloodstream, it can cause death.

Organic Pastures Dairy has been lucky so far in that only a few people have gotten sick from their products and there have been no deaths. The FDA issued a recall of milk from Family Cow Dairy in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania on Feb. 25, 2012 because of Campylobacter contamination. They were not so lucky. Seventy-eight people were sickened in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia. Nine of them were hospitalised.

Many people who drink raw milk believe that their dairies do a better job at cleanliness than the big factory farms. They also believe raw milk has health benefits and tastes better than pasteurized milk.

It’s true that there are differences in taste. (When I was a child I had raw milk still warm from the cow. I personally liked the pasteurized milk better.) Raw milk has a higher fat content. Because of the heating during pasteurization, the whey protein easier to digest than in raw milk. The amount of thiamine, cobalamin and Vitamin C is slightly reduced in pasteurized milk. The amounts are so small that they are not considered to affect human health.

According to a University of Michigan study some raw milk drinkers believe raw milk is beneficial for heart disease, neurological disease, aches, and cancer. Others feel that they do not have problems with lactose intolerance when they drink raw milk. There is no research to prove whether these beliefs are true or false. What is know is that it is not easy to keep all bacteria out of raw milk even when best processes are followed. Family Cow Dairy, for example, is licensed, inspected, and operating in compliance with Pennsylvania laws.

According to the CDC, one percent of dairy production in the U.S. comes from raw milk dairies. Yet, they were linked to 60 percent of dairy-related outbreaks of disease. In addition, 202 of the 239 hospitalizations (85 percent) resulted from raw milk outbreaks. Thirteen percent of patients from raw milk outbreaks were hospitalized, versus one percent of patients from pasteurized milk outbreaks.

Since raw milk drinkers may believe strongly in the benefits, getting them to drink pasteurized milk through education would probably not work. The only way to solve the problem is to make raw milk safer. I feel research into using Bacteriophage as an additive to raw milk should be researched.

Because people over the age of 65 or under the age of 6 are more likely to die from bacterial disease, this brings into question whether state laws should approve raw milk for all ages.
More information on campylobacter

Vegan Foods Not Safe

Everyone believes that meats and meat byproducts are more dangerous than fruit, vegetables and nuts. They have heard that you shouldn’t put meat on the same cutting board as fruit and vegetables because the meat is likely to leave bacteria on the board. They have heard that meats have to be cooked to high temperatures to kill bacteria. In 2011, the CDC reported that fruits and nuts were linked to the most illnesses, followed by vegetables that grow on vines and stalks. People have died from things like infected bean sprouts, spinach, or cantaloupe.

The produce industry is responsible for one billion servings of fruits and vegetables every day in the United States. An extremely small portion of these are unsafe, but if you lost a loved one it doesn’t matter that the other millions of people are safe.

The big problem is attitude. The government inspects meat packing houses regularly. Fruit and vegetable packing houses are inspected only every 5 to 7 years. If they find a problem with sanitation, they do not re-inspect. The FDA has no authority to punish fruit and vegetable packing houses that do not follow the rules. Many of the FDA rules are only suggestions. Their only choice is to close the packing house down, and this usually happens only after someone gets sick or dies.

The problem also extends to stores that display some of their produce without refrigeration.
People think farmers’ markets are better because the products are fresher. This may be true, but they are also more likely to have product that is not refrigerated.

The problem also extends to the home. Many people think you don’t have to wash a banana or an orange because you won’t eat the peel. But when you peel the fruit, any bacteria that is on that peel will get on your hands. Lots of people us cloth bags instead of paper to save the trees but never think of washing them. If you set a piece of unwashed fruit in the refrigerator or on the counter, you could be infecting these surfaces.

One bacteria can multiply into one million in seven hours. This is why sanitation is so important. Write your congressman let him know that you want produce packing houses regularly inspected by the FDA and the FDA needs the power to punish those who don’t follow their rules.
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