A massive egg recall from Michael Foods that spans dozens of states spurred three additional recalls within days from firms it supplied to.

The million-plus eggs recalled by Michael Foods in 34 states have the potential to be contaminated with listeria, posing worry about a foodborne illness outbreak. The FDA confirmed midday on Friday, Feb. 3, that there have been no reported illnesses.

Since the Michael Foods recall on Feb. 1, three separate firms have announced recalls that involve eggs they purchased from Michael Foods in dozens of different products.

The original recall affected six brands: Columbia Valley Farms, GFS, Glenview Farms, Papetti’s, Silverbrook, and Wholesome Farms.

Subsequent recalls from firms that got their eggs from Michael Foods include 10 different egg products from Wegmans Food Markets and 48 prepared salad products from Allison’s Gourmet Kitchens. Thornton’s Quick Café Chef Salad was also recalled for having recalled eggs.

Messages left at Michael Foods for a complete list of clients who might have purchased recalled eggs were not immediately returned.

Last fall, organic eggs were recalled in Minnesota for an outbreak of salmonella.

Do you have a question about the egg recall or something to say about it? Let us know in the comments.

For only the third time since the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration used its detention authority to stop a lot of smoked salmon contaminated with listeria from reaching consumers.

As part of an ongoing program looking at foods prone to listeria contamination, the FDA discovered “widespread contamination” at the Mill Stream Corp.’s Maine facility.

Mill Stream voluntarily destroyed the product detained by the FDA; no recall was issued, said Patricia Moore, spokesperson for Mill Stream, because none of it reached the consumer level- it was all returned.

In a conflicting statement, FDA Press Officer Sebastian Cianci said some product did reach consumers, but that no illnesses have been reported.

What do you think? Leave us a comment below.

Photo by eatingeast.

In another sprout recall, LEASA Industries Co. recalled 346 cases of LEASA Living Alfalfa Sprouts with use by date 2/1/12, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. As a precautionary measure, Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. recalled all potentially exposed LEASA-branded sprout products including Broccoli, Gourmet, Spicy and Onion varieties.

Approximately 3,104 pounds of seasoned diced beef products were recalled by RSW Distributors LLC, because they may contain bits of a conveyor belt that was damaged during production. The product was shipped to institutions and schools in South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington as part of the USDA’s National School Lunch Program.

Steelcase Inc. recalled 11,000 of their Amia desk chairs because the pivot pins installed in the control mechanism under the chair seat can fall out, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

The California based Giant Bicycle Inc. has recalled about 900 bicycles because the fork can crack, posing a fall hazard to riders. Two models were recalled, including 2012 models of the Giant Defy Advanced and Avail Advanced bicycles.

The following recalls happened with the FDA’s knowledge, but were not announced until this week. They don’t appear in our marketplace because the FDA does not provide contact information for the recalling firms, and, in some cases, does not believe a public announcement is necessary for consumer safety. If you have questions about these or any recalls, ask us on our Facebook Page.

Garden Vegetable Seasoning produced in the U.S. and sold in bulk in Canada was recalled because it contained undeclared milk. Newly Weds Foods notified the FDA on Dec. 7, 2011.

Old Comiskey Brand Traditional New Orleans Mixers, a bloody mary mix, was recalled by National Fruit Flavor company for undeclared soy and wheat. It’s unclear if this recall, communicated to the FDA on Dec. 21, is related to another recalled bloody mary mix announced two days later.

Gorgonzola cheese was recalled in Colorado for possibly being contaminated with E. coli. The recall affects more than 3,500 wedges of cheese.

In the city that needs coffee accessories most, biscotti and baklava were recalled in Washington state by Seattle company Paximadi Co. because milk is not declared as a source for their butter, posing allergy risks to consumers.

Also of Washington, Foster Family Farm recalled 14,000 jars of pickled asparagus spears sold in Canada because the acidity of some jars was incorrect.

Over 2.5 million units of Proactiv and Rodan and Fields acne treatments were recalled. Guthy-Renker recalled the solutions because in some lots, the “stability data does not support expiration date” and other solutions are “superpotent” due to sulfur. The solutions were sold nationwide and in Canada. Guthy-Renker initially contacted the FDA in November of 2011.

 

Sprout photo by fred_v.

I’ve lived in small towns and even when roaming the streets of Manhattan I try my best to always find that “mom and pop shop” but at the end of the day I eat like most people, drink like most people, and buy products for my apartment just like any other person- I just know some more areas to look out for and in some ways this makes purchasing something an even bigger decision than normal. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I overvalue my health.

 

Here are five examples that scare me the most as a consumer, that I think about more than I should; and I worry about others too:

1) Eating a meal, getting sick and have NO IDEA what did it:

I once almost killed myself and our CTO Wing Lian when I cooked us a delicious dinner. Everyone at the table that night nearly died spending the next two days with food poisoning. Living on my own, it was frightening to think I was too sick to go to the hospital. It took months of cooking at home, and getting sick two more times to realize it was my fish oil, a condiment seasoning that is merely added to a dish. I was so caught off guard but lucky I had a label to confirm it was expired. Have you ever cooked a meal and seen all the trash and wrappers that came with it, all those wrappers laying at the top of the trash can? Those things could have life-saving information. How do we easily track whats coming into our homes and bodies? I want to solve this for 2012. Take a peak at our Project Pantry if this interests you more.

2) Using a Faulty Product: There is truth to “fear of the unknown.” For some reason the fear of using a faulty product while not knowing it is faulty scares me even more than food because almost anything could be faulty. Is my cold medicine contaminated? Is my office chair properly put together? Will I ever pick up a pan in the kitchen only to have the handle come off? I’m terrified that at any minute what I’m using could be faulty and even worse is not knowing if the message would reach me anyway if news about the product was out.

3) Getting a Rare Disease… from Taking Medicine

4) Anything involving Personal Areas…you know…THERE
Doesn’t matter if its birth control, contraceptive, condoms, oil, tampons, cleanser, whatever it is as a product and it goes below the belly button I’m absolutely terrified of something going wrong. As a woman, it is already enough to always be thinking about reproductive and physical health, to think anything that came in contact or affects the personal areas scares me as there is so much that can go wrong there.

5) Getting the News too Late
What’s even worse than never getting the news, is getting the news too late. My ultimate fear is that someone gets word of their recalled items right after consumption or after a major issue. I’d prefer we all have the chance to double-check something before use but if damage cannot be reversed or the side effect is longstanding, it scares me to think of finding out all the right information minutes after consuming or using something. The world is a big place, and with different publishing technologies coming out, news can spread even faster than ever. Imagine a world where recall news could travel in minutes, not weeks or months?If any of these items seem paranoid its probably because of why I started ConsumerBell and the background of my life experiences.What scares you the most about product recalls? Is it driving down the street and have a car issue that might be recall related? Is it baby formula?Let us know and be sure to signup for our recall newsletter here.

We love safety. We love making safety easier. And we love you.

For the next few weeks, ConsumerBell presents our new series, Project Pantry, where we take a look at kitchen pantries around the country and break what’s down inside: expired goods and the dangers that can come along with them, food recalls and making sure you have the information you need to protect your family.

Last week we discussed tips for organizing and cleaning out your kitchen pantry by tossing food that was no longer fit to eat. But how do you know what should stay and what should go? This week we’re showing you how to make sense of product labels and expiration dates to keep your pantry efficient and safe.

The first thing you may notice as you’re going through through your pantry, is that product date codes come in a variety of formats. This is because there is no uniform system or federal regulation in the United Sates for food dating. One exception, however, requires any products with a calendar date to include a description of what the date means. You’ll see “use by,” “sell by,” “best if used by” or something similar.

So what’s the difference between the types of dates and what do they mean for consumers? According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service:

“Best if Used By (or Before)” date - Refers to the recommended date for best flavor or quality. These products can still be purchased and used safely after the listed date.“Sell by” date - Tells the store how long to display the product for sale. Consumers should purchase the product before the date, but the product can still be used after provided it was properly stored.

“Use-By” date - The last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.

“Closed or coded dates” - Packing numbers for use by the manufacturer. They appear as a series of letters and/or numbers, and refer to the date or time of manufacture.

Food safety microbiologist and author Phyllis Entis, who runs the food safety blog eFoodAlert, says in addition to the multiple types of codes and meanings, consumers face other problems when dealing with product dates.

“Date codes apply to food packages that have not been opened. For example, a carton of milk that has been pasteurized using UHT technology may have a 2 or 3 month life, but the usable life shrinks dramatically as soon as the carton has been opened. Some consumers may not realize this.”

Entis also says storage conditions play a large role in determining the usable life of a product. Storing items in a cool, clean and dry place, or freezing products before the expiration date will help retain best quality for longer periods of time. Likewise, mishandling can cause food to spoil before its “use by date.”

So you’ve got some items in your pantry that are past the date but have been stored properly – are they still safe to eat?

“The “date codes” for shelf-stable products often are arbitrary or are based on physical or chemical changes to the food over time,” says Entis.

“These affect the taste and texture, not the safety of the food.”

Still, Entis suggests making a case-by-case decision based on the age, how it was stored, and whether the package is in good condition.

She also warns that some pathogens, including Salmonella and Bacillus cerus, can survive in dry foods at room temperature. So if you’re ever unsure of the safety of a food item in your fridge or pantry, the old adage still rings true:

When in doubt, throw it out.

Mold toxins jumped into consumer consciousness last month when five dog food recalls for aflatoxin lit up discussions regarding food and pet safety.

Two fruit juice issues further that discussion this week as the country looks to deal with mold and fungus, possibly as a result of extreme weather patterns last year.

Yesterday, Pepin Heights recalled honeycrisp apple cider that could contain patulin, a naturally produced toxin that comes from molds like aspergillus, the same mold that produces aflatoxin.

Extreme weather patterns across the plains states caused a flare in aspergillus mold in corn last year, a contributing factor to last month’s dog food recalls.

Chris Sandwick of Pepin Heights said 3,000 gallons were affected by the recall. Pepin Heights bottles in 6,000 gallon batches, using roughly 250,000 apples per batch.

The 58 parts per billion of patulin that the batch tested at is equal, said Sandwick, to one-one-hundredth of one apple used testing positive for patulin. The cutoff for patulin levels is 50 parts per billion.

“We think the safety of our customers is of the utmost importance,” said Sandwick.

But it’s not just apple juice facing the squeeze this week. Orange juice across the nation faces mold issues of its own.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halted the import of OJ when it discovered carbendazim in Brazilian juice. Carbendazim is a fungicide used to treat many crops in many countries, but it isn’t approved in the U.S. for use on oranges.

A spokesperson from the Environmental Protection Agency said there are no known side effects of carbendazim and that the concern over its presence is related to the fact that the fungicide isn’t authorized for use in oranges in the U.S.

But the FDA’s tests highlight a disconnect and a concern that carbendazim might be dangerous for consumers.

Siobhan DeLancey, team lead for food veterinary and cosmetic products at the FDA, said that  for orange juice products already on the shelf, tests are safety-focused, not regulation-focused.

The FDA’s benchmark for carbendazim is set at 80 parts per billion within the country; imports will be rejected or destroyed for anything over 10 parts per billion. Coca-Cola reported the problem to the FDA originally when tests of their and competitors’ orange juice products came back around 35 parts per billion.

Presently, all of the three preliminary tests by the FDA on imports came back negative for carbendazim. There are about a dozen still in progress. DeLancey said the FDA is holding and testing with an indefinite time frame until all the tests come back.

Brazil produces about 41 percent of the orange juice consumed in the U.S., which is well over 1 million gallons a year.

There is talk that high instances of black spot mold in Brazil oranges were to blame this season for the prevalent fungicide levels. Dan Schafer, spokesperson for Coca-Cola, said he couldn’t confirm that, but said carbendazim is used to treat black spot mold.

Mold isn’t a focus or concern, necessarily, but agencies throughout the country and even internationally are now seeing how weather patterns affect their crops and later down the supply chain,  how they impact consumers.

 

Photos via Laurel Elizabeth and Compass Designs.

For the next few weeks, ConsumerBell presents our new series, Project Pantry, where we take a look at kitchen pantries around the country and break down what’s inside: expired goods and the dangers that can come along with them, food recalls and making sure you have the information you need to protect your family.

In the third quarter in 2011 alone, there were 117 food recalls that affected nearly 40 million units nationwide. While there are various causes for food recalls, many are surprised to learn that allergen concerns are one of the leading causes. This includes ingredients that are typically mislabeled or not labeled on the packaging. These mistakes can be dangerous to those with allergies.

The Food and Drug Administration works to ensure that the eight major allergenic ingredients, also known at the “Big 8,” are accurately labeled but there are times when mistakes are made.  The Big 8 includes milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, and pecans) soybeans, wheat, fish and shellfish (crab, shrimp, and lobster).

Other common causes of food recalls are due to bacteria such as salmonella, boutilism, e. coli, and listeria. In 2011, there was a cantaloupe recall due to listeria that unfortunately killed over 25 people.

Another cause for food recalls is when foreign matter is found within the food. For example, Kraft had to recall their single serve Velveeta Microwaveable Mac & Cheese last year because of wire pieces found in the containers.

While it’s hard to find out about a recall before it’s issued, ConsumerBell is working hard to make these announcements readily available for our community. Be sure to upload our recall widget to your site and follow us on Facebook and Twitter  to remain current on all recalls.

If you want to join Project Pantry, send us an email through the contact form below.

Help us clean up America’s kitchens!