Breaking News on Food Safety & Quality Control

News in brief

Plastic pieces in Sainsbury’s teacakes sparks product recall

15-May-2012 - UK supermarket Sainsbury’s has initiated a recall of its own-brand Basic Tea Cakes over fears the products may contain pieces of plastic.

PepsiCo recalls Tropicana OJ after ‘microbiological contamination’ dispatch error

03-May-2012 - PepsiCo UK has initiated a recall of Tropicana Kids Orange Juice Drinks over fears the cartons contain potentially hazardous water rather than the typical orange juice blend.

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FSA issues cheese contamination alert

02-May-2012 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned consumers not to eat certain types of French cheese after it was linked to the bacteria Brucella.

Reportable Food Registry has helped target inspection activities, FDA says

20-Apr-2012 - The Reportable Food Registry has helped the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) target its food safety strategy and increase the speed with which it has been able to take action, according to a new FDA report reviewing activity during the online reporting tool’s second year.

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Nestle packaging error leads to allergen concern recall

19-Apr-2012 - Nestle Prepared Foods Company has initiated a recall of its Stouffer’s-brand Lasagna after consumers reported finding another Stouffer’s product in the Lasagna packaging.

Chinese officials reject Coca-Cola chlorine contamination fears

19-Apr-2012 - Authorities in China say that samples of beverages supplied by Coca-Cola Shanxi Beverages are safe to consume after an anonymous employee alleged mass chlorine contamination.

‘Tuna scrape’ recalled after Salmonella Bareilly outbreak sickens 116

17-Apr-2012 - A US fish processor is recalling nearly 60,000 pounds of frozen ‘tuna scrape’ after the product was linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly that has sickened 116 people across 20 states.

Small glass particle threat prompts Heineken Mexican beer brand recall

13-Apr-2012 - Heineken USA has urged consumers not to drink several of its beer brands across 43 states due to a bottle manufacturing defect that means small glass particles could fall into liquid.

Odwalla reveals new consumer reports of allergic reactions to dairy-based beverage

11-Apr-2012 - Odwalla is still working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to ascertain the cause of allergic reactions among consumers of its dairy-based chocolate beverage, while one food safety expert said he would explore potential protein 'cross reactivity' as one lead.

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Kraft recalls peanuts exposed to suspect water

10-Apr-2012 - Kraft Foods has voluntarily recalled one date code of its Planters Cocktail Peanuts because the products may have been exposed to water not intended for use in food.

Severe allergic reactions to Odwalla dairy-based beverage spark mass US recall

06-Apr-2012 - Odwalla has issued a ‘nationwide allergy alert’ in the US and is recalling dairy-based chocolate beverages that it warned could cause‘serious or life-threatening’ reactions in nut allergic consumers.

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Packaging firm recalls sausages over plastic contamination fears

05-Apr-2012 - US food safety officials are coordinating with a packaging company in the recall of more than 25,000 pounds of chicken apple sausage products over fears they may contain pieces of plastic.

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Mislabeled milk allergen sparks US cream puff recall

03-Apr-2012 - US firm Crème Curls Bakery has recalled some of its vanilla cream puff products because the source of sodium caseinate, a milk derivative, is not labelled on the product, putting people with milk allergies at risk.

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US distributor recalls ground beef products at centre of Canadian E.coli ‘blanket’ recall

29-Mar-2012 - A Canadian 'blanket' recall of frozen ground beef products feared to be tainted with E.coli O157:H7 has again been extended – this time by a distributor in the US.

‘Blanket’ ground beef recall issued as CFIA continue E.coli contamination source investigation

21-Mar-2012 - Canadian food safety authorities have issued a “blanket” extended warning on ground beef products potentially contaminated with E.coli O157:H7 – almost a month after FoodQualityNews.com reported the original recall.

Carrefour opens investigation after mouse head found in tinned-beans

12-Mar-2012 - A France-based retailer has opened an investigation after a consumer found a mouse’s head in a can of supermarket-brand green beans.

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Undeclared peanuts force marshmallow recall

12-Mar-2012 - Lituanica UK has recalled all batches of Arsenal brand vanilla marshmallows over fears the products may contain peanuts, which isn’t mentioned on the label.

‘Infodemiology’ on the rise to tackle foodborne illness outbreaks

07-Mar-2012 - Analyzing the distribution, or epidemiology, of foodborne illnesses is a standard tool in controlling outbreaks, but infodemiology – the analysis of information distributed on the internet – could help minimize the impact of outbreaks in the future.

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UK retailer recalls chocolate over metal contamination fears

28-Feb-2012 - UK retailer Morrisons has initiated a recall of its own-brand Whole Nut Milk Chocolate over fears that it may be contaminated with small pieces of metal.

Canadian E.coli O157:H7 beef contamination origin unknown - CFIA

23-Feb-2012 - Canadian food safety authorities are yet to establish the source of a frozen meat-related E.coli O157:H7 contamination that has sickened one person in the country to-date.

Cantaloupe listeria scare still affecting US recalls - ExpertRECALL

16-Feb-2012 - The 2011 cantaloupe-related Listeria outbreak has continued to effect food recalls across the US, with a 50% increase in the number of recalls in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with Q3.

‘No reports of injury’ says Fonterra after massive butter recall

14-Feb-2012 - Fonterra has recalled 410,000 packs of butter after consumer complaints about the presence of ‘fine metal objects’, and has moved quickly to limit fallout from the incident.

Hard-boiled eggs recalled across 34 US states over Listeria fears

07-Feb-2012 - More than one million hard-boiled eggs are being recalled across the US over fears the products could be contaminated with potentially-deadly Listeria monocytogenes.

FDA takes action against unsanitary cheese factory

01-Feb-2012 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking action to halt production at a New York cheese manufacturing facility after numerous food safety failures.