Precautionary Recall of Limited Number of Salads

Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Precautionary Recall of Limited Number of Salads

Contact
Consumer:
Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center
(800) 356-3111

Media:
Marty Ordman
Phone: (818) 874-4834
marty.ordman@dole.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 29, 2012 – Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling 2,598 cases of bagged salad. The product being recalled is Dole Hearts of Romaine coded 0540N165112A or B, with Use-by date of June 26 and UPC 7143000956 due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

The product code and Use-by date are in the upper right-hand corner of the package; the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode. The salads were distributed in nine U.S. states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).

No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall. This precautionary recall notification is being issued due to an isolated instance in which a sample of Dole Hearts of Romaine salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test conducted by the FDA.

No other salads are included in the recall. Only the specific Product Codes, UPC codes and June 26, 2012 Use-by date identified above are included in the recall. Consumers who have any remaining product with these Product Codes should not consume it, but rather discard it. Retailers and consumers with questions may call the Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center at (800) 356-3111, which is open 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (PT) Monday - Friday.

Although the product is 3 days past its Use-by date and it is highly unlikely that any product is still available at retail, retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories. Dole Fresh Vegetables customer service representatives are already contacting retailers and are in the process of confirming that the recalled product is not in the stream of commerce.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.

Listeria Contamination in Queso Fresco Cheese

Peregrina Cheese Corporation Recalls All Products Manufactured In Its Plant Because Of Possible Health Risk

Company Contact:
Customer Service
718-456-2391

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 12, 2009 – Peregrina Cheese Corporation of Brooklyn, New York, is recalling all products manufactured in its Brooklyn, NY plant from March 17, 2009 to the present because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

This recall action is being conducted in accordance with the Consent Decree filed on July 20, 2009, which requires Peregrina Cheese Corporation to recall all products and codes produced in the Brooklyn plant from March 17, 2009 to the present.

The recall action involves the following products produced since March 17, 2009:

• • Peregrina Cheese brand QUESO FRESCO Fresh Cheese, 14 Oz. (397 g) foil-wrapped package, Plant # 36-8431, UPC 8 17424 00024 6, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.
  • Chipilo brand MEXICAN CHEESE QUESO FRESCO – Fresh Cheese, NET WT. 15 oz. (425g), Plant #36-8431, UPC 8 17424 00028 4, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.
  • Peregrina Cheese brand QUESO HEBRA Queso Oaxaca, NET WT. 15 Oz. (425g), Plant #36-8431, UPC 8 17424 00026 0, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.
  • Peregrina Cheese brand QUESO COTIJA MOLIDO, NET WT. 15 OZ. plastic bags, Plant # 36-1388, UPC 8 17424 00027 7, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.
  • Peregrina Cheese brand Flan, NET WT 8 oz., Plant # 36-8431, UPC 8 17424 00026 0, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.
  • Peregrina Cheese brand GELATIN, NET WT. 10 OZ., Plant # 36-8431, UPC 8 17424 00031 4, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.
  • Peregrina Cheese brand CREMA MEXICANA Mexican Cream, Weight 16 Oz., Plant # 55-8991, UPC 8 17424 00030 7, all lot codes on the market produced since March 17, 2009.

The products were distributed to retail stores in New York and Pennsylvania.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

This recall action is being conducted with the knowledge of the FDA.

Consumers who purchased the above listed products are urged not to consume them and to discard them immediately. Please direct questions regarding this recall action to Peregrina Cheese Corporation at 1-718-456-2391, Monday - Friday from 9 am - 4:30 pm EDT.

News

Instrument capable of many food safety tests.

06/19/2012 12:54:27 PM
Andy Nelson   http://www.thepacker.com/

 

A new platform from a food safety technology provider can allow many kinds of tests on one instrument.
Camarillo, Calif.-based Hygiena’s Ensure platform is a quality monitoring system that uses a single instrument to collect, analyze and report data from many quality indicators, according to a company release.
The Ensure platform is capable of a variety of tests, including water tests and coliform/E. coli tests.
The technology has generated significant interest in the produce industry, said Johnny Clark, president of Titusville, Fla.-based American C.H.E.F. Consulting and the only independent food safety consultant/marketing distributor for Hygiena in Florida.
“We have sold several to the produce industry both in Florida and other locations,” Clark said.
The Ensure platform runs on an instrument that features a protected USB connection, a large screen and a sealed, seven-button keypad. The unit also provides test results in 15 seconds.

The 2012 Dirty Dozen Plus and the Clean 15

Worried about pesticides and produce? Wondering if it's worth it to go organic? The Environmental Working Group has released its 2012 guide to the most- and least-contaminated crops out there -- its "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists -- and this year there are a few new items to watch out for, including certain types of baby food.  To read the rest of the story...http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/2012-dirty-dozen-plus-clean-15-buying-organic-000700620.html

Shining Light on a Hotel Room's Dirtiest Things

Wow, here is another story about what you might get from your next stay in a hotel.  Hotels are missing the opportunity of saving guests from taking home more than a pleasant night's sleep by not validating their cleaning processes.  Here is part of the story from the My Health News Daily web site.  If you are a hotel and want to learn on how to validate the cleaning processes in your hotel, get in touch with us and find out about the Hygiena ATP testing system.

Want to stay away from germs during your next hotel stay? Then don’t turn on the TV or lights — new research shows that TV remotes and light switches are among the most contaminated items in hotel rooms.  Researchers from the University of Houston took bacteria samples from several items in hotel rooms in three regions of the United States. While the toilet and sink were expected to have high levels of bacteria, researchers also found more surprising items with high contamination levels, such as the remote and the switch on the bedside lamp.  Hotel rooms “don’t have to have it ready for surgery,” said study researcher Jay Neal, a microbiologist at the University of Houston, but there certainly is room for improvement in their cleanliness.

Article from:   http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2730-hotels-bacteria-contamination-remote.html

Hygiena International, a global supplier of rapid hygiene testing systems, has recently commenced a new hospital evaluation program in the US involving the SystemSURE Plus ATP product.

The SystemSURE Plus ATP monitoring system, which is comprised of a handheld luminometer and swabs, works through the collection and quantification of ATP remaining in organic residues still present following conventional cleaning operations. The identification of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as an indicator of surface cleanliness has become an established hygiene technology within the healthcare market. ATP is the energy molecule present in all living cells, and its presence is evidence of organic contamination, which can provide the nutrient base for the growth of harmful bacteria and infectious micro-organisms.

Using bioluminescence technology, the Hygiena SystemSURE Plus ATP monitoring equipment provides rapid indications of ATP levels and the hygienic status of contact surfaces, so that appropriate corrective action can be taken without delay. Hygiena SystemSURE can be used to demonstrate cleaning efficacy and show continuous improvement, while identifying and implementing training requirements and their impact on patient experiences. Some facilities have used the system to provide evidence of value for money from their contracted in services such as cleaning and catering. Care homes and ambulance services are now using the technology to demonstrate adherence to CQC.  For more information on the Hygiena International rapid hygiene testing system, contact us at: 321-567-4408.

RECALL...Ready-To-Eat Pork Product

Hawaii Firm Recalls Ready-To-Eat Pork Product for Possible Listeria Contamination

Recall Release CLASS I RECALL FSIS-RC-037-2012 HEALTH RISK: HIGH Congressional and Public Affairs Bill Bagley (202) 720-9113

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2012   Keoki's Lau Lau, a Honolulu, HI establishment, is recalling approximately 400 pounds of a ready-to-eat pork product due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today. 
The following product is subject to recall:

• 12 oz. tubs of "Keoki's Kalua Brand Pork"
• 48 oz. tubs of "Keoki's Kalua Brand Pork"

The product bears the establishment number "EST. 12429" inside the USDA mark of inspection and batch numbers 546 and 552. The products were produced on May 24 and 25, 2012, and distributed to retail establishments in Hawaii.
The problem was discovered by the firm during follow-up testing conducted after a positive result from a FSIS routine monitoring sample. FSIS and the company have not received any reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers seeking more information about this recall should contact Jamie Kema, Office Manager, at (808) 832-4231. Members of the media should contact Gary Ishimoto, President, at (808) 832-4224.