Massive Recall Initiated by Parkers Farms, Minnesota

The recent food products recall issued by Parkers Farm, Inc. has expanded to include ALL of it products. Please note: This is Regardless of Code Dates, Because of Possible Health Risk.

All date codes have been included in this recall due to fear of contamination with listeria monocytogenes. Though no illnesses has thus far been reported in connection with this recall, it is important for consumers to note that this organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infection 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.

The FDA notes that recalled products were distributed across the USA in the following retail stores: Hy-Vee, Cub, Rainbow, Byerlys, Lunds, Target, Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominicks, Marsh, Price Chopper, Shop Rite, Nash Finch, Sams Club, Costco, Safeway, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Aldi, etc.

Here is a partial list of recalled products sold under the Parker Farm or Parkers label:

• 12 ounce & 16 ounce peanut butter in square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), regular and organic varieties are creamy, crunchy, honey creamy and honey crunchy with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 34 ounce peanut butter in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are creamy and crunchy with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.
• 7 ounce bagel spreads in white plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are garden veggie, wild berry, strawberry, apple cinnamon and honey walnut with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.
• 12 ounce & 14 ounce dips & spreads in square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are jalapeno nacho, pimento and salsa con queso with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.
• 8 ounce, 12 ounce and 16 ounce cold pack cheese in round or square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, bacon, onion, smoked cheddar, Swiss almond, horseradish, garlic, port wine, and swiss & cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 16 ounce salsa in square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are hot, mild, garlic, black bean and fire roasted with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.
• 32 ounce salsa in plastic jugs (clear jug with screw cap), varieties are hot, mild, garlic, and black bean with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.
• 128 ounce salsa in plastic jugs (clear jug with screw cap), varieties are hot, fire roasted, mild and garlic with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.
• 8 ounce, 9 ounce, 10 ounce Balls & Logs (in film over wrap), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, smokey bacon, ranch, garlic, jalapeno, pimento, spinach, jajik, beer and chorizo with sell by dates on or before 01/05/2011.
• 5#, 5.5#, 10#, 30# Parker Farm cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, onion, bacon, smoked cheddar, swiss almond, horseradish, garlic, port wine, and swiss & cheddar with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.
  

Other labels affected by this recall:16 ounce Happy Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine and swiss almond with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

• 8 ounce Kroger cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine and swiss almond with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 8 ounce Central Markets cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 14 ounce Central Markets salsa con queso in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid) with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.
• 16 ounce Central Markets salsa in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.
• 8 ounce Dutch Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish, and swiss & cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 7 ounce Dutch Farms cream cheese spreads in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are strawberry, wild berry, honey walnut & apple cinnamon with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.
• 8 ounce Crystal Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, bacon and jalapeno cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 8 ounce Heluva Good cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine and horseradish cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 8 ounce Amish Classic cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.
• 10 ounce Amish Classic cheese balls & logs (in film over wrap), varieties are cheddar, port wine, ranch, smokey bacon, beef n onion with sell by dates on or before 01/05/2011.
• 128 ounce San Pablo salsa in plastic jugs (clear jug with screw cap), varieties are fire roasted and mild with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.
• 12 ounce Century Resources cold pack cheese food (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, horseradish, bacon with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9)
• 12 ounce Century Resources pimento spread (tub with snap on lid) with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9.
• 8 ounce and 12/12 ounce Century Resources cheese ball & log (in film over wrap) sharp cheddar with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9)
• 12 ounce Century Resources salsa con queso (tub with snap on lid) with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9)
• 4#, 5.5# Block & Barrel cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, swiss almond, horseradish, port wine and pimiento spread with packed on dates on or before 12/30/2009.
• 30# Block & Barrel sharp cheddar cold pack cheese (white pail with snap on lid) with packed on dates on or before 12/30/2009.
• 5# Cobblestone cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.
• 30# Cobblestone sharp cheddar cold pack cheese (white pail with snap on lid) with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.
• 5# Biery label cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar and port wine with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.
• 5# Dierks Waukesha cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, horseradish, swiss almond with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.
  

This recall resulted from a sampling done by the state of Wisconsin and the state of Minnesota. The sampling revealed that some finished products contained bacteria. An investigation is under way and consumers who have purchased these products are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at: (800) 869-6685.

Image Courtesy: Parkers Farm

McNeil Consumer Recall goes Global , Gets Slap on Wrist from FDA

McNeil Consumer Healthcare today expanded its recall to include some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol children's Tylenol, eight-hour Tylenol, Tylenol arthritis, Tylenol PM, children's Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph's aspirin. Apart from tese, Caplet and Geltab products that are being sold in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates, and Fiji were recalled.

This ever-expanding recall by McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products of its Tylenol, Motrin and other over-the-counter products has received a slap on the wrist from the FDA. Tainted by the chemical tribromoanisole embedded in wooden shipping pallets, this Johnson & Johnson company today was accused of not paying timely and proper attention towards the investigation of the contamination and subsequent recall.

Deborah Autor, chief of compliance at FDA's drug office noted:

"McNeil should have acted faster. When something smells bad, literally and figuratively, companies must take all necessary actions to solve the problem."

She observed that McNeil was aware of the problem as far back as September 2008, but failed to notify the FDA until a year later in September 2009. Further McNeil did not actually begin the product recall until November 2009.

Current regulations do not permit FDA to recall products on its own authority. Recalls and notifications are the responsibility of the company making the product. Due to the significant delays in this case, the FDA today fired McNeil a warning letter asking that they upgrade their manufacturing. The FDA wants an explanation as to why the problem was not made public sooner. Johnson & Johnson has 15 days to respond, J&J said they are working with the FDA.

More news on J&J: The company has also been cited by today by Federal prosecutors in Boston for paying tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks to nursing homes. They paid the money so that the nursing homes put more of their patients on its blockbuster schizophrenia drug. Particularly, the company gave special rebates to Omnicare Inc. Omnicare is one of the biggest companies in the USA providing pharmacy services to nursing homes. The kickbacks were in return for recommendations from its pharmacists that patients use Risperdal.

Read More:
McNeil Product Recall
LA Times
Forbes.com

Now, Its Fecal Matter in Soda Fountains??

A team of microbiologists from Hollins University have found that around half of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria. This bacteria is typically fecal in origin. What was even more alarming in this study was that microbiologists found that the bacteria also antibiotic resistant - most of the bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested. The study included testing of 90 beverages from 30 soda fountains. They included sugar sodas, diet sodas, and water.

The findings of this research have been published the International Journal of Food Microbiology. Their abstract states:

...Coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml. [...] More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli [E. Coli] and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.

Only one outbreak linked to a soda fountain has been recorded ten years ago. However, on an individual level, these bacteria can lead to sickness that often goes unreported.