UIFC East Asian Spices Recall Alert

The Union International Food Company(UIFC) has issued a recall of multiple spice varieties sold by it. The recall came after a recent salmonella outbreak spread to include white and pepper products sold at retail stores under the Uncle Chen product name. These products which come from the company's Union City facility in the Bay Area are associated with an outbreak that has sickened 42 people in four states, including 33 in California.

The products include four varieties of pepper sold in 5 ounce containers:

1. Whole and ground Uncle Chen's White Pepper
2. Whole and ground Uncle Chen's Black Pepper.

The following products under the Lian How brand name, which is followed by the wording 'Packed by Union International Foods' or 'Union International Foods' are also part of the recall:

• white pepper
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• paprika
• chopped onion
• onion powder
• garlic – chopped, minced, powder and granulated
• whole white pepper
• whole black pepper
• curry powder
• mustard powder
• wasabi powder

Consumers should contact Union International Food Company at 510-471-6799.
For a list of UIFC's customer list, see: Customer List
For a list of restaurants using UIFC Products, see: Restaurant List

Malt-O-Meal Cereal Recall Linked to Salmonella

The recent recall by Malt-O-Meal of unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat Cereals is being linked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)to Salmonella poisoning. Around 21 people in 13 states have been diagnosed with salmonellosis that was caused by the same strain of Salmonella that was found in the recalled brands.

These were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name and under other private labels including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal packs have 'Best If Used By' dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as 'APR0808') through March 18, 2009 (coded as 'MAR1809').



Consumers have been advised to throw out the product, while grocery stores and retailers have been asked to remove the cereals from their shelves.

A note on Salmonella: It is a type of bacteria that can cause serious and at times fatal infections in young children, frail, elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Salmonella can also invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Kindly contact your health care practitioner immediately and report the illness to their state or local health authorities, if you have experienced these symptoms after consuming this product.

At present, the FDA is working with Malt-O-Meal to determine the cause of the contamination and with the states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify and prevent additional illnesses.

A full list of recalled products can be found at Malt-O-Meal.

Picture Courtesy: Malt-O-Meal