Ready Pac Spinach E. coli Recall Announced
An E. coli recall has been issued for hundreds of cases of Ready Pac baby spinach that could be contaminated, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ready Pac Foods, Inc., an Irwindale, California company, is recalling the spinach because it could be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 after a random sample test conducted by the FDA came out positive for this harmful bacterium.
Ready Pac E. coli Baby Spinach Recall: Product Details
- Name: Baby Spinach Spinach Temptations 6-ounce bagged salad
- Use By Date: July 4 with Product Code 11707B, IR127121 and July 8 with Product Code 12007B, IR130373
- These dates are found in the upper left-hand corner of the packages, product codes underneath
- Sold in: California, Washington, Arizona
According to the FDA announcement:
“Because it is still possible that products bearing the Use-by Dates of July 4 and July 8 with the above Products Codes could be on store shelves, this recall extends to retailers as well as consumers. Ready Pac believes that it is important to alert consumers and retailers who might still possess one of the potentially affected salads to dispose of it immediately.”
Consumers may return the product for a full refund. Anyone who thinks they may have become sick with E. coli food poisoning from contaminated spinach should see a doctor immediately and get tested for E. coli.
Listeria Contamination Prompts Cheese Recall
A cheese recall is being issued by Azteca Linda Corporation over concerns of Listeria contamination, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Brookly, New York company is recalling the following cheeses after the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria was found from environmental samples at the cheese processing facility:
- Queso Fresco (fresh white cheese) in a hard plastic container with UPC code: UPC 0 23986 92692 8
- Queso Hebra (fresh white string cheese) in a vacuum sealed plastic bag
The cheeses have a July 7 expiration date. The cheeses could potentially be contaminated with a harmful pathogen called Listeria monocytogenes and were distributed to retail stores throughout New York state in:
- Brooklyn
- Queens
- Staten Island
- Bronx
- Newburgh
- and Bayonne, New Jersey
Listeria and Listeriosis Symptoms, Risks and Complications
Listeria infections, known as listeriosis, can be severely harmful in children, the elderly, people with weak immune systems and pregnant women. It can cause stillbirth or miscarriage in pregnant women even if the mother’s symptoms are mild. Symptoms may begin in a flu-like manner, with gastrointestinal effects, and can worsen. People who think they may have contracted a listeriosis infection should see a doctor immediately.
E. coli Outbreak Fears Prompt New York Ground Beef Recall
An E. coli ground beef recall has been issued by Crown I Enterprises, Inc. of Bay Shore, New York, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The FSIS classifies this E. coli O157:H7 ground beef recall as a “Class I” Recall, which means, according to the FSIS:
“This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
The recall involves about 3,700 pounds of various ground beef products that may be contaminated with this dangerous pathogen. This was discovered through microbiological testing by the FSIS. The potentially Ecoli-contaminated beef products that are being recalled have the establishment code “EST. 20889″ inside the USDA mark of inspection and are dated “10164″ and “10166.” Produced on June 11, 2010, and June 15, 2010, these products were distributed to food service institutions in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York and include the following products:
- 24, 8-ounce burgers in 12-pound boxes of “W.B. STOCKYARD, KEEP REFRIGERATED, BURGER FRESH, WB HOME STYLE 8 OZ.”
- 32, 6-ounce burgers in 12-pound boxes of “W.B. STOCKYARD, KEEP REFRIGERATED, BURGER FRESH 6 OZ.”
- 48, 4-ounce burgers in 12-pound boxes of “W.B. STOCKYARD, KEEP REFRIGERATED, BURGER FRESH, 4 OZ.”
- 10-pound boxes of “W.B. STOCKYARD, KEEP REFRIGERATED, BEEF GROUND/EXTRA LEAN.”
- 10- and 20-pound boxes of “W.B. STOCKYARD, KEEP REFRIGERATED, BEEF GROUND 80/20.”
E. coli Prevention Research Targets Pathogens in Cattle
E. coli prevention research shows evidence of progress toward keeping e coli outbreaks from happening by stopping the bacteria where it starts–inside cattle’s digestive systems, according to news reports.
Microbiologists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have been working with the USDA on a study that will soon be reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study shows that it can be possible to hinder the harmful E. coli O157:H7 bacterium from colonizing in cattle in the first place, therefore lessening the likelihood that it could contaminate water and food supplies and sicken humans.
“If we can find a way to prevent these bacteria from ever colonizing in cattle, it’s possible that we can have a real impact on human disease.” said Dr. Vanessa Sperandio, associate professor of microbiology and an author of the study. Sperandio said the study is significant because the harmful pathogen is carried in about 70 to 80 percent of cattle herds in the United States. Although E coli 0157 can be deadly for humans it can live in the guts of cattle without harming them.
Montclair Meat Ground Beef E. coli Recall
Montclair Meat Co., Inc., a Montclair, Calif., establishment is recalling approximately 53,000 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The products subject to recall include:
- Various pound packages of “MONTCLAIR MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF”
- Various pound packages of “MONTCLAIR MEAT CO. ALL BEEF PATTIES”
Each package bears establishment number “Est. 6116″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. These ground beef products were produced between the dates of May 3, 2010 through May 13, 2010, and were shipped to retailers and federal establishments for further processing in the Los Angeles, California, metropolitan area.
The problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.
