food recall

It's amazing that tiny nuts could cause so much trouble. Last week Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. recalled more than two million pounds of roasted pistachios shipped since last Fall, and now the recall has been expanded to include all raw nuts and all roasted nuts from the producer's 2008 crop.

It's seen as a proactive move because there have been no confirmed illnesses, but health officials don't want to take any chances this time around and the FDA has indicated it will issue more sweeping decisions like this going forward. Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods at the FDA commented, "We’re going to try to stop people from getting sick in the first place, as opposed to waiting until we have illness and death before we take action."

Check the FDA website for its list of products affected by the recall, and if you don't see a pistachio-containing product that's in your pantry, don't eat it for a few weeks until there's more news about specific items. So far the list contains items such as trail mix, ice cream, and candy. Food safety first!

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Could peanut butter be the new milk? Following a salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter, Kellogg's announced late yesterday that it has asked stores to halt sales of all Austin and Keebler peanut butter sandwiches.While the company says it hasn't received any complaints or found any issues related to the products, Kellogg's has voluntarily ceased the sale of these products as a precautionary measure, after its supplier, Peanut Corp. of America, issued a recall for its peanut butter, due to possible contamination.

Austin and Keebler are pulling toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers, cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers, and peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers from store shelves across the country.

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Oops! Nestlé did it again. In July, Nestlé recalled some Lean Pockets for having plastic bits in them, and now the company has announced it is recalling 879,565 pounds of Lean Cuisine frozen chicken meals for the same reason. The presence of small pieces of hard plastic led some customers to complain and caused one injury. All of the affected products are chicken-based meals.

Check your freezer for the following products subject to recall, and call Nestlé Consumer Services Center at (800) 227-6188 with any questions.

• Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken With Bow Tie Pasta: Production code "8280595912" with a "Best Before" date of "May 2010."
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean: Production code "8231595912" or "8241595912" with "Best Before" date of "Sept 2010"; production code "8263595912" "8269595911" or "8274595912" with a "Best Before" date of "Oct 2010"; or, production code “8291595912” or “8301595912,” with a “Best Before" date of "Nov 2010.”
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan: Production code “8234595911” and “Best Before" date of "Sept 2009”; production code “8253595911” or “8269595912” with a “Best Before" date of "Oct 2009”; or, production code of “8292595911” or “8296595911” with a “Best Before" date of "Nov 2009.”

My pal Yum isn't pleased with this news either. If you're now inspired to cook your own food, she's has recipes galore for you to browse for inspiration.

Yikes! Nestlé Prepared Foods, the manufacturer of Hot Pockets, is recalling more than 215,000 pounds of Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza after several pieces of red, hard plastic and clear rubber material were discovered inside some of the pockets. The recall is for 54-ounce, 12-pack cartons of Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza with the following codes printed on the sides of each carton: 8157544614D, EST 7721A, and BEST BEFORE JAN2010.

This is the second recall this Summer for Hot Pockets. Just last month, 350,000 packages of two-pack Spinach Artichoke Chicken Lean Pockets were recalled for the same reason. Perhaps it's time to lay off the pockets for a while.

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I am not really a big fan of processed food, but I have been known to experiment with Whole Grain Lean Pockets. So the news that something went awry in the Lean Pockets processing plant and some pockets ended up with plastic bits in them, interested me. I like to keep track of these things.

After receiving two complaints from the USDA, Nestle has begun recalling nearly 200,000 pounds of frozen stuffed chicken sandwiches from stores nationwide. Only Spinach Artichoke Chicken Lean Pockets, sold with two sandwiches per box, are being recalled. Look for the "Best Before" date of "Nov 2009" followed by a package code beginning "8144 544616." Also printed on the side of the package is the establishment number "P7721A."

These Lean Pockets hit stores around May 23, so check your freezer too.

The folks at Gorton's Seafood are recalling their Gorton's 6 Crispy Battered Fish Fillets because one customer has found pills in her food.

Tracy Rowan of New Freedom, Penn., sat down to eat her fillets only to discover they contained several beige aspirin-sized pills.

The product is being recalled in Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. The UPC number is #4440015770 and the date code is 7289G1. If you have any of these boxes, you are urged to call Gorton's for a refund at 800-896-9479.

If you're still concerned, the US FDA has more information.

In related news, Salad Cosmo USA is recalling alfalfa sprouts sold in northern and central California and Washington.

Trader Joe's has also recalled tubs of of alfalfa sprouts from Nature's Choice Alfalfa Sprouts.

Both sprout recalls are due to possible salmonella contamination.

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You've probably heard by now, but just in case, yesterday, the USDA recalled 143 million pounds of frozen beef. Yes, millions.

The largest beef recall in the US is occurring because Southern California based slaughterhouse Westland/Hallmark — the one that was recently shut down because of sick and mistreated animals — did not receive complete and proper inspections. Due to that fact, the Food Safety and Inspection Service has stated that the meat is unfit for human consumption.

The meat was sent to many federal school lunch programs, as well as several large fast-food chains. They estimate that 37 million pounds have already been consumed, and that no reported illnesses have occurred. The recall is more of a precaution since sick animals pose a higher risk of contamination.

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The Rochester Meat Company of Minnesota has voluntarily recalled 188,000 pounds of ground-beef patties and other meat products because of an E. coli scare. Six illnesses were reported, one in California and five in Wisconsin. This dangerous strain of E. coli — O157:H7 — can be potentially deadly for the elderly, the very young, and those with weakened immune systems. It can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

The beef was produced from Oct. 30 through Nov. 6, and was shipped nationwide for use in restaurants. For a complete list of recalled products, check out the USDA's website. If you have any questions about the recall, you can call the company's quality assurance manager at 507-529-4759.

Fit's Tip: If you think you may have consumed bad meat, call your doctor immediately.

Listen up! The first ground beef recall of 2008 has arrived. The Rochester Meat Company of Rochester, Minn., has voluntarily recalled over 180,000 lbs. of ground beef due to a possible E. coli contamination. The recall comes after five illnesses in Wisconsin and one in California.

The scariest part is that the product is actually not available on a retail level, but is sold for commercial purposes. So hopefully the places where you're eating ground beef are being diligent in their practices. Make sure that ground beef patties have been cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. I know, some of you prefer yours a little more rare than that, but it's better to be safe than sorry, no?

If you're concerned about the meat your restaurant has, find out which boxes are being recalled.

Attention Metromint fans, the Soma Beverage Company — makers of Metromint — are recalling all bottles of Metromint flavors Peppermint, Spearmint, Orangemint, and Lemonmint that have a best before stamp of 2008/12/21 and were produced at its California facility (letters KSA located in the lower right-hand corner).

Why the recall? Turns out the bottles may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus, a type of food poisoning. If you've got your mitts on a recalled bottle return it to the place where you purchased it, and don't drink it as it could cause a wide range of symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting.

Uh oh, sounds like someone's got a PR nightmare on their hands. The water is normally pretty refreshing; it's bottled water with a splash of minty freshness. The company is pretty young and is still building a fan base. I hope this recall doesn't set them back too far.

If you're concerned and would like to speak with someone, Soma Beverage can be contacted at 415-979-0781, ext. 101.