HotDog Recall - Incomplete Listeria Testing

Maple Leaf recalls wieners, citing incomplete listeria testing

Maple Leaf Foods has voluntarily recalled hundreds of cases of wieners that had not completed tests for the listeria bacteria species.

The affected products were shipped to Eastern Canada, mostly to Ontario, Maple Leaf spokeswoman Linda Smith told CBC News.

People who have purchased 450 gram packs of Shopsy's Deli Fresh All Beef Frankfurters (product code 20730 and UPC 6487520730, best before date of April 22 and 23) and Maple Leaf Hot Dogs (product code 22356 and UPC 6310022356, best before date of April 23) are advised not to consume them.

Smith said 1,100 cases of wieners were quarantined for a second round of testing at a plant in Hamilton, Ont., but they were mistakenly shipped out prematurely. Initial testing revealed a partial positive result for a listeria species, Smith said. Maple Leaf says it tests for all six listeria species, not just Listeria monocytogenes.

It is not known whether the recalled wieners have tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a species that can be fatal in humans and was blamed for last year's deadly listeriosis outbreak.

More listeria-related recalls likely: McCain

"Unlike other situations, this event occurred as a direct result of human error and did not uphold our stringent industry leading protocols," said Michael McCain, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods.

Smith said the recalled shipment is small — there are 12 packs of wieners in each case. She estimated that each pack contains between 10 and 12 wieners. Maple Leaf expects to have all the recalled wieners in its possession by tomorrow morning at the latest, she said.

The company said the wieners are being taken off shelves "immediately," and that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is overseeing the recall. Maple Leaf said no illnesses were reported as a result of consuming the wieners, and that "the risk to human health is extremely low."

"As we have seen with the wide range of food products which have been recalled to date in 2009, as enhanced surveillance becomes more pervasive in the food industry, positive listeria findings and related recalls will occur more frequently," said McCain.

"This should be regarded positively as it provides assurance that the industry and government are acting swiftly to protect public health."

According to the Canadian Food Directorate, one to 10 per cent of all prepared food contains listeria.

Maple Leaf is still dealing with fallout from the company's involvement in last year's listeriosis outbreak. The deaths of 17 people were linked to meat contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes produced at a Maple leaf plant in Toronto last summer.

Source: CBC.ca

SuperSize Toxicity - French Fries under Fire

French-fry chemical may go on toxic list

Worries that Canadians might be inadvertently ingesting too much cancer-causing acrylamide from French fries, potato chips and other processed foods has prompted Health Canada to recommend adding the chemical to the country's toxic substances list.

Acrylamide is an industrial chemical that isn't naturally found in foods, but is produced accidentally when sugars and other items in potatoes and grains are exposed to high cooking temperatures.

It has also been detected in breakfast cereals, pastries, cookies, breads, rolls, toast, cocoa products and coffee, although at levels far below those in fried potato products.

The decision to recommend placing acrylamide on the toxic list is being announced in today's Canada Gazette, and is part of an ongoing review by the federal government of nearly two hundred potentially harmful substances in widespread commercial use that have never been subject to extensive safety assessments.

The gazette notice on the chemical, which was posted on the Internet yesterday afternoon, said the toxic listing was based on the "carcinogenic potential" of acrylamide and the lack of an adequate safety margin at current exposures for causing reproductive and developmental harm during fetal and early life development.

The government didn't announce specific steps to control exposures to acrylamide in fries and chips, but said that it planned to use the Food and Drugs Act "to reduce the inadvertent production of acrylamide in certain processed foods intended for human consumption."

Acrylamide is also used to make polymers found in grout, cement, waste water treatment, pesticides, cosmetics, and diapers, among other products. The data posted by the government didn't give any indication that these non-food uses would be regulated.

The toxic announcement was greeted positively by environmentalists, who have been arguing that potentially dangerous chemicals in consumer goods need to be limited.

"We think it's particularly important to list the chemicals that are in common, everyday items," said Aaron Freeman, a spokesman for Environmental Defence, a Toronto-based advocacy group. He said the government should move quickly to introduce control measures.

Source: theGlobeandMail.com

Crib Recall - Health Canada

Health Canada recalls crib

Health Canada is asking parents to stop using a particular crib that was manufactured in Chile and imported to Canada by Bambino Reale Furniture, a company that's gone out of business.

There is a potential for a serious fall-related injury, although to date Health Canada says it hasn't received any reports of injuries related to these cribs.

The model number is 612C19CH.

Because the company, a subsidiary of Quebec-based Ragazzi Furniture, has gone out of business, Health Canada hasn't been able to determine how many of the cribs were sold in Canada, or when they were sold.

The warning was issued following a complaint by a consumer in Alberta and a determination that the cribs don't meet labelling and minimum side height requirements for cribs.

Health Canada says the cribs don't provide an adequate barrier to prevent infants and young children from falling out or climbing out.

The cribs should be disassembled and disposed of in a way that they won't be used again.

Source: theGlobeandMail.com

Cancer Risk Elevated with Alcohol Intake for Women

Just a little alcohol a day boosts cancer risk for women

The old motto may be everything in moderation, but middle-aged women who enjoy a daily glass of alcohol should try on a new mantra if they want to lower their cancer risk, new research suggests.

In a study of nearly 1.2 million women, British researchers found that even low to moderate alcohol consumption can boost a woman's risk of developing cancers of the breast, liver, rectum and, in smokers, the mouth and throat, by as much as 13 per cent combined.

These cancers have already been linked to alcohol consumption but in much higher doses, according to the study published yesterday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute's online edition.

Most previous studies linking alcohol use and cancer risk have focused on men who drank to excess, says Naomi Allen, lead study author and cancer epidemiologist with the University of Oxford. But this discovery sheds a disturbing light on how even a small amount of alcohol consumed on a regular basis raises the risk of cancer, specifically in females, she says.

“What's novel about this study is even though it's low level of drinking – about one or two alcoholic drinks regularly consumed each day – it increases a woman's risk not just of developing breast cancer, which has been well established already, but also cancer of the liver, cancer of the rectum and in smokers cancer of the mouth and throat,” she says. “These are cancers that were commonly believed to be associated with high alcohol consumption.”

Dr. Allen and her research team analyzed data from the Million Women Study, which included more than a million middle-aged British women surveyed at breast cancer screenings between 1996 and 2001. These women, with an average age of 55, were routinely tracked for incidence of cancer. Of the women who reported drinking, the average alcohol intake was 10 grams, or one drink a day. In the study, moderate drinking for women was defined as less than 21 drinks a week or three a day. Researchers controlled for smoking status, and whether the women had undergone hormone replacement therapy and considered the women's ages, socioeconomic background and place of residence among many other factors.

In all cases, the more a woman drank the higher her risk rate climbed, Dr. Allen says.

The study also found that the type of alcohol consumed made no difference. A glass of red wine – widely acknowledged for reducing the risk of heart disease – and a glass of spirits increased risk the same way, Dr. Allen says.

These findings may call into question the recommended daily glass of red wine, she acknowledges. It's a confusing mixed message, but she views her study as just one more thing for women to discuss with their doctors.

“Only [after] you've examined heart disease in the same populations would we be in a position to comment on the overall risks and benefits of moderate alcohol drinking in women,” she says. It will then be the responsibility of expert committees and governmental health organizations to create guidelines for the public. “I think women have to be as well informed as possible and only then can they take responsible action over how much alcohol they drink.”

Cardiologists actually don't recommend non-drinkers start sipping wine daily says Michael Lauer, the director of the Division of Prevention and Population Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, MD.

“There is this lore that a drink a day is good for you, but if you look at the message, it's more nuanced,” he says. “The message is it may be a reduced risk, but this is something you need to discuss with your doctor.”

In an editorial also published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , Dr. Lauer said the Oxford team's research offered “fascinating findings that should give us pause.”

Dr. Allen says she plans to test for heart disease incidence and morality rates among participants in the Million Women Study so that clearer recommendations can be made. She also wants to track what impact drinking patterns have on increased cancer risk.

Source: theGlobeandMail.ca

Listeria Food Recall

Listeria concerns prompt recalls

A health warning has been issued for two products the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says may be contaminated with the Listeria bacteria.

One is egg salad manufactured by Plaisirs Gastronomique Inc. of Boisbriand, Que., and included in some Ziggy brand egg salad sandwiches. These Ziggy's brand products bear a best-before date up to and including Feb. 17 and are distributed in Ontario and Quebec.

The warning also covers various products containing egg salad at some chain stores and other retailers and deli stores in Quebec and Ontario.

Consumers who bought the affected products between Feb. 2 and Feb. 17 are advised to check the retailer to see if they have the recalled products.

The agency has issued a similar warning for Kanata Smoke House brand Smoked Atlantic Salmon sold from Costco stores in Quebec. The product is sold in 500 gram packages (bearing UPC 8 19269 00350 5 and Product code 3001 Best Before 2009 FE
Source: theGlobeandMail.ca

Ontario Promotes New Health Info Site

Ontario touts new service to help Ontarians find an MD, neighbourhood clinics

Ontario has announced a program aimed easing the pressure on hospital emergency rooms by linking patients with family doctors and clinics close to home.

Emergency departments see more than five million patients every year, and about half of those visits are for non-urgent conditions.

Health Minister David Caplan says the new service will help people get the care faster and closer to home.

Health Care Connect is a hotline — 1-800-445-1822 — staffed by nurses that residents can call to help find a family health-care provider.

The province has also compiled health information on a website that contains details about health-care facilities.

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/ms/healthcareoptions/public/index.html

The site allows residents to type in a postal code and find the nearest walk-in and after-hours clinics, urgent care centres, family health teams, general practitioners and emergency rooms.

The government is also pledging to expand the site to offer information on all front-line health services in Ontario, including community care centres, laboratories and long-term care homes.

Source: CBC.ca

Atkins Granola Bar Warning - Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Granola bar may contain contaminated peanuts: CFIA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned the public on Wednesday not to eat the Atkins Advantage Peanut Butter Granola Bar because it may be contaminated with salmonella.

The granola bar, manufactured in Canada, comes in 48-gram packages and carries best-before dates of June 6, 2009, and July 19, 2009.

The agency said the granola bar contains peanut products that have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada by the Peanut Corporation of America as a result of a salmonella outbreak that has made 600 people sick in the U.S. The outbreak may be linked to eight deaths.

Canadians were also warned not to consume chocolate-covered peanuts, including sugar-free ones, sold in unmarked, clear plastic, cone-shaped containers with gold foil tops, by Golden Chocolate in Lakeshore, Ont.

The chocolate-covered peanuts, manufactured in the U.S., come in 220-gram and 440-gram packages.

The warning also applies to Sunbird Snacks yogurt trail mix, health mix and chocolate peanut butter blast, all manufactured in the U.S. but which may have been available in Canada.

"This is an ongoing food safety investigation," the agency said in a news release Wednesday.

The agency said it is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to identify and remove all affected products imported into Canada from the U.S.

CFIA is also working with Canadian manufacturers to recall foods containing affected U.S. peanuts.

The salmonella outbreak has led to the recall of more than 1,800 products in the U.S. and more than 200 products in Canada.

Peanut Corp. is currently being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the U.S. Its corporate headquarters in Lynchburg, Va., were raided by the FBI on the weekend, and two of its plants, one in Georgia and the other in Texas, have been closed while the investigation continues.

It makes only about one per cent of U.S. peanut products, but its ingredients are used by dozens of other food companies.

Source: CBC.ca