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

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

Recalled Ground Beef Update

Canada's food watchdog, grocery chain update ground beef alert

Canada's food watchdog and Canada Safeway have released more information in the recall of certain fresh and frozen ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli.

Independent grocers may have resized, repackaged and relabelled the affected frozen ground beef patties, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Canada Safeway said Tuesday in the updated health hazard alert.

Consumers who are unsure if their product is included in the recall should contact the store.

The recall applies to the following products:

• Fresh ground beef (lean, regular, extra lean and market trim) sold at Safeway and independent grocery stores in B.C. and Alberta between May 24 and June 5, 2007. The products are marked with a best before dates from May 25 to June 6 inclusively.
• Butcher's Cut frozen ground beef patties sold in 1.13 kg packages. The products, which bear the UPC code UPC 58200 21604 and a Julian code date of 143, were sold on May 24, 2007, at Safeway and independent grocery stores in Western Canada, and in regions in Ontario west of Thunder Bay.
• Sunny Dawn frozen ground beef patties, marked with a Julian date 143-07, sold on or after May 24, 2007, at independent grocery stores in Western Canada, Yukon, Northwest Territories and in Ontario west of Thunder Bay.

Five associated illnesses have been reported, the CFIA said.

Food contaminated with the potentially life-threatening E. coli 0157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled, the federal agency said. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea, and some people may suffer seizures or strokes. Consumption of food spoiled with the bacteria may cause permanent kidney damage or death.
Source: CBC.ca

Recall on Nut Filling

Green Bean Cake being recalled due to undeclared sesame filling

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 | 5:39 AM ET

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to sesame seeds not to consume some packages of Green Bean Cake.

The affected product contains a sesame filling which is not declared on the label.

The Green Bean Cake was imported from China by Wing On New Group Canada Inc., in Markham, Ont.

The product is sold in 240 gram packages bearing the UPC 6 927091 806011 and all codes are affected by this alert.

There is no brand name listed in English or in French. This product has been distributed in Ontario.

There has been one reported reaction associated with the consumption of this product.

Consumption of this product may cause a serious or life-threatening reaction in persons with allergies to sesame seeds.

The importer is voluntarily recalling the affected product. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday).

Source: CBC.ca