Food Recalls due to Listeria monocytogenes in the News Again

As we reported earlier Listeria monocytogenes was a major reason for recalls according to “summary of recall cases in Calendar Year 2016”, by the FSIS/USDA, accounting for over 80% of the pathogen recall cases. Currently, this trend is continuing, with many recalls due to L. monocytogenes.

Hillcrest Dairy in Moravia NY

The New York State Department of Agriculture urged consumers in Cayuga County not to consume raw milk cheeses (“Old Fashioned Raw Milk Monterey Jack,” “Horseradish Monterey Jack,” and “Chipotle Adobo Monterey Jack”) made by Ripley Dairy LLC, from Moravia, New York because they might be contaminated with Listeria. The products are packaged in a plastic shrink-wrapped and marked with Hillcrest Dairy name and were made from raw milk.

The NY Department of Agriculture announcement claimed that “A routine sample of the cheese, taken by an inspector from the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services on August 9, 2017, was subsequently tested by the New York State Food Laboratory and tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.  On August 11, 2017, the manufacturer was notified of a preliminary positive test result and voluntarily recalled the product from all their customers.  Test results were confirmed on August 17, 2017.  The cheese will be destroyed by the manufacturer.”

To date, no illnesses associated with this product have been reported to the Department.

Expresco Foods Inc Montréal, Québec

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS/USDA) announced that the company recalled approximately 20,446 pounds of imported, fully cooked chicken skewer products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. American authorities found Listeria monocytogenes during a routine foreign shipment inspection.

The recall includes both Expresco and West End Cuisine brand chicken kabobs. Expresco produced the products between Aug. 9 and 15. The products were distributed to retail locations in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Texas.  There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

SunOpta, a subsidiary, Sunrise Growers in Kansas

The FDA announces that SunOpta Inc’s subsidiary, Sunrise Growers Inc. is issuing a voluntary recall of frozen organic dark sweet pitted cherry products due to the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
 
The recall includes frozen organic dark sweet pitted cherry products distributed from Sunrise Grower’s facility in Edwardsville, Kansas on August 10, 2017. The contamination was discovered during routine testing.

Ninety cases of Great Value, Organic Dark Sweet Pitted Cherry products, were recalled.  The products are packaged in 32 ounce printed plastic zip top bags. Some of the products were packaged under Walmart’s Great Value brand. These recalled products were distributed to a customer distribution center in Louisiana and may have been redistributed to stores in Louisiana and Mississippi.

No illnesses related to the consumption of these products have been reported.

Fair Oaks Farms, LLC, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS/USDA) announced that the company is recalling approximately 1,134 pounds of fully cooked pork sausage patties that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The fully cooked pork sausage patties were produced on August 8, 2017.

The contamination was discovered by Oaks Farms during routine testing. The products were put on hold at a distribution center but inadvertently they were shipped. The products were shipped to distribution and retail locations in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

While no adverse reaction was reported, FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.