In the news

November 3, 2022, the FDA announced that Kalera Public Limited Company (Nasdaq: KAL) is voluntarily recalling 633 cases of Krunch, Butter, and Romaine whole head variety of lettuce with lot codes 001293 and 001294 on the label due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The distribution of the products was limited to a small number of retail and foodservice customers in Florida. The Company has notified the customers about the contamination. It is working with the distributors to ensure consumers do not receive any of the products affected by the recall. The FDA was also notified. No illnesses have occurred or been reported to date.@ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/kalera-voluntarily-recalls-fresh-lettuce-products-because-possible-health-risk

In the CORE list of outbreaks and adverse events as of November 2, 2022, the investigation into the outbreak inked to ice cream supplied by Big Olaf Creamery of Sarasota, Florida, contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (reference #1057); the outbreak has ended, and FDA’s investigation has closed. For the outbreak of E. coli (reference #1121) in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 10 to 11 cases. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The FDA, CDC, and local partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to Brie and Camembert soft cheese products, including all baked Brie cheeses, manufactured by Old Europe Cheese, Inc. of Benton Harbor, MI, and sold at various retailers under multiple labels and brands. On September 30, 2022, Old Europe Cheese, Inc. voluntarily recalled multiple brands of Brie and Camembert cheeses produced at their Michigan facility. On October 5, 2022, the company expanded the recall to include multiple brands of baked Brie products. On October 28, 2022, an extended list of establishments was produced. The retailers were in Alabama, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont that received recalled bulk Brie and Camembert cheese from Old Europe Cheese, Inc. was added to the firm’s recall notification. Illnesses were reported in CA, GA, MA, MI, NJ, and TX. FDA’s investigation is ongoing to determine if additional products are potentially contaminated. Updates to this advisory will be provided as they become available. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-listeria-monocytogenes-brie-and-camembert-soft-cheese-products-september-2022?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert reported that the management at the Jif peanut butter plant in Lexington, Kentucky, knew that some Jif peanut butter products manufactured between December 2021 and late February 2022 were contaminated with Salmonella but did not report this to the FDA or initiate a product recall at the time. This information is contained in documents supplied to eFoodAlert by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. In the first quarter of 2022, the CDC got reports of individuals who had become infected with a single genetic strain of Salmonella Senftenberg. Ultimately, the CDC would identify twenty-one outbreak victims residing in 17 states. Four of the victims were hospitalized. A recall was initiated On May 20, 2022. Inspection observation revealed that the company found sporadic Salmonella contamination beginning in 2018 and did not report it to the FDA. Two new roasters were identified as the source of the outbreak. The defective installation allowed rainwater and unfiltered air to enter the roasters and contact the roasted peanuts after the roasting step. @ https://efoodalert.com/category/peanut-butter/