In the news

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert because approximately 70 pounds of raw beef ravioli products produced by P&S Ravioli Company (Philadelphia, PA) because the product may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. A recall was not requested because the affected product is no longer available for purchase. FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. The frozen, raw ground beef ravioli items were produced on April 30, 2020. 13-oz. boxes containing “P&S RAVOLI COMPANY 12 JUMBO MEAT RAVIOLI” with a use-by date of 11/30/2020 and lot code 20121. These items were shipped to a limited number of retail locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The problem was discovered when P&S Ravioli Company was notified by their Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories that a sample was positive for E. coli O157:H7. The products associated with the sample had already been shipped into commerce. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/home/!ut/p/a1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOINAg3MDC2dDbwsfDxdDDz9AtyMgnyMDf3dDIAKIkEKcABHA0L6w_WjUJX4Wxq6AZWEBfp7OzsbWPgZwxTgtqIgN8Ig01FREQBCfym8/?1dmy&page=gov.usda.fsis.internet.topics&urile=wcm%3apath%3a%2FFSIS-Content%2Finternet%2Fmain%2Fnewsroom%2Fnews-releases-statements-and-transcripts%2Fnews-release-archives-by-year%2Farchive%2F2020%2Fpha-05122020-01

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) recalled Wild Harvest® Organic Basil distributed out of UNFI’s Hopkins, MN distribution center, to select retailers in Minnesota between 4/18/2020-5/8/2020. The recall is issued due to potential contamination with Cyclospora cayetanensis. No illnesses, including allergic reactions, involving this product, have been reported to date. The recall includes Wild Harvest® Organic Fresh Basil products sold in .25oz, .75oz, 2oz, and 4oz plastic clamshell containers (UPCs: 0071153550450, 0071153550322, 0071153550762, 0071153550323). The product can be identified by a white sticker with black ink on the back of the container, stating: “Product of Colombia” and “112.” This concern was identified following routine sampling.  @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/unfi-voluntarily-recalls-wild-harvestr-organic-basil-due-possible-health-risk?utm_campaign=UNFI%20Voluntarily%20Recalls%20Wild%20Harvest%C2%AE%20Organic%20Basil%20Due%20to%20Possible%20Health%20Risk&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

USA Today reports that foodborne illness investigations have slowed, and food recalls have plummeted to their lowest levels in years because of the coronavirus. The pandemic stopped communications of federal agencies tasked with stopping contaminated food before it leaves farms and factories to the state health departments that test sick residents for foodborne illnesses like E. coli. The number of FDA inspections dropped from an average of more than 900 a month to just eight in April. Along with that, the FDA citations issued for unsafe conditions dropped from hundreds a month to nearly zero in April. Weekly reports from the FDA show the number of recalls dropping from 173 in February to 105 in March to 70 in April. The USDA numbers dropped from an average of more than ten a month to an unprecedented zero in March and just two in April. Through May 7, the CDC has solved two outbreaks by the same time last year; there had been recalls of products across five different outbreaks, which sickened more than 300. Many experts said they believe the drop-off in detecting foodborne illnesses may be caused by Americans choosing to stay home rather than seek treatment and testing for stomach problems. @ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/11/food-inspections-citations-and-recalls-slashed-amid-coronavirus/3065141001/

A lawsuit of wrongful death was brought against JBS SA, the world’s biggest meat company by the family of an employee that died from coronavirus. JBS, based in Sao Paulo, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit. In a statement earlier this week, the U.S. unit said it was “doing everything possible to provide a safe working environment for our team members.”This might be the beginning of a lawsuit wave against meat companies after thousands of U.S. workers contracted the virus. At least 27 meatpacking workers have died in the coronavirus pandemic, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. In another lawsuit a Texas state court against Dallas-based Quality Sausage Co. earlier this week. Smithfield Foods Inc. was sued last month by employees at a rural Missouri pork-processing facility. They argued that the company hadn’t done enough to protect workers from the virus. U.S. District Judge David Gregory Kays on Tuesday declined to hear the case, saying it’s up to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not the courts, to oversee safeguards for workers. The pandemic emphasized worker conditions at slaughterhouses, where cold, damp factories and crowded workstations make infectious diseases particularly hard to control. @ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-07/world-s-top-meat-company-sued-for-wrongful-death-in-philadelphia?sref=pqQBM94V&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202020-05-11%20Daily%20Dive%20%5Bissue:27269%5D&utm_term=Food%20Dive