In the news

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced t that Butterball, LLC, from Mount Olive, N.C., recalled approximately 78,164 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Schwarzengrund. The prepared raw ground turkey was produced on July 7, 2018. These items were shipped to institutional and retail locations nationwide. FSIS and public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, have been investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund illnesses involving 5 case patients from 2 states. Wisconsin collected three intact Butterball brand ground turkey samples from a residence where 4 of the case patients live. The case patients and ground turkey Salmonella Schwarzengrund isolates are closely related, genetically. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-030-2019-release

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC, from Martinsville, Va., recalled approximately 191,928 pounds of ready-to-eat pork sausage products that may be adulterated due to possible product tampering that occurred following the production process. The heat stable, ready-to-eat pork sausages were produced and packaged for Conagra Brand / Duke’s Meats Corp. on various dates between Jan. 16 and March 7, 2019. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide before the problem was discovered on March 11, 2019. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-029-2019-release

The FDA announced that Hometown Food Company initiated a limited, voluntary retail-level recall on two specific lot codes of its Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose 5 lb Flour (UPC 51500-22241)because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. Approximately 12,245 cases of impacted Pillsbury® Unbleached All Purpose Flour product were distributed through a limited number of retailers and distributors nationwide. There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with this recall. Flour is made from wheat that is minimally processed, and therefore, it should not be considered a ready-to-eat product. It is an ingredient for baked, fried, and cooked products, and these heating processes ensure the safety of flour with proper handling. All surfaces and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should wash their hands after handling flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should not eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm633320.htm?utm_campaign=Hometown%20Food%20Company%20Recalls%20Two%20Production%20LOT%20Codes%20of%20Pillsbury%C2%AE%20Unbleached%20All-Purpose&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

After the resignation of FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb was announced last week, Ned Sharpless (National Cancer Institute Director) will serve as acting FDA Commissioner, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. The administration is currently searching for a permanent replacement, Azar told the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Hearing. “It will be an honor to advance the FDA’s critical public health mission and build on its progress toward the priorities laid out by President Trump, Secretary Azar, and Commissioner Gottlieb alongside the leadership and staff of the agency,” Sharpless said in a statement. “There will be no let-up in the agency’s focus, from ongoing efforts on drug approvals and combating the opioid crisis to modernizing food safety and addressing the rapid rise in youth use of e-cigarettes,” Azar said in a statement. “Dr. Sharpless shares our mission and I know he will be embraced warmly by the Agency’s professional staff,” Gottlieb said. @ https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/12/national-cancer-institute-director-ned-sharpless-will-be-acting-fda-commissioner.html