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The CDC and FDA are investigating a Salmonella outbreak that might be linked to Duncan Hines Classic White cake mix. Conagra Brands is collaborating with health officials in the investigation and has decided to voluntarily recall the specific Duncan Hines variety identified (Classic White) and three other varieties (Classic Butter Golden, Signature Confetti and Classic Yellow) made during the same time period out of an abundance of caution. The investigation is ongoing. Five occurrences of illnesses due to Salmonella are being researched by CDC and FDA as part of this investigation. Several of the individuals reported consuming a cake mix at some point prior to becoming ill, and some may have also consumed these products raw and not baked. The products covered by this recall were distributed for retail sale in the U.S. and limited international exports. Consumers are reminded not to consume any raw batter. Cake mixes and batter can be made with ingredients such as eggs or flour which can carry risks of bacteria that are rendered harmless by baking, frying or boiling. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625144.htm

The commissioner said that the FDA goal is to provide faster and actionable information to consumers related to recalls. Dr. Gottlieb claims that currently, on average, recall happens within 4 days of being discovered. The FDA saw several cases where companies did not agree to voluntarily recall their products. Therefore, today they are taking further steps to implement the FDA’s mandatory recall authority. The FDA will give companies an opportunity to conduct a voluntary recall before ordering a mandatory recall. To date, the FDA had issued only one mandatory recall (on April 2018, for all food products containing powdered kratom manufactured, processed, packed, or held by Triangle Pharmanaturals LLC, due to Salmonella contamination). FDA already acted on the new guidelines, issuing a public warning on imported crab meat from Venezuela as soon as they discovered that there were Vibrio illnesses in several states associated with that product. The FDA also recalled vegetable products that were embedded in many other products. Dr Gottlieb promised that “We’ll continue to improve our policies related to food safety and recalls, and advance our authorities to make sure that that we arm consumers with information to protect themselves and their families.” @ https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm625061.htm?utm_campaign=11052018_Statement_FDA%E2%80%99s%20effort%20to%20make%20more%20robust%20use%20of%20mandatory%20recall%20authority&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

After recently raising additional $21M, Clear Labs has raised a total of $45M to date from Menlo Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Wing Venture Capital, and others. Clear Labs claims to be the only automated and intelligent NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) platform built specifically for food safety testing. The company’s main food safety product is a high-volume testing for Salmonella. Clear Lab expects to add additional pathogens and software features in 2019. The company is currently conducting customer evaluations in preparation for general availability. The company enrolled companies constituting 90% of the U.S. poultry market, 85% of the pet food market, and 50% of the U.S.’s third-party service labs. Clear Safety combines state-of-the-art NGS sequencing, advanced microbiology, robotic automation, data science, and software analytics to significantly lower the costs of pathogen testing while achieving 99.9% accuracy. The NGS platform collects hundreds of millions of data points per analysis that can be used to learn everything about a pathogen in a single test. This data also serves as the foundation for new applications from predictive risk assessment to nutrigenomics to new product development. Since its founding in 2014, the company has built the world’s largest food genomics database, which is comprised of millions of entries. Clear Labs has over 40 customers globally, including many of the leading food brands and service labs around the world. @ https://www.prweb.com/releases/clear_labs_raises_21m_series_b2_to_expand_clear_safety_worlds_only_automated_ngs_platform_for_routine_pathogen_testing/prweb15878205.htm

The FDA announced that Barcelona Nut Company of Baltimore, Maryland recalled 239 cases of roasted and salted in-shell pistachios because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The roasted and salted in-shell pistachios were distributed in Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, California, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, and Georgia through retail stores and direct delivery. No illnesses have been reported to date. Barcelona Nut Company’s processor and supplier, ARO, voluntarily initiated the recall after a separate and unaffiliated manufacturer performed a routine test which revealed salmonella. Since Barcelona Nut Company received product from the same lot, it was necessary to take precautions. Barcelona Nut Company has ceased the production and distribution of this particular lot of roasted and salted in shell pistachios as the FDA and the companies involved continue their investigation. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625001.htm