In the news

Belgium based Greenyard, is a producer of fresh, frozen and prepared fruits and vegetables. Its facility in Hungary is linked to an outbreak that has sickened 47 people in five European countries. Nine people have died. After insurance, Greenyard estimates that the total costs of the recall of frozen vegetables linked to Listeria monocytogenes to be €30 million ($35millions). Trade in the Greenyard share on Monday morning, opened at 8 euro, in the afternoon the stock even dropped to 7.5 euro: a loss of 35 percent. This is the lowest level since the summer of 2012. The company has now closed the Hungary plant and is conducting an investigation into the root cause of the contamination. @ https://www.freshfruitportal.com/news/2018/07/17/greenyard-listeria-cost-hungary-frozen/

Win Opportunity Knocks, doing business as Ottomanelli Wholesale Meats Inc., from St. Petersburg, Fla., recalled approximately 6,020 pounds of fresh and frozen, raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O45, O103 and O145, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The fresh and frozen, raw ground beef products were produced from June 18, 2018 through July 11, 2018. The problem was discovered when FSIS was notified that the product was tested by the establishment and found positive for E. coli under their sampling program. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-064-2018-release

Hy-Vee, Inc., based in West Des Moines, Iowa, recalled its Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad due to the potential that it may be contaminated with Salmonella. The potential for contamination was brought to Hy-Vee’s attention last night when approximately 20 illnesses in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa were potentially linked back to customers consuming the salad. The voluntary recall includes Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salads in both 1 pound (16 oz.) and 3 pounds (48 oz.) containers produced between June 1, 2018, and July 13, 2018, and available from the deli service case. The pasta salad was distributed to all of Hy-Vee’s 244 grocery stores across its eight-state. The product comes in a plastic container with a plastic lid. The expiration date range is between June 22, 2018, and Aug. 3, 2018. The expiration date can be found on the side of the container. @ https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm613777.htm

Two New York-based food processing companies (Euroline Foods, LLC, Royal Seafood Baza, Inc.) have agreed to stop preparing a variety of ready-to-eat foods and salt-cured and pickled fish because the facility’s food preparation areas were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes until the companies can comply with federal food safety laws and regulations. On July 16, 2018, U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan for the Eastern District of New York entered a consent decree of permanent injunction between the U.S. and Euroline Foods, LLC, Royal Seafood Baza, Inc.; the companies’ co-owners Eduard Shnayder, Syoma Shnayder and Albert Niyazov; and a manager, Oleg Polischouk. FDA found widespread contamination with Listeria monocytogenes in the facility.@ https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm613759.htm?utm_campaign=07172018_PR_New%20York-based%20food%20processors%20agree%20to%20stop%20food%20preparation&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua