7-Eleven's Burrito Maker Recalls Product Due To Listeria Contamination

Posted on December 31, 2008 by Listeria Lawyer

 There is a rich Hispanic culture in Denver.   You can have authentic breakfast burritos delivered hot to your office by folks who will remember your name and what you like.  So why anyone on the Front Range would stoop to buying their breakfast burritos at 7-Eleven is a mystery.   Nevertheless, some do and now those people need to be concerned.

The 5.3-ounce packages of "7- ELEVEN Fresh to Go BURRITO WITH POTATOES, BACON, EGGS, & MONTEREY JACK CHEESE" with a "Best By" date of "Thursday 1225" have been recalled.
The products bear the establishment number "EST. 19496" inside the USDA mark of inspection. That's the mark of Denver-based Home Fresh Sandwich Distributors, Inc., 7-Eleven's supplier.  

Home Fresh has recalled 172 pounds of its burrito product because it may be contaminated with  Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.  

It's unclear how wide a geographic area Home Fresh covers for 7-Eleven.  For more from the federal Food Safety and Inspection Service, go here.

 

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T. Piekutowski European Style Sausage Recalled Due To Testing Positive For Listeria

Posted on December 25, 2008 by Listeria Attorney

Christmas did not pass at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service without the need to issue a Class I, High Health Risk recall.   (We wonder if those new appointees are being told by the Obama transition team that they have to work weekends and holidays?)

Anyway, here's what is happening. Routine testing by FSIS of sausage made by T. Piekutowski in St. Louis on Dec. 18th and purchased on the 18th and 19th was positive for Listeria.   This led to this recall of 750 pounds of the European style sausage.

 

Details: Various sizes of Krakow sausage wrapped in unmarked butcher paper with no label. The products were custom wrapped at the establishment's retail outlet. Packages do not bear the establishment number or USDA mark of inspection.

Listeria can cause illness, death, and pregnancies ending in still birth.

 

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Maple Leaf Puts Class Action Litigation Behind It

Posted on December 18, 2008 by Listeria Lawyer
 

According to the Toronto Star, Maple Leaf Foods has agreed to pay as much as $27 million to victims of last summer's listeria outbreak. The funds will be divided based on the severity of the illness. Here is what is problematic:  Class actions were filed across the country and involved as many as 10 law firms. About 5,000 victims nationwide filled out an online questionnaire. At that rate, if divided equally, people would receive only $5,400 each. Remember, more than 20 people died.

Seems like $27 million is really just part of the this weeks Maple Leaf Foods weeklong media blitz - beginning with a tour of the newly renovated Bartor Rd. plant. CEO and President Michael McCain has been appearing on nationwide commercials, promoting the company's commitment to food safety. 

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Cambrooke Cheese & "Peanot" Recall After Finding Listeria

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Listeria Lawyer

Cambrooke Foods, LLC, of Framingham, MA, has recalled all batches of its Low Protein Imitation Cream Cheese (“Cheddar Wizard,” “Herb & Garlic,” and “Plain” flavors) due to possible listeria contamination.

Listeria was detected during routine testing before shipment in batches of Imitation Cream Cheese at the company’s Randolph, MA facility. These batches of Imitation Cream Cheese products were destroyed and never shipped to customers.

No illnesses have yet been reported for any batch of Imitation Cream Cheese. 

Cambrooke Foods® is also conducting a market withdrawal of all batches of its Low Protein Peanot Butter™ because it is produced using the same machinery used to produce the Imitation Cream Cheese products. Testing has not confirmed Listeria contamination in any batch of Low Protein Peanot Butter™ nor have any adverse events been reported as a result of its consumption. No other Cambrooke Foods® product is produced using this machinery.

These products are sold to customers with special dietary needs. Theseproducts are distributed directly to consumers and to a limited number of distributors in the U.S. and Canada.

The company has ceased the production and distribution of these products. Cambrooke Foods® is working directly with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the cause of the contamination.

For the FDA's post of the company's press release, go here.

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Ontario Ministry of Health Says Maple Leaf Listeria Outbreak Is Over

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Listeria Lawyer

Dr. David Williams, Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, said the listeria outbreak associated with Maple Leaf food products is over.

The date of onset of illness of the last individual associated with the outbreak was September 26.

Laboratory results for any listeria cases were monitored until November 26 since the incubation period for listeria can be as long as 70 days. Results showed that no cases of listeria after September 24 had the same DNA fingerprint as the cases linked to the outbreak.

 
# Total cases as of Dec. 8, 2008 # confirmed cases # cases under investigation
43 41 2
 
# deaths among confirmed cases # deaths where listeriosis was an underlying or contributing cause # deaths where cause is undetermined
22 15 7
 

 

QUOTES

“The listeriosis outbreak associated with the Maple Leaf food products is over,” said Dr. David Williams, Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We know this because no new listeria cases in the last 70 days or so has had the same DNA fingerprint as the cases linked to the outbreak.”

QUICK FACTS
  • The average age of confirmed cases is 77.
  • Almost all confirmed cases with complete information live in an institution or were hospitalized prior to the onset of the illness. Four confirmed cases were not hospitalized or did not reside in an institution prior to the onset of the illness, and a small number of confirmed cases have information pending.

For more information from the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, please go here.

 

 

 

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Chile And Canada Are Both Up Against Listeria

Posted on December 5, 2008 by Listeria Attorney

Canada and Chile are combatting listeria. The Canwest News Service reports:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a warning Wednesday about Toronto-made ricotta cheese possibly contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Consumers are urged not to eat Santa Lucia brand ricotta cheese sold in 500 gram packages with the best before date of Jan. 1, 2009. The affected products have a lot number of 477.

The cheese, manufactured by the Toronto-based International Cheese Co. Ltd., was distributed only in Ontario.

Since the Maple Leaf Foods ready-to-eat meats  outbreak earlier this year that killed 20, listeria clearly has Canada's attention.    There are at least two official investigations underway and government notes made public seem to show that there was as much official interest in the media coverage as there was in the actual listeria contamination.

Meanwhile, in Chile, the number of deaths connected to the outbreak of listeria in contaminated brie stands at five.   The Latin American Herald Tribune says:

According to the official report, 91 people have so far been found to be infected, of whom 42 percent are pregnant and form part of the highest-risk group.

Of the total number of infected patients, 59 percent live in the Las Condes and Vitacura districts of eastern Santiago.

Chile has between 20 and 25 cases a year of listeriosis, which poisons food, but during 2008 the number soared to 91 cases.

For more on Canada's recall, go here.

Additional information on Chile's listeria outbreak can be found here.


 

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