Recall Release CLASS I RECALL
FSIS-RC-040-2004 HEALTH RISK: HIGH
Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113; FAX: (202) 690-0460
Autumn Canaday
WASHINGTON, – Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic Kitchen, a Landover, Md. firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 1,275 pounds of chicken products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The products subject to recall are:
12 oz.”WHOLE FOODS CHICKEN POT PIE.” Each package contains a best if used by date of “11/02/04.”
10 lb. bags of “WHOLE FOODS Classic Chicken Salad.” Each bag has a use by date of “11/01/04.”
15 oz. containers of “WHOLE FOODS CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP, SMALL.” Each container has a sell by date of “11/04/04.”
30 oz. containers of “WHOLE FOODS CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP, LARGE.” Each container has a sell by date of “11/04/04.”
All products bear the establishment number “P-18768” inside the USDA seal of inspection.Continue Reading Maryland Firm Recalls Chicken Products for Possible Listeria Contamination

BY SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish or eggs should be “off the menu” for pregnant women, says Heidi Murkoff, author of “Eating Well When You’re Expecting.”
Cooking those foods well kills any bacteria or viruses that pose potential hazards, and unpasteurized dairy products and refrigerated smoked seafood carry the risk of listeria and should also be avoided, she says.
Murkoff, who includes EPA seafood guidelines in her book, advises moms-to-be make meals of tilapia, cod, sole or flounder.Continue Reading Pregnant moms get food advice

Product May Have Been Contaminated With Listeria
July 29, 2005
About 3,200 pounds of Chef Pronto ready-to-eat chicken products are being recalled because of a possible listeria contamination.
The products, made by Ilyssa Manufacturing Corp. of New York, include 16-ounce. packages of tortellini with grilled chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, and 12-ounce packages of grilled chicken…

Sun Jul 31, 6:09 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A New York company is expanding its recall of ready-to-eat chicken products by an additional 90,000 pounds because of possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Sunday.
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The voluntary recall by Brooklyn, New York-based Ilyssa Manufacturing Corp. started on July 28 when it recalled about 3,200 pounds of “Chef Pronto” chicken products.
Products recalled on July 28 bear the sell-by date Aug 0205 and establishment number P-19629 inside the USDA inspection seal.Continue Reading New York company expands recall of chicken products

By JANE LERNER
jlerner@thejournalnews.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: July 29, 2005)
A Spring Valley food company that told state inspectors it was closing down because its products were contaminated with bacteria kept delivering salads to grocery stores anyway, officials said yesterday.
As a result, state inspectors spent the last several days visiting 128 stores in the New York metropolitan area that sold Golden Taste products — including 12 in Rockland — and pulling them off shelves, said Jessica Chittenden, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
“When we found out that they did not cease distribution, we seized all their product and destroyed it,” she said.Continue Reading State: Company kept distributing product

By JOHN SHULTZ
The Kansas City Star
About 3,200 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products have been recalled because of concerns about Listeria contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced.
The food, made by Ilyssa Manufacturing Corp., was distributed to retail in 15 states, including Missouri.
Affected by the voluntary recall:
■ 16-oz. packages of Chef…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELESE
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Contact: Jim Klapthor, Media Relations Manager
Phone: 312-782-8424 x231
E-mail: jnklapthor@ift.org
FINDING FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAKS SOONER, FASTER
CHICAGO–If 25 people eating at a single banquet hall became sick and needed hospitalization, determining the cause could be as easy as checking the dinner menu. But if those same people were scattered across 20 states and became ill after eating food processed at a single site, identifying the link could sometimes be impossible.
Hence the development of FoodNet, a program implemented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect and analyze cases of foodborne illness, such as salmonella and E. coli outbreaks.
Since 1996, FoodNet has led to a 42 percent decrease in salmonella infections and 40 percent reduction in Listeria infections reported Robert Tauxe, a foodborne disease expert with the CDC, speaking last week at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting in New Orleans.Continue Reading Finding Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Sooner, Faster

07/26/2005
By Lindsey Carroll
Morris News Service
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Feta, brie and Camembert. Which one of these cheeses could damage a pregnant woman and her baby?
All three soft cheeses, as it turns out.
ìAnything that isn–t made with pasteurized milk, make sure to read the labels,– said Lana McCoy, a registered nurse at a local hospital.
McCoy said not only pregnant women but also elderly people, especially people with weakened immune systems, could be at risk for Listeria monocytogens.
Listeria is a type of bacteria that can be found everywhere — in soil, groundwater and also on plants. Animals and people can carry Listeria in their bodies, even without actually being sick. Most of the infections in humans are caused by eating contaminated food.Continue Reading Some soft cheeses pose Listeria risk