Recall roundup: Glass found in Uncle Ben’s rice, allergen in ice cream, plus more…

Glass warning in Uncle Ben’s rice

Mars Food UK is recalling Uncle Ben’s Brown Basmati ready to heat rice pouches as some packs may contain pieces of glass. The possible presence of glass makes this product unsafe to eat.

Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling this product. These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.

Those who have bought the above product have been advised not to eat it and instead return it to the store from where it was purchased for a full refund.

Listeria monocytogenes contamination

Bread Spread Ltd is taking the precautionary step of recalling all sandwiches, wraps, rolls and baguettes containing chicken because Listeria monocytogenes has been found in the chicken filling product.

Symptoms caused by this organism can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea.

Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.

Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling these products. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.

Those who have bought the above product have been advised not to eat it and instead return it to the store from where it was purchased for a full refund.

More information regarding the above recalls can be found on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website. 

Undeclared allergen in ice cream

SmithFoods Inc. has announced that it is voluntarily recalling 16-oz pint packages of Earth Grown Vegan Non-Dairy Almond Based Frozen Desserts because it may contain an undeclared cashew allergen. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to cashews run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The recalled product was available for purchase at ALDI stores in states across the US and it was also available for purchase by ALDI customers through the company’s partnership with Instacart, a grocery delivery service.

The recall was initiated following a consumer complaint. The company continues to go through root cause analysis and is conducting a detailed review of allergen controls within all aspects of operations and supply chain processes.

There has been one reported incident of an allergic reaction to date.

Salmonella outbreak in US

Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California is recalling Red, Yellow, White, and Sweet Yellow Onions because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Onions were distributed to wholesalers, restaurants, and retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating the case after 396 illnesses and 59 hospitalisations have been linked to the onions. Read more here.

Public health alert issued for products containing contaminated chillies

The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for ready-to-eat (RTE) beef and chicken taquitos and chimichangas products containing FDA regulated diced green chillies that have been recalled by the producer, Sun Valley Foods, due to concerns that the products may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically hard plastic.

The hard plastic may pose a choking hazard or cause damage to teeth or gums. FSIS is issuing this public health alert out of the utmost of caution to ensure that consumers are aware that these products, which bear the USDA mark of inspection, should not be consumed. 

The frozen RTE meat and poultry taquitos and chimichangas items were produced by Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. establishments in Lampasas, Texas, and San Diego, California.

The problem was discovered by Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. when they identified pieces of hard plastic in their production process and in a barrel of diced green chillies that was received from their ingredients supplier, Sun Valley Foods. Sun Valley Foods initiated a recall of the green chillies with the FDA. As more FDA information becomes available, FSIS will update this public health alert.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.