Visalia, California Company Recalls Walnuts After Tests Reveal Salmonella
Jan 3, 2011 Food Poisoning
A voluntary recall was announced recently by Atlas Walnut Company of Visalia, California after it was determined that the walnut halves and pieces may be contaminated with Salmonella. This recall was announced when Azar Nut Company, a distributor that receives walnuts from Atlas, informed U.S. Foodservice to recall the products following positive tests for Salmonella in a shipment that was received.
The recall by Azar was initiated with U.S. Foodservice as a precautionary measure; the company reported that their own testing showed no presence of Salmonella. So far, there have been no reports of illness associated with this possible contamination.
Another distributor that receives walnuts supplied by Atlas Walnuts has also issued a recall on shelled walnuts. Mojave Foods Corporation has recalled 60 packages of El Guapo brand shelled walnuts 1 ounce packages with a date code of 5527. These packages were distributed and sold in retail stores in the southern California area only.
Consumers are urged to destroy the shelled walnuts. Contact Mojave Foods at 800-995-8906 ext. 114 for reimbursement or replacement.
Salmonella bacteria usually causes mild symptoms that may include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and occasional vomiting or fever. While food poisoning usually lasts only a few days in healthy people, some individuals are at a higher risk of serious or even fatal complications. These include the elderly, young children and those with a weakened immune system.
Questions or concerns about food poisoning? Brown Chiari is a New York food poisoning law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of their clients.
Minnesota Company Recalls Ham Due to Concerns of Listeria Contamination
Apr 19, 2010 Food Poisoning
A Minnesota-based company, Lorentz Meats, has recalled ham due to the possibility of Listeria food poisoning contamination. This ham was produced in mid-March and distributed to various retail locations throughout St. Paul and Minneapolis. According to the FSIS, this ham recall is a Class I, meaning there is a “reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
The products included in this recall are whole and half ham packages with labels that read “KOWALSKI’S Markets, FULLY COOKED, SMOKED HAM, Naturally Smoked with Hardwoods, KEEP REFRIGERATED.” The freeze-by dates on these products is 5/14/10, and include a USDA inspection mark of “Est. 21207.”
Lorentz Meats believe they have isolated all of the products included in the recall. As a precautionary measure, they are initiating this recall on all Signature Smoked hams that include a sell by date of 4/23/10 to 5/22/10 until all lots produced at the facility are tested thoroughly.
The problem was discovered through third-party testing, in which the FSIS was notified by Lorentz Meats. So far, there have been no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product.
Any questions from the media or consumers concerning this recall should contact Owner/Chief Financial Officer Mike Lorentz (612) 490-1827.
If you believe you may have become ill with listeriosis through foods that are Listeria contaminated:
1. See your doctor, and ask to be tested for Listeriosis.
2. Do not eat any more of a food that you believe made you ill.
3. If you still have the food you believe is the culprit, do not throw it away. It could be evidence for a Listeria food poisoning lawsuit.
4. Report your illness to your state health department, who can determine if your illness is part of a larger outbreak. This helps officials know how large an outbreak is, so that they can take appropriate action to remove foods that are possibly contaminated from store shelves. These steps help prevent illness from spreading.
Listeriosis may be serious in those most at risk, which include young children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. Serious complications and even death can result.
US Loses $152 Billion Each Year Due to Costs Associated With Food Poisoning
Apr 13, 2010 Food Poisoning
California personal injury lawyers know that every year millions of people become sickened by contaminated foods that lead to huge expenses like intensive care and hospital visits and other costs. Past estimates of these expenses were grossly understated at between $6.9 and $35 billion per year. New estimates, according to a report by the Produce Safety Project, indicate that every year the United States loses $152 billion due to costs associated with food borne illnesses.
Why the huge discrepancy between earlier reports and the new figures? It could be the fact that previous reports used conservative means to calculate the real costs of illnesses related to food poisoning every year.
Part of the vast difference in numbers is that many food poisoning illnesses go unreported. In fact, most of them do, and it has been shown that in the case of E. coli, 20 cases of food poisoning go unreported for each case that is reported.
Another factor in the discrepancy from past years to now is that federal food safety agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture and the FDA focus on common organisms that cause food poisoning such as salmonella and E. coli. There are numerous other organisms that can cause food borne illness, but these usually don’t make it into the media headlines. These instances are usually not documented or recorded, so they are not included in the estimates that are reported by the CDC or US Department of Agriculture.
The Produce Safety Project report took data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicated that in the US each year, there are over 76 million cases of illness related to contaminated foods. The researchers calculated the costs incurred due to each illness using this data. Instead of stopping at onetime costs such as a doctor visit, prescription, or hospital stay, the researchers went on to measure the loss of quality of life that food poisoning victims may have suffered.
In their research, it was determined that different states had various costs related to food borne illnesses. For example, Hawaii has a cost of $2,000 or more for a patient with a food borne illness, while other states had much lower costs. Florida, South Carolina, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey seemed to incur higher costs when it came to treating individuals with food borne illnesses when compared to other states.
Health advocates and food poisoning lawyers find these figures shocking, and realize that food safety is a major concern. These new figures should alarm lawmakers that swift action must be taken to increase food safety in this country.
