Pride & Joy Creamery, LLC of Granger, WA is recalling raw fluid milk because it may be contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria (E. coli) that can cause serious illness. The unpasteurized milk was sold at the farm and distributed through nine retail outlets in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Skagit counties.

The recall was initiated after sampling by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) discovered that the product was contaminated with toxin-producing E. coli. Pride & Joy Dairy and WSDA are continuing their investigation into the source of the problem. WSDA and other public health officials are exploring the possibility that there has been human illness linked to this milk.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections may cause severe diarrhea, stomach cramps and bloody stool. Symptoms generally appear three to four days after exposure, but can take as long as nine days to appear. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact a health care provider.

Consumers who have purchased Pride & Joy raw milk with expiration dates of 9/30/2011 and 9/31/11 are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 509-854-1389.

Retail raw milk is legal to buy and sell in Washington, but there are serious potential health risks. Consumers should read the warning label on the retail raw milk container carefully and ask their retailer to verify the milk was produced and processed by a WSDA-licensed operation.

Wisconsin state and Green County officials are trying to track down the source of an E. coli outbreak that has claimed the life of a 1-year-old girl and has sickened several others.

“The Wisconsin Division of Public Health and our department here in Green County are investigating a cluster of nine confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections,” said RoAnn Warden, director of the Green County Health Department.

All of those sickened are from Green County, although Warden said they have been geographically spread out, with some in the outlying portions of the county. Some households have had multiple cases.

Sources have told The Cap Times that a 20-month-old girl from Green County died Sunday at UW Children’s Hospital in Madison after being admitted about a week earlier.

The list of bulk and packaged nuts under recall for possible contamination with E. coli has been expanded to include snacks that do not contain walnuts.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Toronto-based Johnvince Foods said that the list has been changed to alter the code of the bulk walnuts and to include more potentially contaminated prepackaged nuts and other snacks. What was initially a recall of walnuts now includes other nuts and snacks that were processed at the same time as the affected lot. What was initially a recall of walnuts now includes other nuts and snacks that were processed at the same time as the affected lot. CFIA

“It’s basically a follow-up of our investigation into the processing,” Garfield Balsom, a food safety and recall specialist with CFIA in Ottawa, said Thursday.

The new additions “have been processed using the contaminated lot or in same time frame.”

The affected brands include:

Bulk walnuts distributed by Johnvince Foods and sold from bulk bins.

Presidents Choice.

Longos.

Compliments.

Stock & Barrel.

Joe’s.

Picard Peanuts.

Aliments Naturels Bonne Santé.

M & L Gourmet Selection.

FreshCo.

Reddisnack.

Federated Vitality.

Affected products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

Eating foods tainted with E. coli can lead to abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Severe cases of E. coli-related illnesses can be fatal.

No illnesses related to E. coli-tainted walnuts have been reported.

The nuts were imported from the United States and may have been distributed nationally, CFIA said.

The agency announced the initial Johnvince walnut recall on Sept. 1.

In April, walnuts were removed from bulk bins and store shelves after more than a dozen Canadians got sick.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Johnvince Foods announced a recall on Thursday of some President’s Choice and Reddi Snack walnuts because the products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.  The raw, shelled walnuts products were imported from the U.S. and packaged in Canada, the CFIA said.  The products were distributed across Canada.

Screen Shot 2011-09-02 at 3.48.54 PM.pngAffected products:

President’s Choice Raw California Walnut Halves Unsalted

Reddi Snack Hand Selected California Walnuts

“There have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of these products,” the agency said in a release.

Johnvince Foods of Downsview, Ont. is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace and CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

In another walnut recall in January, one person in Quebec died and 13 other Canadians fell sick with an E. coli bacterial infection with the same genetic fingerprint. Of the 14 reported cases of E. coli infection, nine people consumed walnuts and seven ate walnuts from the same distributor, the Public Health Agency of Canada said at the time.

Jim Tuttle has been following the unfolding cause of the E. coli outbreak that has sickened 14 in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Last week it was found that a well that supplies drinking water was contaminated with E. coli. However, ‘officials are quick to point out that the bacteria found this week in well #2 is not the same strain that apparently made at least 14 people sick after they swam in the 42-acre lake between mid and late July.” What strain of E. coli has not yet been revealed.

A new theory for the cause of the outbreak is the “recent heavy rains may be to blame for E. coli in the drinking water at Cowans Gap State Park, but the source of contamination in the park’s lake is still unknown. “

“From all the evidence we can see at this point, they’re not at all linked,” Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesperson Christine Cronkright said. “Some of those people (who got sick) did drink the water, but the majority did not. All of them swam in the lake.”

The confirmed cases of illness tied to Cowans Gap all involved infection by the toxin-producing O157:H7 strain of E. coli. Cronkright said the type of E. coli found in the untreated drinking water is not believed to be toxin-producing.

J. B. Meats said Thursday that is recalling approximately 72,800 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

hamburger-recall-JB.jpgThe products subject to recall are 5 and 10 pound clear packages of ground beef and ground beef patties in various size packages that were processed on and can be identified by the dates Aug. 18, 2010 through Aug. 18, 2011. The product was sold to restaurants in the Cincinnati area, but the company did not say which restaurants.

Each clear plastic bag and label bear the establishment number “EST. 1188” within the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s mark of inspection.

The company said it was notified on Aug. 12 of an investigation of two E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. The Cincinnati Health Department reported there were two patients who became ill on July 20 and 21 that may have resulted from ground beef consumed on July 16 and 17, the company said.

As a result of the ensuing investigation, it was determined there is a possible link between the ground beef products produced by J.B. Meats on July 15 and the illnesses in Ohio.

Screen Shot 2011-08-17 at 3.32.35 PM.pngOregon Public Health Division officials confirmed today that deer feces found in strawberry fields in Washington and Yamhill counties was the source of E. coli O157:H7 infections that sickened at least 15 people in July, including one person who died.

“An Oregon Public Health Communicable Disease team has been investigating the outbreak for several weeks,” said Katrina Hedberg, M.D., M.P.H., Oregon Public Health state epidemiologist. “There were six samples that positively matched the E. coli that was found in the people who were infected.”

Strawberries from the affected fields were produced last month by Jaquith Strawberry Farm, which is located in Newberg. At this time, the Oregon Department of Agriculture believes it has identified those operators and locations that possibly sold Jaquith strawberries.

Jaquith finished its strawberry season in late July, and its strawberries are no longer on the market. Jaquith sold its strawberries to buyers who then resold them at roadside stands, farm stands and farmers’ markets. Jaquith has recalled its products and is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Health officials continue to urge people who purchased strawberries grown on this farm to throw them out. Strawberries that have been frozen or made into uncooked jam are of particular concern. Cooking kills E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

“If you have any strawberries from this producer – frozen, in uncooked jam or any uncooked form – throw them out. People who have eaten the strawberries but remain well need take no action,” said Hedberg. The incubation period for E. coli O157:H7 is typically two to seven days.

None of the following have been implicated in this outbreak:

Berries other than strawberries;

Strawberries sold since Aug. 1;

Strawberries sold in supermarkets;

Strawberries picked at Jaquith Strawberry Farm’s U-pick field;

Strawberries grown in southwest Washington State.

People sickened include residents of Washington, Clatsop, and Multnomah counties in Oregon. Of the confirmed cases, seven have been hospitalized, and one elderly woman in Washington County died from kidney failure associated with E. coli O157:H7 infection.

The list of locations where Jaquith strawberries were sold can be found at

http://oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/strawberries.shtml.

National Beef Packing Co. LLC, a Dodge City, Kan., establishment, is recalling approximately 60,424 pounds of ground beef products that may be adulterated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The products subject to recall include:

Ground beef chubs produced on July 23, 2011 with a Freeze by Date of August 12, 2011:

• Boxes containing six 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 483.

• Boxes containing eight 5-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 684.

• Boxes containing twelve 3-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 782 or 785.

• Boxes containing six 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 787.

Ground beef chubs produced on July 25, 2011 with a Freeze by Date of August 14, 2011:

• Boxes containing eight 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 81/19 Fine Ground Beef.” These can be identified by the product code 431.

• Boxes containing eight 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 90/10 Fine Ground Beef.” These can be identified by the product code 471.

• Boxes containing six 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 86/14 Fine Ground Round.” These can be identified by the product code 494.

Screen Shot 2011-08-12 at 4.50.51 PM.pngOregon health officials think they’ll be able to prove deer droppings in a Washington County strawberry field caused an E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened 14 others.  Ten percent of the samples taken from the Jaquith Strawberry Farm tested positive for the bacteria, epidemiologist William Keene said Thursday.

“We’re increasingly confident that we will be able to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that deer were the source of contamination of the strawberries,” Keene said.

Of the 15 people involved, two suffered kidney failure, including an elderly woman in Washington County who died. Two patients remain in the hospital.

On August 11, the Michigan Departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) issued a public health alert regarding E. coli O157:NM gastrointestinal illnesses linked to the consumption of ground beef from McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC, a meat-processing and retail establishment in North Branch, Michigan

A total of five confirmed Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157:NM cases and four probable cases have been reported in Lapeer, Genesee, Isabella, and Sanilac counties. Illness onset dates range from July 18-30. Those affected range in age from 15-88.

McNees Meats and Wholesale has now expanded it recall to include approximately 2,200 pounds of ground beef product that may be contaminated with E. Coli O157: NM, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. 

The products subject to recall include:

  • 1 and 10-lb. clear packages of “McNees Ground Beef Bulk.”
  • 1 to1.5-lb., approximate weight clear plastic bags of “McNees Ground beef patties.”
  • 1-lb. packages of “McNees Ground Round.”
  • 1 and 2-lb packages of “McNees Ground Beef Bulk” sold in red and white plastic bags.

Each clear plastic bag and retail package bears the establishment number “EST. 33971” within the USDA mark of inspection. The products subject to recall were produced on July 7, July 15, July 21, July 28 and Aug. 4, 2011, and sold to retail establishments and restaurants in Armada, Lapeer and North Branch, Mich. The products were also sold directly to consumers from a retail establishment owned by McNees Meats and Wholesale.