More than a dozen potentially hazardous food products were recalled last month, federal food-safety agencies announced.
Georgia-based Perdue, one of the largest chicken processing companies in the United States, recalled 15,306 pounds of chicken nuggets “that may be contaminated with extraneous materials.”
A New York establishment recalled more than 106,800 pounds of sausage because of misbranding errors.
And a California food business recalled more than 92,000 pounds of chicken Caesar salads because of possible bacterial contaminations.
Overall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced six recalls for the month of August. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, announced at least 11 recalls for food-related products last month.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is tasked with monitoring the nation’s supply of meat, poultry and egg products. The Food and Drug Administration covers much of the remaining food supply.
Click through the above slideshow to read more about some of the month’s prominent recalls. Photos of the products or related labels are featured in the gallery. Under the photos, the captions detail which specific product lines were affected, when the recall was issued and how serious the food hazard was.
Food and Drug Administration recalls not featured in the slideshow include recalls for Pedigree dog food, 4C Foods Parmesan cheese, Kraft cheese, Dole bagged spinach and Lean Cuisine chicken.
Food Safety and Inspection Service
The Food Safety and Inspection Service\'s recall classification list. Class I is most serious, while Class III is least serious.
Other Food Safety and Inspection Service recalls not featured in the slideshow include a Whole Foods Market recall for 368 pounds ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. According to federal food safety workers, Whole Foods Market only sold the contaminated beef in Newton, Mass., locations.
Visit the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Food and Drug Administration’s alert pages to see a current list of all active recalls.
Photo by Flickr user John Karakatsanis
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California-based APPA Fine Foods recalled more than 90,000 pounds of its chicken Caesar salad kits because of Listeria monocytogenes concerns, according to a Food Safety and Inspection Service announcement on Aug. 21. The potentially contaminated salads – shipped throughout the country – feature the establishment number “P-21030.” Though the Food Safety and Inspection Service received no illness reports at the time of the announcement, Listeria monocytogenes can lead to Listeriosis. “Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms,” according to the announcement. The Food Safety and Inspection Service categorized the recall as a Class-I high-risk recall, meaning “there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
Photo provided by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
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On Aug. 27, the Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that TNUVA USA recalled more than 8,000 pounds of its “Mom’s Chicken Extra Thin Cutlets” shipped to New Jersey because of Listeria monocytogenes concerns. Federal inspectors discovered the problem during a routine product sampling, also noting that other products were produced on the same line without clean up between products. The potentially contaminated products bear the Israeli establishment number “209.” The Food Safety and Inspection Service categorized the recall as a Class-I high-risk recall. While the food service had not received any illness reports at the time of the announcement, officials believe some products may be frozen in consumers’ freezers.
Photo provided by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
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On Aug. 9, Oberto’s Brands of Washington recalled more than 57,000 pounds of chicken strip products because of “company quality issues,” a Food Safety and Inspection Service news release stated. A sister establishment “noticed bloated packages and alerted the company.” Oberto’s Brands determined the problem was likely linked to “an undetected process deviation.” The specific product lines that were affected include bags of “Smokey Sweet BBQ Style Chicken Strips” and bags of “Spicy Buffalo Style Chicken Strips.” Both products bear the establishment number “P4837,” and both products were shipped to stores nationwide.
Photo provided by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
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Perdue, located in Georgia, issued a recall for about 15,300 pounds of frozen, cooked chicken nuggets. According to an Aug. 12 news release from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the nuggets – shipped throughout the country – may be contaminated with “extraneous material.” Specifically, the recall affects 8-ounce boxes of “Applegate naturals” that feature the establishment number “P2617” and the best-buy date of Feb. 5, 2014. The Food Safety and Inspection Service, a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency, classified the recall as a Class-II low-risk recall.
Photo provided by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
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The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced on Aug. 6 that New York-based Zemco Industries recalled about 107,000 pounds of smoked sausage because of misbranding and undeclared allergens. The “Cavanaugh Smoked Sausage” products, which feature the establishment number “Est. 5222,” contained soy. Zemco Industries shipped the recalled products to stores throughout the country.
In addition to the several recalls from August, the Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a statement on back-to-school food safety tips for parents.
“Children are at high risk of contracting foodborne illness because their immune systems are still developing,” the statement reads. “In fact, children under the age of five have the highest incidence of Campylobacter, E. coli, and Salmonella infection among any other age group in the United States.”