Please review the
following message from Alan Talarsky, Environmental Scientist 4, Public Health
and Food Protection Program, NJDOH regarding the following Class 1 Recalls
issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
1. Murray Int’l Trading of Brooklyn, NY is recalling Angelicae
Sinensis because it may contain elevated levels of lead and cadmium. The
Angelicae Sinensis is used to make a soup.
Lead and cadmium are toxic substances present
in our environment in small amounts and everyone is exposed to some of these
heavy metals from daily actions such as inhaling dust, eating food, or drinking
water. In general, the small exposure to lead within the U.S. population does
not pose a significant public health concern.
However, exposure to larger amounts of lead
and cadmium can cause poisoning. While these heavy metals can affect nearly
every bodily system, its effects depend upon the amount and duration of lead
exposure and age. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, vomiting, lethargy,
irritability, weakness, behavior or mood changes, delirium, seizures, and coma.
However, infants, young children and the developing fetus can be affected by
chronic exposure to amounts of heavy metals that may not result in obvious
symptoms of lead poisoning. A child with heavy metal poisoning may not look or
act sick. Heavy metal poisoning in children can cause learning disabilities,
developmental delays, and lower IQ scores.
Angelicae Sinensis was distributed in the
following states. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachutes, Connecticut,
Washington DC, Virginia, Delaware, Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Michigan,
Illinois, Ohio, and Texas through retail stores.
The Herbal Doctor Brand Angelicae Sinensis is
packed in a green plastic bag weighing 16oz (454g). It has a series of barcode
numbers.
|
767533-91001 |
767533-91005 |
767533-91011 |
767533-91018 |
|
767533-91019 |
767533-91020 |
767533-91049 |
767533-91050 |
|
767533-91057 |
767533-91060 |
767533-91062 |
767533-91068 |
|
767533-91070 |
767533-91071 |
|
|
The Herbal Doctor Brand Angelicae Sinensis is
also packed in a clear plastic box weighing 12oz (340g). It has a barcode
number 767533-20097.
The Angelicae Sinensis 16oz (454g) packaged
bag barcodes are located on the back of the plastic bag on the bottom right
corner. The Angelicae Sinensis 12oz (340g) packaged box barcode is located on
the back of the box. Please see enclosed picture for location of where the
barcode will be.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
The recall was initiated after FDA routine
sampling revealed elevated levels of lead and cadmium in the product.
Subsequent investigation is underway.
Consumers who have purchased Herbal Doctor
Brand Angelicae Sinensis are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a
full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at
1-718-230-7888. The Call Center will be open from Monday to Friday 9:00am to
5:00pm EST.
***********************************************************************************************************
2. Flowers
Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Tastykake multi-pack cupcakes due to the
potential presence of tiny fragments of metal mesh wire. The recall was
initiated following notification by a vendor of the possible contamination in a
supplied ingredient.
The
products being recalled were distributed to retail customers in Delaware,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, and West
Virginia.
No
injuries or incidents have been reported in connection with the recalled items.
See below for product list, UPCs, and “enjoy by” dates.
The
recalled products are:
|
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION |
UPC # |
ENJOY BY DATE |
|
Tastykake Chocolate Cupcakes |
0-25600-00219-3 |
DEC. 14 |
|
Tastykake Creme Filled Chocolate Cupcakes |
0-25600-00223-0 |
DEC. 14 |
|
Tastykake Buttercreme Iced
Creme Filled Chocolate Cupcakes |
0-25600-00230-8 0-25600-00230-8 |
DEC. 14 |
|
14.25oz
(6-2ct) (Inner packages
sold individually) |
0-25600-00004-5 |
DEC. 18 |
Consumers should not consume these products.
Affected
product should be discarded or may be returned to the place of purchase for a
full refund. Consumers with questions may call Flowers’ Consumer Relations
Center at 1-866-245-8921. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Consumers also may contact the center via e-mail by
visiting www.flowersfoods.com/contact/consumers
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3. MaryRuth’s
announced that it is voluntarily recalling two lots of its liquid probiotic for
infants (1oz) due to the possibility of contamination by Pseudomonas
aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is
a microorganism found in the environment that, if ingested, can cause infection
in immunocompromised individuals or, rarely, in very young infants. P.
aeruginosa infections in immunocompromised infants are
generally limited to hospital settings. In such settings, there is the chance
that the infant’s immature gut will not be able to prevent P.
aeruginosa from gaining access to the blood, and from there it
can disseminate elsewhere in the body, resulting in the possibility of serious
adverse health consequences.
This
recall only affects two lots of the product, Lot #100420218 and Lot #100520218,
UPC barcode number 856645008587. Lot numbers are located on the side of the
bottle and on the bottom of the outer container in which the product is sold.
No other lots or any other MaryRuth’s products are affected by this recall.
This product is distributed nationwide through Target, Amazon, and direct sales
from the company’s website.
The
company is asking consumers to throw away product from both affected lot
numbers. Impacted consumers may contact MaryRuth’s Customer Care Center to
request a full refund, please see contact information provided below.
The
company discovered the potential issue with one of its manufacturing partners
during routine laboratory testing and decided to take this precautionary
measure. The only product complaint the company has received with respect to
the affected product lots was one report of temporary diarrhea in an older
infant after consuming the product, which the company does not believe was
related to the presence of the microorganism.
For
more information please contact MaryRuth’s via phone 1-800-210-0813 or email support@maryruthorganics.com. The hours
of operation are from 8:00AM to 6:00PM PST every day. More information is
available at the company’s website www.maryruthorganics.com/pages/infant-probiotic-voluntary-recall
*****************************************************************************
No
action is required of local health departments at this time for these recalls.
If any requests for assistance are received from FDA, the Public Health and
Food Protection Program will contact you. For additional information regarding
warnings and recalls, please click on the weblink below.
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For all recalls -
http://www.recalls.gov/recent.html
This information has been broadcast to: Food Safety Organizations; NJLINCS and Local Contacts; NJLINCS Community; NJDOH Staff; Local Boards of Health; Public Health Associations; Public Health Council; Public Health Sector