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Beware Tainted Ricotta Cheese (Recall)

By On · Add Comment · In listeria, listeriosis, recall, ricotta, ricotta salata cheese

Listen up Italian food lovers–federal health officials say ricotta cheese tainted with listeria bacteria has been linked to 14 illnesses including at least one death. Eleven states are reporting illnesses linked to imported Italian ricotta salata cheese distributed by Forever Cheese, Inc., of New York. Forever Cheese has issued a recall of one lot—800 wheels of ricotta salata, or roughly 4,800 pounds—on Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the cheese was distributed to retail stores in California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington between June 20 and August 9.

Listeria is rare but deadlier than well-known pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli. It is most dangerous to pregnant women, the elderly and others with compromised immune systems. It causes listeriosis, which can cause sepsis or meningitis. The overt form has a mortality rate of about 20%. It can be treated with antibiotics, however. The deaths linked to this outbreak were in New York, Nebraska and possibly Minnesota, although it is uncertain if the latter two were actually caused by the listeria.

Although the tainted cheese is a ricotta, it is not the same as soft ricotta used in lasagna. The CDC says the ricotta can have up to a four-month shelf life, so some consumers may still have it in their homes. To be on the safe side, anyone having ricotta cheese lying around and of which they are unsure of its origins, it would be best to just throw it out.

Salmonella Outbreak: Recall on Yellowfin Tuna

By On · Add Comment · In Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recall, Salmonella Bareilly, salmonella poisoning, sushi, yellowfin tuna

Okay, fish lovers–more sushi news, and not in a good way. Looks like there’s been a recall on tuna, yellowfin to be exact, due to a salmonella outbreak in twenty states linked to the fish. This is a warning to be cautious if you’re out eating sushi over the next few weeks.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 116 illnesses have been reported, including 12 people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The tuna was sold to groceries and restaurants by the Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., also known as MMI, and presumably for making sushi, not for individual consumption. The Northern California fish supplier is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of frozen raw yellowfin tuna that was labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA.

Because the fish was sold to groceries and restaurants, many of the people who became ill reported eating “spicy tuna,” said the FDA. The microorganism was Salmonella Bareilly, a rare salmonella subspecies. The illnesses hasve been reported in the following statesand the District of Columbia:

Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (5), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), As Georgia (5), Illinois (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (11), Massachusetts (8), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (7), New York (24), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (12).

The FDA warns of a 30-day lag time between when people become sick and when cases are reported to health officials. In other words, there could be more people getting sick. Looks like New York, Wisconsin, and Maryland were hit the hardest, with Illinois not far off. The raw yellowfin tuna product may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market and may not be clearly labeled.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can be severe or even life-threatening for infants, older people, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

So stay away from the spicy tuna, peeps–nuff said.

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