Food Safety News and Resources | February
February 2025
24 February | Food Safety News and Free Resources1 |
A sad collection of predictable and preventable recalls and outbreaks (USA) |
No cleaning, no hygiene - a video featuring Boar’s Head’s Chief Food Safety Advisor (USA) |
Webinar - Navigating Changing Regulations: USDA FSIS Updates on 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 Control in the Food Industry, 25th February |
Webinar - Change Management of Food Safety Culture: Effective Strategies for Achieving Greatness, 11th March |
⚠ Recalls (USA)
Every week I promise to bring you news of recalls that are unexpected, unusual or related to emerging risks. The aim is to only share information that you can learn from.
This week I have nothing new, unexpected or unusual for you. Just a sad collection of common, predictable and preventable outbreaks and recalls (with thanks to the recall desk at Food Safety News):
Recalls for undeclared allergens in the past week:
chocolate snacks for undeclared milk,
wafers and biscuits for undeclared wheat, egg and/or milk,
savoury snacks for undeclared sesame, soy, wheat, Yellow No 5, Yellow No 6, and Red No 6.,
pancake snacks for undeclared wheat and eggs,
chocolate-covered macadamias for undeclared almonds,
falafel for undeclared peanut.
Recalls for microbial contamination in the past week:
Supplement shakes for Listeria (linked to the deaths of 11 people),
Cheese for E. coli contamination.
Recalls for extraneous matter:
Mac & Cheese bites for metal pieces,
Chicken nuggets for bone fragments.
Find details about everything in this sorry list at Food Recalls | Food Safety News
🐗 Follow-up: Boars Head’s Food Safety Advisor speaks (USA)
Frank Yiannas, formerly of the FDA, has been engaged by Boars Head to help recover from their deadly Listeria outbreak from liverwurst manufactured in reportedly filthy conditions.
In this unlisted video (meaning it can’t be found using online search), shared by Frank on LinkedIn he explains what Boars Head is doing differently to make sure their deli meats will be safe to eat for consumers in future.
He mentions high pressure pasteurisation (HPP), water pasteurisation and “a natural ingredient to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria” repeatedly in the video, saying this is what will make consumers feel confident about Boar’s Head products going forward.
He doesn’t once mention anything about cleaning or maintaining the facilities or equipment used to make the products 🤔.
Q&A With Our Chief Food Safety Advisor | Boar’s Head
🎓Webinar - Navigating Changing Regulations: USDA FSIS Updates on 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 Control in the Food Industry, 25th February
Join Neogen's upcoming webinar to learn about the implications of recent regulatory changes for food manufacturers.
Register here:
Navigating Changing Regulations: USDA FSIS Updates on 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 Control in the Food Industry
🎓Webinar - Change Management of Food Safety Culture: Effective Strategies for Achieving Greatness, 11th March
Join Food Safety Magazine for an insightful webinar about overcoming common challenges in change management within food manufacturing.
Register here:
Change Management of Food Safety Culture: Effective Strategies for Achieving Greatness Registration
17 February | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
Rice safety failures (Kenya) |
Risks to humans from chronic wasting disease in cervids (USA) |
Webinar - Assessing Food Safety Culture: Choosing Methods and Maximizing Results, 18th February |
Webinar - Produce Safety Webinar Series: Wading into the Science of Agricultural Water, 20th February |
Webinar - Navigating Food Safety Audits: Expert Tips and Best Practices, 4th March |
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⚠ Rice safety failures (Kenya)
Rice in Kenya has been the subject of confusion as a national body first declared it could be contaminated and later said it was safe. A consignment of 2 million kilograms of long grain rice from Pakistan was declared unfit for consumption after failing aflatoxin tests in September and October but attempts to recall it from the market were incomplete, with around 1 percent recovered (23 tonnes of 2,080 tonnes). In a separate incident, 452 bags of rice imported in a different shipment were removed from the market after testing revealed it contained high aflatoxin levels (more than double the recommended maximum) – Kenya 11/12/2024
🦌 Risks to humans from chronic wasting disease in cervids (USA)
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, USA, has published a comprehensive report about the chronic wasting disease, which affects cervids but has the potential to also impact humans and domesticated animals, including food animals.
https://promedmail.org/promed-post/?id=8721217 and https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/chronic-wasting-disease/cidrap-report-highlights-gaps-offers-guidance-possible-cwd-spillover-people
🎓Webinar - Assessing Food Safety Culture: Choosing Methods and Maximizing Results, 18th February
Hosted by IAFP, the webinar will emphasize the significance of evaluating food safety culture within various sectors of the food supply chain, including processing, retail, and regulators.
Register here:
🎓Webinar - Produce Safety Webinar Series: Wading into the Science of Agricultural Water, 20th February
In this webinar hosted by Virginia Tech, explore the science behind agricultural water and the recent changes to Subpart E of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
Register here:
🎓Webinar - Navigating Food Safety Audits: Expert Tips and Best Practices, 4th March
Learn how internal audits can drive a culture of safety, the critical role of leadership and employee engagement, and best practices for preparation in this webinar hosted by Food Safety Magazine.
Register here:
Navigating Food Safety Audits: Expert Tips and Best Practices Registration
In this week’s food fraud news:
📌 Revised Food Fraud Resilience Self-Assessment Tool;
📌 Recalled oil relabelled and sent back to market;
📌 Saffron fraud case closed, ten years on;
📌 Essence and dyes seized from a suspect olive oil manufacturer, ostrich curry, bottles from garbage used to pack beverages and lots more…
10 February | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
Children die from toxic snacks (Pakistan) |
Recall: Raw sausages for pieces of pen (US) |
Recall: Baby chews for choking (USA) |
Recall update: Burning pretzels – criminal complaint filed with law enforcement authorities (UK and Europe) |
Webinar - Hygienic Tools, Safer Food: Best Practices for Compliance, 19th February |
Webinar - Enhancing food safety labs with rapid detection of Salmonella, Listeria and moulds, 19th February |
💀 Children die from toxic snacks (Pakistan)
In a situation eerily similar to those in South Africa (see Issue 173), three children have died in Pakistan after allegedly consuming toxic papads ( papadum or poppadom). Authorities seized sweets and snacks from shops and markets in the surrounding area, and a ‘no-objection’ rule for flavoured powders and similar food items has been suspended, with food traders asked to return such items within 24 hours.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1278580-action-taken-against-substandard-snack-sellers
⚠ Recall: Raw sausages for pieces of pen (US)
A sausage company has recalled 7,720 pounds of sausage link products after it received a complaint from a consumer who found a piece of a pen while eating the product. One consumer reported an oral injury from the product.
⚠ Recall: Baby chews for choking (USA)
A famous baby food brand has recalled edible teething sticks because of a potential choking hazard for babies and young children after a report of a choking incident.
🔥 Recall update: Burning pretzels – criminal complaint filed with law enforcement authorities (UK and Europe)
Following last week’s news about a recall in the United Kingdom of pretzels that caused a burning sensation in the mouth, recalls have also occurred in various European countries, with the problem described as chemical contamination with lye.
The food safety alert (RASFF): “Corrosive effect (in and on the human body) and foreign body (indefinable lump) in chocolate pretzels from Hungary”
The manufacturer has said that the foreign substance could not have originated from within their production environment and the suitability of the manufacturing processes has been confirmed with successful unannounced audits from their certification body and retail customer.
They have filed a criminal complaint against an unknown party with German law enforcement authorities to investigate how the foreign material got into the products.
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/721702
📖 Guidance: Determining the shelf life of a food product
This guidance by Food Standars Scotland shows food business owners how to determine a food product’s shelf-life so that the food will remain safe and high quality for consumers.
https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/publications-and-research/publications/shelf-life-guidance-2025
🎓Webinar - Hygienic Tools, Safer Food: Best Practices for Compliance 19th February
Vikan is hosting a webinar discussing what it takes to create an effective cleaning tool management program that supports your broader sanitation and food safety goals.
Register here:
Hygienic Tools, Safer Food Best Practices for Compliance
🎓Webinar - Enhancing food safety labs with rapid detection of Salmonella, Listeria and moulds, 19th February
Hosted by New Food and Bruker, the webinar will focus on the advanced methodologies for detecting microorganisms infecting humans and animals, including rapid techniques such as MALDI-TOF MS and FTIR-spectroscopy.
Register here:
Enhancing food safety labs with rapid detection of Salmonella, Listeria and molds - New Food Magazin
3 February | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
Unusual Recall #1: Choc-covered pretzels that cause a burning sensation in the mouth (UK) |
Unusual recall #2: Carbonated beverages for chlorate (Europe and UK) |
Allergen death root cause (UK) |
Humans at risk from Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) H5N1 (North America) |
Boars Head follow up – more plants with filthy conditions (USA) |
Webinar – FSMA Final Rule by the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University, 4th February |
Webinar - Making Positive use of Complaints to Improve Product Quality and Safety, 5th February |
Webinar - Recall Readiness: How to Conduct a Mock Recall and Ensure Traceability, 11th February |nusual Recall #1: Choc-covered pretzels that cause a burning sensation in the mouth (UK)
Two products have been recalled in the UK because they “may cause a burning sensation in the mouth when consumed, potentially causing discomfort and making them unsafe.”
No further information was provided by the brand owners or the Food Standards Agency.
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-07-2025
🧼 Unusual recall #2: Carbonated beverages for chlorate (Europe and UK)
Cans of cola, diet soda and sparkling apple juice have been withdrawn from the market after bottles identified “elevated levels” of chlorate during routine testing. Chlorate can be present as a by-product of chlorine-based sanitiser use or water treatment.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rwv9j74q9oand https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxkn393rwwo.amp
💀 Allergen death root cause (UK)
A milkshake prepared in a blender that had not been washed properly contained traces of hazelnuts and almonds, leading to the death of an allergic consumer in London in 2023.
The case was heard in London last week.
There were no systems in place in the café to prevent cross-contamination.
The café operator was captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) preparing the milkshake in the unwashed blender. He admitted 5 breaches of the Food Safety Act and was ordered to pay a fine of £18,000 and perform 100 hours of community service.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/27/girl-12-nut-allergy-died-cafe-failed-wash-blender/
🐓 Humans at risk from Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) H5N1 (North America)
The New England Journal of Medicine has published an editorial titled “The Emerging Threat of H5N1 to Human Health”. In it, the authors describe how the virus could become significantly more dangerous to humans with just one genetic mutation, and opine that we don’t have a clear understanding of exposure, transmission or viral evolution, which will prevent us from being able to protect our communities from a pathogen “that has proven to be a formidable challenge to human and animal health”.
Comment: This is not a food safety issue but a human safety issue. I’m including it here because I too am worried that we are not doing enough monitoring, surveillance and active biosecurity to mitigate the very real possiblility that this will become a deadly human pandemic.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2416323
“They’ve had every possible warning that this is a virus that could go pandemic.” Dr. Tom Peacock, a virologist at the Pirbright Institute in Britain, via The New York Times
🐗 Boar’s Head follow up – more plants with filthy conditions (USA)
A freedom of information request has revealed the hygiene conditions at Boar’s Head plants in addition to the one that produced deadly, Listeria-contaminated liverwurst are also concerning.
Violations from other sites, listed in an article by Food Poisoning Bulletin, include condensate dripping onto finished product, long-term and “heavy” accumulations of congealed food debris on food contact surfaces, large mould patches and rusty equipment.
https://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2025/inspection-reports-from-boars-heads-other-plants/
🎓 Webinar – FSMA Final Rule by the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University, 4th February
This free webinar is co-hosted with the New York Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence and addresses the FSMA Final Rule for Food Traceability. It includes:
a brief recap of the key requirements of the Traceability Rule;
the “facts, fiction, and future” of the rule,
a discussion with a panel of experts and a moderated Q&A.
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/KjJ957V3SmqVMqR9tpxSOQ#/registration
🎓Webinar - Making Positive Use of Complaints to Improve Product Quality and Safety, 5th February
Hosted by IFSQN, the webinar will feature a brief presentation on how to efficiently analyze complaint data and leverage customer feedback to uncover improvement opportunities that may not be apparent during routine processing or standard process control checks.
Register here:
Making Positive Use of Complaints to Improve Product Quality and Safety
🎓Webinar - Recall Readiness: How to Conduct a Mock Recall and Ensure Traceability, 11th February
Food Safety Magazine is hosting a webinar on how to be prepared during a recall, and how your company can efficiently handle the recall process.
Register here:
Recall Readiness: How to Conduct a Mock Recall and Ensure Traceability Registration
In this week’s food fraud news:
📌 Two food fraud trends;
📌 Botanicals insight;
📌 Turmeric - a new unauthorised colourant;
📌 Wow results for shrimp fraud, and more.
Past Issues of Food Safety News
Food Safety News, January 2025
Food Safety News, December 2024
Food Safety News, November 2024