Causes.com
| 2.7.23

Over 400 Products Recalled Due To Potential Listeria Contamination
Should companies test for dangerous bacteria before their products are sold to the public?
What’s the story?
- Over 400 products were recalled because of a possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week.
- The products recalled by Fresh Ideation Food Group LLC include ready-to-eat sandwiches, salads, yogurts, wraps, and more, sold in nine states — Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia and Washington, D.C. — from Jan. 24 to Jan. 30.
- According to the company, no illnesses have been reported so far, but “[t]he recall was initiated after the company’s environmental samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.”
What’s the risk?
- Listeria is a bacteria that can cause severe infection, known as listeriosis.
- Listeriosis is a foodborne illness that can have serious health impacts on pregnant women, people over the age of 65, and those with lowered immune systems. It can lead to severe complications, like meningitis, septicemia, miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and even death.
- While antibiotics are available for treatment, health experts emphasize that prevention is best. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an estimated 1,600 are diagnosed with listeriosis each year, and around 260 die.
What to look out for
- The company said its products could be easily identified:
“All recall products have a Fresh Creative Cuisine label and/or identifier on the bottom of the label with the Fresh Creative Cuisine name and fresh through or sell through date ranging from January 21, 2023 through February 6, 2023.”
- The products include bacon, egg, and cheddar muffins, breakfast croissants, chicken and tuna sandwiches, fruit cups, salads, yogurts, wraps, and “related products.” Fresh Creative Cruisine said the products were sold in stores, vending machines, and by transportation providers.
- Find the complete list of products here.
Should companies test for dangerous bacteria before their products are sold to the public?
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: iStock/Hailshadow)
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Isn't this a no brainer?!?!?!
Geez! I hope Ronald Regan is rotting in Hell for all the deregulation he gave to corporations!
Food safety is very important to protecting public health. While I'm sure you can't test every single item of produce for bacteria, there should be enough testing practices to ensure that this many products won't be at risk.
Oops! I meant to say no. Capitalist corporations always have their customers' interests as first priority, not their profits or third vacation homes. And since socialism is evil (except for social security and farm subsidies and the other many forms of corporate welfare), we can't have the imperfect govt getting involved because letting the perfect be the enemy of the good is wrong. If govt can't be perfect, stay out of the way.
This goes to show all our citizens that our Food and Drug Administration does work any more. Not from incompetent workers, but lack of funding and lack of workers. Big money attempting to hoodwink consumers. And our elected government representatives failing to do their job.
First, Listeria is something that is not typically an issue for healthy people that live outside of cities with normal diets. Perhaps people need to become more "sturdy", like those in the country.
Second, why would anyone trust anything created by the government these days to make/assure someone's health when the same government is killing and maiming people with these Covid injections, and at the same time doing NOTHING to stop the importing of fentanyl which is killing 10's of thousands?
FDA guidance exists but there is inadequate surveillance as evidenced by:
(1) the infant formula shutdown due to a whistleblower report that took FDA months to take action on
(2) compared to the drug industry because FDA is run doctors with experience in drug development so both expertise & resources are focused on drug development. Even drug manufacturing receives inadequate surveillance.
(3) Inadequate budget, FY2023 budget is requesting $8.4B of which $3B comes from user fees paid by the biopharma industry for drug development, submission and approval, and post approval surveillance. Only $43M is requested for food safety modernization which also includes animal food.
FDA Guidance exists:
(1) FSMA Final Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food (September 2015) requires food facilities to have a food safety plan to analysis hazards and risk-based preventive controls to minimize or prevent the identified hazards.
(2) Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods (January 2017) in the manufacture, process, pack, or hold ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. This guidance is intended for those involved with food whether they are subject to good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements used for drug manufacturing
Surveillance to ensure compliance requires monitoring 750,000 businesses that transport, store, distribute, prepare, and sell meat, poultry, and egg products and is prioritized;
(1) Tier 1 Types (70%) distributors, warehouses
(2) Tier 2 Types (30%) transporter, retailer, food bank, salvage
(3) Tier 3 Types animal food, bonded area, broker, institutions, port of entry, processor, restaurants
Results show high compliance (95%+) for employer & facility practices (documentation) but lower compliance (80%-85%) for product handling and cleaning with cleaning being the lowest.
FDA Food Oversight failures - while FDA is responsible for 80% of US Food Supply, FDA which is run by doctors is focused on drug oversight and most of oversight is dedicated to drugs. Due to Covid shutdowns even drug oversight was halted in 2020 and part of 2021 and was just starting backup when the infant formula problem surfaced only due to a whistleblower which shows how little surveillance is actually conducted.
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-seeks-84-billion-further-investments-critical-public-health-modernization-core-food-and-medical
https://www.causes.com/comments/6973
https://www.causes.com/comments/6916
https://politico.com/interactives/2022/fda-fails-regulate-food-health-safety-hazards
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2021-01/2018-%20Speech-Listeria%20Controls%20at%20Retail-%20Nationwide%20Surveillance%20Results%20.pdf
https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/draft-guidance-industry-control-listeria-monocytogenes-ready-eat-foods
https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-issues-revised-draft-guidance-control-listeria-monocytogenes-ready-eat-foods
F.D.A. ?
The Grievance Over party has spent decades weakening any and all oversight and accountability from corporations this mass harm to the public. People need to see this for what it is, deregulation helps no one but the greedy corporations.
yes
Actually, how about they make sure their manufacturing plants are clean BEFORE they make food? It sure would save money and lives...
Consumers don't get enough protection in this country.
In the long run, companies would save money.
All food products that are being prepackaged for distribution should be tested for any of these types of contaminants. The facilities where they are being manufactured need to be inspected by responsible authorities randomly to ensure compliance. The politicians have defunded the agencies that inspect these facilities. Now we are paying the price for their incompetence and greed.
Duh!!! Profits over People is all they care about. It's finally time for them to be held accountable BEFORE someone dies or is gravely injured. Not the usual slap on the rest and and a "nothing-burger" fine of no value and doesn't change their behavior to protect the American consumers.
How is this even a question?? Consumer protection is no longer a thing???
kocksuckers.
I know that they are trying to get the food out while it is still fresh, but they also have a responsibity to the public. The serious dangers from this contaminant are serious. They have to protect the public. Dead people can't buy their products.
This is common sense.
This should be a no brainer. We have health code for a reason. Too many of these outbreaks are happening. They shouldnt be able to put iffy products on the shelves. We should be able to not worry about eating contaminated food.
Good God, don't companies test for product safety before shipping to the marketplace?!?
Product testing for potential dangers to the public should be standard required practice
Most people think food is Tested Before sales! Why are people put at risk??
This is only common sense. The best way to solve a problem is at the source. Testing should be performed prior to shipment. The product can still be contaminated further down the line but you keep chasing the source of contamination further down the line with more testing