I received email notification of several food recalls within the past week. They were a reminder that not all food recalls are the result of discovered contamination.  There are many reasons for recalls other than contamination. The recalls listed below will be of interest to you if you (or someone you serve meals to) is allergic to one of these common allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. If any of these are used in any processed food, the government requires food producers and processors to include that allergen in the ingredients list on the package label. These 8 food categories account for about 90% of allergic reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Among the recent recalls was one BIGGIE--nearly 2 million pounds of food recalled. This one got some major news media attention, so let's start with that.

Never thought I'd see the day when shelf life matters became big news in the popular media.  Nor did I expect use-by dates to become a source of humor.  But, thanks to a well-publicized new report--jointly issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council, (the NRDC) and Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic--use-by and sell-by dates are finally getting the attention they deserve. 

Way back in 2010, Shelf Life Advice published an article entitled "It Says Use By Tomorrow, But You Don't Have To."  Since that year, about 2 million people have visited Shelf Life Advice. But, sadly, we haven't made a dent in the national confusion about so-called expiration dates on food. Now, perhaps, the country is about to enter a new era.  This new report--The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America--not only tells what's wrong with the food dating system but also recommends solutions to the problem. 

On December 11, the FDA made an important announcement: a proposal to curtail indiscriminate use of antibiotics in food-producing animals.  This voluntary policy won't totally eliminate the danger of becoming ill with an antibiotic-resistant germ, but, still, it could be a big step in the right direction. The following Q/As explain the reasons for the new policy, what will happen next, and why.

SECOND UPDATE on Yauk Specialty Meats Recall, December 16:

Yauk’s Specialty Meats is expanding its recall to include an additional products produced under insanitary conditions, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The products being recalled now are in addition to the various meat and poultry products that were recalled on Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, 2013.

The products subject to this expansion of the recall can be identified by the establishment number “Est. 20309” inside the USDA Mark of Inspection and include these brands:

• “Corner Post Meats” hams and bacon
• “Old Style Sausage” Smoked Andouille Sausage
• “Old Style Sausage” Smoked Kielbasa Sausage

UPDATE on Yauk Recall: December 12

Yauk’s Specialty Meats, a Windsor, Colorado establishment, is expanding its recall to include an undetermined amount of various meat and poultry products that were produced under unsanitary conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The products being recalled are in addition to the approximately 90,000 pounds of various meat and poultry products that were recalled on Dec. 9, 2013.

Products subject to this recall expansion bear the establishment number “Est. 20309” or “P-20309” inside the USDA Mark of Inspection.  To see the list of brand names involved in this recall, click on the link listed under "sources" below.