Some March Recalls: “Jamwich,” Peanut Butter, Garbanzo Beans, Ground Beef, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Nuts, and Flasks

By Ethel Tiersky

Mar 16, 2011

This month’s recalls are a good indicator of the wide range of reasons that products are recalled. Some of these may strike you as a bit humorous, but food-borne illness is no joke. If you have any of these products, go to the link and check to see if your product matches the code in the recall. If it does, dispose of the product, following the instructions from the manufacturer.

“Jamwich” is a crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (People really buy this ready-made?!) Pierre Foods recalled 320 cases because of the potential to be contaminated with listeria, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly or frail people, or others with weakened immune systems. Listeria can also cause pregnant women to have miscarriages or stillbirths. To find out which packages were recalled and other information about this recall, click here.

Peanut Butter: This seems to be a bad month for peanut butter. A limited recall of Skippy Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread has been announced by Unilever because some products may be contaminated with salmonella, also a pathogen that can cause serious, sometimes fatal, illness. For more information about this recall, click here.

Garbanzo Beans: Believe it or not, some cans of Field Day Organize Garbanzo Beans were found to contain minestrone soup. This struck me as funny until I went on to read that minestrone soup contains wheat, milk, soy, and egg allergens. Thus, if consumed by someone allergic to any of these foods, it could cause serious illness. (One would hope that a person opening a can of beans and finding soup in it would notice that.) This recall had two causes: mislabeling and undeclared allergens. To find out more about this recall, click here.

Ground Beef: Recalls of ground beef products come up often. In this case, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef recalled 14,158 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with E.coli 015:H7. For more information, click here.

Spaghetti and Meatballs: Nestlé Prepared Foods Company announced a recall of Lean Cuisine Spaghetti and Meatball entrées after receiving complaints from consumers who found hard plastic in the product. (The recall, therefore, was because the product contained foreign materials.) About 10,260 pounds of the product were recalled. For more information, click here.

Nuts: De Franco and Sons recalled hazelnuts and mixed nuts with hazelnuts because these products may be contaminated with E.coli 0157:H7. This recall was initiated after the nut products were linked to 7 illnesses in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. For more information, click here.

Stainless Steel Flasks: Maybe the company name is unlucky. E&J Brandy announces a recall because laboratory tests revealed that brandy stored in the flasks may, under certain conditions, show elevated levels of lead the affected flasks were in gift sets that were sold throughout the U.S. (Imagine giving the gift of a lead-tainted product! That’s not the best way to make friends.) The brandy contained in these gift sets is safe to drink as long as it hasn’t been poured into the flask. To find out the numbers of the defective flasks, click here.

Source(s):

Fda.gov Pierre Foods Voluntarily Recalls 320 Cases of Pierre™ pb jamwich

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm247000.htm

peanutbutter.com “Unilever Announces Recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Peanut Butter…”

http://www.peanutbutter.com/Recall.html

fda.gov “Faribault Foods Announces Voluntary Recall of Field Day Organic Garbanzo beans…”

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm247049.htm

hfsiass.usda.gov “Kansas Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products…”

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_017_2011_Release/index.asp

fsis.usda.gov “South Carolina Firm Recalls Spaghetti and Meatball Entrees…”

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_021_2011_Release/index.asp

fda.gov “DeFranco and Sons sRecalls Hazelnuts and Mixed Nuts with Hazelnuts…”