University of Florida

News Archive

 

Florida Small Farms Alternative Enterprises Conference
July 31 and August 1, 2010
Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee Florida

As the follow-up to Florida's 2009 successful first statewide Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference, a second event will be held summer 2010. Attendance is expected to top 1,000 farmers and agricultural professionals this year. Features will include speakers, educational sessions, exhibits of products and technologies, livestock displays, demonstrations, networking opportunities, meals of fresh foods from FL small farmers, and more. Early registration is encouraged and the Early Bird registration deadline is July 12, 2010. There are a limited number of scholarships available for FL small farmers. For more information, visit the Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Web site.

The Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference is hosted by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Florida A&M University’s College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture.

-----------------------

Salmonella oubreak in Subway restaurants in Illinois
June 18, 2010
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
The IDPH has reported several cases of Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss among customers who report eating at certain SUBWAY® restaurants in 28 counties in Illinois. Confirmed cases have reported eating at restaurants between May 5 and June 4, 2010. Cases range in age from two-years to 79-years-old. IDPH today reported several food handlers at certain SUBWAY® restaurant locations in Illinois have tested positive for Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss. The specific food source causing illness has not been identified. As of June 24, 2010, there are 97 confirmed cases of Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss in the outbreak.

-----------------------

Multistate Outbreak of Human E. coli O145 Infections Linked to Shredded Romaine Lettuce
May 21, 2010
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 26 confirmed and 7 probable cases related to this outbreak from 5 states (MI, NY, OH, PA, and TN) since March 1, 2010. The bacteria responsible for this outbreak are referred to as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC. Among the 30 patients with available information, 12 (40%) were hospitalized. Three patients have developed a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Evidence has implicated shredded romaine lettuce from one processing facility of Freshway Foods as a source of infection in this outbreak. Recalls have been issued and the investigation is still ongoing.

 

Produce Recalls

This section lists U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) produce recalls older than 2 months. Click on the dates for more information. To see all FDA food recalls, visit the FDA's Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts page. To see recalls involving meat, poultry or egg products, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)'s Recalls page.

  • May 12, 2011: Mann Packing recalls vegetable platters and Snacks on the Go containing grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • May 10, 2011: Goodness Gardens, Inc. of New Hampton, NY recalls chives because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • May 9, 2011: Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc. (“Del Monte Fresh”) of Coral Gables, FL recalls vegetable trays made with recalled grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • May 5, 2011: Northeast Produce Inc. of Plainville, CT recalls grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • May 4, 2011: Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. of Tracy, CA recalls salad products made with recalled grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • May 4, 2011: Safeway recalls fresh kabobs made with recalled grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • May 3, 2011: Mastronardi Produce of Kingsville, Ontario recalls grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • April 29, 2011: Six L's of Immokalee, FL recalls 1 lot of grape tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • April 29, 2011and April 20, 2011: Satur Farms of Cutchogue, NY recalls Satur Farms Cilantro because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • April 22, 2011: L&M Companies, Inc. of Raleigh, NC recalls 1 lot of whole cucumbers because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • April 22, 2011: Jonathans Sprouts of Rochester, MA recalls alfalfa sprout products because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • April 7, 2011: Fresh Express recalls 9 oz. Bag Spinach because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • March 30, 2011: Louie Foods International of Fresno, CA recalls Louie brand sprouts because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • March 22, 2011: Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc. (“Del Monte Fresh”) of Coral Gables, FL recalls 4,992 cartons of cantaloupes because of possible contamination with Salmonella Panama.
  • March 18, 2011: WorldVariety Produce recalls Serrano Peppers sold only to Walmart stores in Wisconsin, Montana, Utah and Wyoming and Jewel-Osco stores in Illinois because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • January 31, 2011: Sabor Farms of Salinas, CA recalls fresh cilantro because of possible contamination with Salmonella. See link for all brands and products.
  • January 25, 2011: State Garden of Chelsea, MA recalls all Salad products produced in their plant on January 4, 2011 which correspond to trace back codes 45693 and 45703 because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. See link for all brands and products.
  • January 5, 2011: Boncheff Greenhouses, Inc. of Toronto, Ontario recalls cilantro, curly parsley, and Italian parsley sold in Wegmans Food Markets and other stores because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • January 3, 2011: Sprouters Northwest, Inc. of Kent, WA, recalls all of its clover and clover mix products because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • December 29, 2010: Tiny Greens of Urbana, Ill., recalls Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • December 28, 2010: J&D Produce recalls curly parsley, cilantro and other fresh greens because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • December 7, 2010: Pablo's Produce, Inc. of Oxnard, Ca recalls one lot of cilantro because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • November 5, 2010: Orval Kent recalls 23 products that contain cilantro that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • October 21, 2010: Del Monte Fresh Produce recalls cantaloupes because they are potentially contaminated with Salmonella. The affected product was distributed to limited customers in and around Detroit, Michigan.
  • October 20, 2010: The Texas Department of State Health Services ordered Sangar Fresh Cut Produce of San Antonio to stop processing food and recall all products shipped from the plant since January. Laboratory tests of chopped celery indicated presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The plant is linked to 10 listeriosis cases including 5 deaths. Fresh cut produce was distributed to restaurants and institutions and not sold in grocery stores.
  • October 7, 2010: Individual and bulk size bags of Alfalfa Sprouts are recalled by Living Foods, Inc. of Ionia, Michigan because of potential contamination due to Salmonella.
  • August 19, 2010: Snow White Food Products, Inc. recalls 3.5 oz packages of Alfalfa Sprouts distributed in New York state due to the presence of Salmonella. Consequently, production and sale of the product has been suspended.
  • August 10, 2010: Fresh Express recalls 2,825 of Veggie Lovers Salad with a use by date of August 10, 2010, due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes.
  • July 23, 2010: Specialty Farms, LLC expands a recall of Organic Alfalfa Sprouts Blend and Organic Sprout Salad in the North Eastern United States because of the possible presence of Listeria motocytogenes. They are also recalling Stop & Shop brand Nature's Promise Organic Alfalfa Sprouts 4 ounce container and 8 ounce bag, and Natures Promise Organic Zesty Sprouts 4 ounce container.
  • July 21, 2010: Pasco Processing, LLC, Pasco WA recalls 2087 cases of 20lb. bulk packaged Corn and Poblano peppers, because of the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • July 13, 2010: Fresh Express recalls certain Romaine lettuce salad products with expired Use-by Dates of July 8 - 12 and an "S" in the Product Code because they may have the potential to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
  • July 8, 2010: Miravalle Foods, Inc. S. El Monte, CA recalls "Miravalle Chile California & Miravalle Chile Nuevo Mexico" Brand Peppers" because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • July 7, 2010: Ready Pac Foods, Inc. Irwindale, CA recalls cases of the Baby Spinach variety of Spinach Temptations 6 oz. bagged salads because they could be contaminated by Escherichia coli 0157.H7.
  • July 5, 2010: Marjon Specialty Foods, Inc., Plant City, FL recalls 119 cases of sliced apples as a result of a positive test result for Listeria monocytogenes that came from the company's routine sampling program. The apples were packaged in 2 oz. single serve packages.
  • June 24, 2010: Lancaster Foods recalls fresh Spinach sold under the brand names Krisp-Pak, Lancaster Fresh, Giant, and America's Choice because they could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
  • May 27, 2010: organicgirl Produce recalls Baby Spinach because of possible contamination with Salmonella.
  • May 24, 2010: Fresh Express Recalls Romaine-based ready-to-eat salads because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
  • May 6, 2010: Freshway Foods voluntarily recalls products containing Romaine Lettuce because of possible contamination with Escherichia coli O145.

 

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact

Keith R. Schneider, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, FSHN
University of Florida
359 FSHN Bldg., Newell Dr.
Gainesville, FL   32611
keiths29@ufl.edu
352-392-1991, ext. 309
352-392-9084 

Top