Perdue Farms Inc., a Washington, Ind., establishment, is recalling approximately 10,368 pounds of fresh sweet Italian turkey sausage products because they contain an undeclared allergen. The product was prepared using an ingredient blend that contained milk, a known potential allergen, which was not declared on the label, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.

The product subject to recall includes 16-ounce packages of "Perdue, Sweet Italian, Lean, Turkey Sausage." Each package bears a use by date of "USE BY 03/30/10" or before, a UPC Code "72745-10301," and the establishment number "Est. P-286" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The fresh sweet Italian turkey sausage products were produced between March 3, 2010, and March 15, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments in Fla., Ill., Ind., Ky., Md., Mo., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., and Va. The problem was discovered by the company. The company and FSIS have received no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Source: FSIS

Consumer group calls for USDA to monitor six other types of E. coli bacteria

Safe Tables Our Priority and victims of foodborne illness called upon the United States Department of Agriculture to recognize as adulterants six other potentially deadly types of E. coli bacteria in addition to the notorious E. coli O157:H7 that is currently classified as an adulterant. All seven strains are known to cause devastating human illness and are transmitted to humans through feces-contaminated beef products.

"The USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have known for decades of the public health risks posed by non-O157 strains of E. coli," said S.T.O.P. President Nancy Donley, whose only child, Alex, died from E. coli O157 poisoning in 1993. "Yet, 10 years after mandating that public health laboratories report positive test results for these strains from infected people, nothing has been done to prevent meat contaminated with these strains from entering into commerce in the first place. As a result, children continue to die horrible deaths after innocently eating their lunch."

E. coli O157:H7 was declared an adulterant in ground beef in 1994 in the aftermath of an outbreak that sickened more than 700 people and killed at least four. The CDC has since identified six additional strains of shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC)—O26, O111, O103, O121, O45 and O145—that are associated with severe illness and death. Just like E. coli O157:H7, these other STEC strains get into the nation's beef supply when cattle feces contaminate the meat during slaughter and processing.

"We ask that the USDA make another bold move, as it did in 1994, by adding these other pathogenic E. coli strains to the list of meat adulterants now," said S.T.O.P. Executive Director Donna Rosenbaum.

At a lunch time demonstration outside USDA headquarters, Rosenbaum, Donley and other victim members of S.T.O.P. held a vigil and demanded that USDA enact health-based strategies to prevent all types of E. coli- contaminated beef from reaching consumers' tables. This includes:
* Recognizing as adulterants the six additional E. coli strains.
* Expanding the definition of adulterant to include E .coli O157:H7 when it is in any type of beef, not just ground beef or beef intended for ground beef.
* Implementing better ways of tracing all STEC outbreaks to prevent widespread illness and deaths.
* Asking Congress for mandatory recall authority for USDA. Currently, all food recalls by government agencies are voluntary and issued by the companies responsible.

Source: STOP

JBS SA buys Australia's Rockdale Beef

Brazil’s JBS SA, the parent company of JBS Swift and Pilgrim’s Pride, said it has agreed to buy Rockdale Beef Pty Ltd. in Australia. Prices were not disclosed, reports Business Week.

The takeover still depends on approval by Australian antitrust regulators and Rockdale’s management board, Sao Paulo- based JBS said today in a filing to Brazil’s securities regulator. Japan’s Itoham Foods Inc. and Mitsubishi Corp. control Rockdale, according to the beef producer’s Web site.

Yanco, Australia-based Rockdale operates a cattle feedlot, a feed plant and a meat slaughter house with capacity to process about 200,000 head a year, JBS said.

Source: Business Week