New E. coli
Worry Prompts Dole Recall
[Posted 9/18/07]
A
division of Dole Food Co. issued an international
recall of one of its brands of bagged salad
September 17 after a sample taken from a store in
Canada tested positive for E. coli, the
company said. The company's move came a day after
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned consumers
not to eat Hearts Delight, a ready-to-eat lettuce
mix. Neither Canadian health officials nor Dole have
received reports of anyone getting sick from the
product.
The
voluntary recall affects all packages of Dole’s
Hearts Delight salad mix sold in the United States
and Canada with a “best if used by” date of
September 19, 2007, and a production code of
“A24924A” or “A24924B.” The product was sold in
Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces in
Canada and in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan,
Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, and neighboring states in the US.
“Our
overriding concern is for consumer safety,” Eric
Schwartz, president of the Dole Fresh Vegetable
division said in a statement. “We are working
closely with the US Food and Drug Administration,
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and several US
state health departments.”
E.
coli contamination can be life threatening.
Last year, an E. coli outbreak traced to
bagged baby spinach sold under the Dole brand was
blamed for the deaths of three people and for
sickening hundreds more across the US. State and
federal authorities ultimately identified a central
California cattle ranch next to spinach fields
belonging to one of Dole’s suppliers as being the
source of the bacteria. Dole is based in Westlake
Village, California.
Related Links:
NBC11 News Article
Medical News Today Article
Occupational Health Tracker Article
(PDF
392KB - provides details on food safety: infectious
agents, contamination risks, and incidence rates)
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