Nestle Spaghetti Recall, Something Extra In Your Meatballs?

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Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 15 Mar 2011 - 11:00 PDT


A voluntary recall was announced this week as the Nestlé Prepared Foods Company found some red plastic pieces in the meatball portion of one of its most popular products within the Lean Cuisine brand, Simple Favorites Spaghetti with Meatballs. No injuries have been reported.

The recall is not massive as it only applies to one hour of production, which was distributed to multiple states. No other production dates, sizes or varieties of Lean Cuisine products were affected.

The important thing is for customers to check their freezers and ice boxes for this product and dispose of any items bought in 2010 marked Spaghetti With Meatballs UPC 13800-10390 and production code 0298595519 P.

Over 70 food products have been recalled in the last 60 days. For a full report of these brands, click HERE.

The latest Skippy Peanut Butter recall this month came with the usual food recall hype and last year's egg recall and associated Salmonella outbreak is still fresh on most minds of Americans. That outbreak got almost 2,000 people sick. And a Salmonella outbreak related to peanuts and peanut containing products in 2008-09 got at least 714 people sick in 46 states.

The big difference with this peanut butter outbreak though, was that there weren't any reports of people getting sick. It was described as a 'limited outbreak,' and the recall was initiated not because of an outbreak of illnesses, but because 'of a routine sampling program by the company, which revealed that these finished products may contain the bacteria.'

We are now learning just how limited this Skippy Peanut Butter recall was, fewer than 3,000 jars made it to store shelves, according to a Unilever spokeswoman in an Associated Press report. It isn't clear if all 3,000 jars were sold to consumers or if some may have been recalled while still in stores.

The same is the case here in Tuesday's Nestle recall. Don't get too nervous, but use caution whenever you are eating packaged goods. Mistakes do happen in plants and you should always keep alert for yourself and your family.

Here are the top 10 worst recalls of 2010:

• On November 3, 2010, Beaver Street Fisheries Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida voluntarily recalled 5-7 pound lots of tuna loin distributed to Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia because of potentially elevated levels of histamine that can cause an allergic reaction known as "Scombroid Poisoning."
• Back in August, on Friday the 13th, Goya issued a press release voluntarily recalling a mamey pulp product produced in Guatemala because of a potential health risk from Salmonella.
• In March, McCain Foods USA announced that a "pepper ingredient" used in the All American Roaster frozen potatoes was potentially infected with Salmonella.
• Also in March, the Mincing Overseas Spice Company of New Jersey issued a recall of black pepper possibly contaminated with Salmonella.
• Back in February the Haifa Smoked Fish Company of Queens, New York recalled a lot of whole shmaltz herring because it was found to be uneviscerated prior to processing. Uneviscerated fish is linked to botulism poisoning.
• In January 2010, Bao Ding Seafood of New York issued a recall on their Boiled Horse Mackerel product because of its potential contamination with the clostridium botulinum bacterium that causes Botulism.
• Also in January the HP Hood Company of Massachusetts placed a recall on select containers of their Heluva Good 8 0z cups of cold pack cheese product (Port Wine and Sharp Cheddar) that may contain Listeria monocytogenes.
• In February, Johnny's Fine Foods of Tacoma, Washington recalled 6 oz. bottles and foil packets of their powdered au jus product potentially infected with Salmonella.
• In January, Parkers Farm, Inc. of Coon Rapids Minnesota issued a total recall on all of their products regardless of "sell by" dates because of a potential listeria contamination. Products include peanut butter, salsas, dips, spreads, and cheeses.
• In October, the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered the shutting down of the Sangar Fresh Cut Produce plant in San Antonio, Texas. The company was linked to celery product that showed signs of listeria infection. An investigation into 10 listeriosis cases linked the company to 6 instances of listeria infection from Sangar chopped celery. Five of the 10 reported cases were linked to death. The company is closed and all products ordered recalled.

Source: Nestle Newsroom

Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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