Landover, Maryland. — Giant Food of Landover, following a voluntary recall by Ready Pac Foods, announced it removed from sale select Ready Pac Apple Snax products due to a positive finding of Listeria monocytogenes on equipment used to produce the apple products.

The following products, all with a use-by date of July 8, 2012 through August 20, 2012, are included in this recall:

• Ready Pac Snax Apple & Cheese with Caramel Dip, 4.2 oz., UPC 7774523896
• Ready Pac Apple Granola Yogurt Snax, 4.3 oz., UPC 7774523089
• Ready Pac Snax Apple, Celery, Raisins with Peanut Butter, 3.9 oz., UPC 7774523897

To date, Giant has received no reports of illness associated with consumption of this product. Customers who have purchased the product should discard any unused portions and bring their purchase receipt to Giant for a full refund. Listeria is a common organism found in nature. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.

Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.

Consumers looking for additional information on the recall may visit the Giant website at www.giantfood.com.

The article Giant Food Alerts Customers to Ready Pac Foods Recall appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that a Chicago-area company has agreed to stop making its ready-to-eat sandwiches and produce after FDA investigators repeatedly found unsanitary conditions and bacterial contamination in the facility.

The company, Triple A Services, and its owners and operators, Thomas J. Whennen, Scott C. Whennen and David A. Frisco, have agreed to stop producing and distributing the sandwiches and produce as part of a consent decree filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois.

The terms of the decree would also require Triple A to hire a sanitation expert to help establish an effective sanitation program, to comply with FDA regulations and to eliminate Listeria contamination from company facilities.

The government’s complaint, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on December 22, 2011, describes Triple A’s history of operating under unsanitary conditions and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in the processing facility. It also outlines Triple A’s failure to comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practice and seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point regulations.

Listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, can be serious and sometimes causes fatal infections in young children, older people, and in those with weakened immune systems. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

“FDA took these aggressive actions because Triple A Services continued to violate current good manufacturing practice regulations and allow for conditions that could affect the health of consumers,” said Dara Corrigan, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.

No illnesses have been reported to date from Triple A Services’ products. Illnesses or adverse events related to use of these products should be reported to the FDA at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm.

The article Sandwich Manufacturer to Stop Production After FDA Investigation appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.