FDA Recalls Rolf's Patisserie For Staph Food Poisoning

The FDA has recalled all Rolf's Patisserie desserts produced since November 1 as they have been suspected to have associated with a recent outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus food poisoning.
People have been warned of using any recalled Rolf's Patisserie deserts and have been urged to discard them in a sealed container so that the infection could not spread to other humans, pets and wild animals.
The recalled products include cakes, tortes, wedding cakes, truffles, cobblers, decorated cookies, pies, tarts and pastries. Some products don’t even carry labels on them.
Also, there are some products that have been repackaged and have been marketed under different labels. Till now, there have been reported 100 cases of food poisoning, which are related to four different events. Around 70% cases are linked to one even in Wisconsin and the remaining are from three events in Illinois.
The symptoms of the illness begin revealing after one to six hours of the infection that include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache, headache, muscle cramping, temporary fluctuations in heartbeat and temporary fluctuations in blood pressure. Very young and very old are more vulnerable to this infection. The person recovers from the illness in two to three days.

Source
www.topnews.us

FDA warnings for misleading food packaging labels

Food companies in  their pursuit for higher sales put up  whacky ads and frivilous labels  claiming wonders on consumer healths  are now being subjected to government scrutiny  all across the globe .Here is an instance where FDA has issued warning letters to companies putting up misleading statements on food labels


A report

In a crackdown on dubious claims on food packages, the Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to 17 producers for making what it said were misleading statements about nutrition and health benefits. And the agency issued an industry-wide challenge to upgrade the quality of nutrition labeling.

The warning letters apply to 22 products and challenge labeling language on such issues as fat content, nutrient standards and the purported ability of a particular food to prevent medical problems.

The clampdown was hailed as "a once in a generation event" by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit advocacy group which recently released a report documenting purported labeling abuses, including several that earned FDA warning letters.

By coming down on mislabeling, FDA is demonstrating that "the food label is an essential weapon in the toolbox in the fight against obesity and other diseases," said Bruce Silverglade, CSPI's director of legal affairs and a co-author of the report.

Among the targets of the FDA action was a label for Mrs. Smith's Coconut Custard Pie, produced by Schwan's Consumer Brands North America of Bloomington, Minnesota. It advertised that the pie contained no trans fat, but did not disclose that it contained significant levels of saturated fat and total fat.

Similarly, Diamond Foods of Stockton, CA, was cited for a label that claimed that its shelled walnuts warded off maladies such as arthritis, cancer and heart disease. Foods generally are not permitted to make disease-fighting claims.

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FDA Updates Food Code -2009

US FDA ( food and drug administration ) the nodal agency of USA monitoring food safety issues . Food codes are updated in regular intervals for standards required on food safety.Food code serves as a way for state and local regulators to harmonize food safety regulations.

The FDA’s Food Code is the model for state, city and county regulation of about 1 million restaurants, retail food stores and vending and food service operations in the U.S

Highlights of revision Food codes:

• Each provision in the Food Code is prioritized to assist the industry and regulators have a maximum impact on food safety.
• Cut leafy greens are now included among the foods that require time and temperature control for safety.
• New requirements were added to improve awareness of food allergens.
• New requirements were added related to cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and surfaces

Read more on FDA food codes