Showing posts with label Costco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Costco. Show all posts

Monday, November 30, 2015

AquaBounty’s genetically modified (GMO) salmon facing further backlash from national grocery stores and restaurant chains : Costco and Red Lobster Say No to GMO Salmon






Costco and Red Lobster Say No to GMO Salmon

| November 25, 2015 9:21 am |
 
 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) controversial approval of AquaBounty’s genetically modified (GMO) salmon has garnered further backlash from national grocery stores and restaurant chains.

Costco, the second largest retailer in the world with 487 stores and one of the largest retailers of salmon and seafood in the U.S., has made a firm commitment not to sell GMO salmon.


gmosalmonfight750


“Although the FDA has approved the sale of GM salmon, Costco has not sold and does not intend to sell GM salmon at this time,” the company said in a statement.

Costco’s move to reject GMO salmon comes after vehement opposition from anti-GMO activists.
According to a statement from Friends of the Earth, Walmart and Publix are among the last remaining large retail grocers in the U.S. that have not yet rejected GMO salmon.

“The market is rejecting GMO salmon. Stores won’t sell it and people don’t want to eat it,” said Friends of the Earth Campaigner Dana Perls. “Now other retailers like Walmart and restaurants need to follow suit, and we need mandatory GMO labeling so that consumers know how to avoid GMO salmon.”

More than 60 grocery store chains representing more than 9,000 stores across the U.S. have made commitments to not sell GMO salmon, including Safeway, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Aldi and many others.

The nation’s largest seafood restaurant is also denying GMO salmon. Red Lobster, with 705 North American locations and more than 40 internationally, told the Dallas Morning News that it would not sell GMO salmon last Friday.

Incidentally, consumers might not even know they’re eating GMO salmon. AquaBounty’s salmon, which is genetically altered to grow to market size in half the time of conventional salmon, will not require a GMO label under FDA guidelines.

It’s unclear if we’ll  ever see labels for genetically altered food, period—not just salmon. Currently, the hotly contested Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act—dubbed by opponents as the Denying Americans the Right to Know Act or DARK Act—languishes in the Senate.

The act, H.R. 1599, which passed the House of Representatives in July, bans states from issuing mandatory labeling laws for foods containing GMOs. The bill gives the FDA the authority to establish national standards and regulations for GMO food. The Department of Agriculture would be granted full discretion over the law’s implementation.


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Sunday, February 16, 2014

Foster Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickened 134 in 13 States. Costco recalls 40,000 pounds of rotisserie chicken

February 16, 2014 by

Raw-Chicken-BreastThe first of two Salmonella outbreaks linked to Foster Farms chicken during 2013 was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one year ago this weekend. The outbreak sickened 134 people in 13 states, 33 people were hospitalized.
Most of those sickened, 71 percent, told health investigators that they had eaten Foster Farms chicken before they developing symptoms of Salmonella poisoning which include abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhea.  Shopper card records showed nine case patients purchased Foster Farms chicken before illness onset.

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Costco recalls 40,000 pounds of rotisserie chicken for salmonella risk

By JoNel Aleccia
A Costco wholesale store in South San Francisco, Calif., is recalling nearly 40,000 pounds of rotisserie chicken products because the food may be linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that now has sickened more than 300 people in 20 states, federal health officials said early Saturday. 
The Costco store at 1600 El Camino Real is recalling 8,730 Kirkland Signature Foster Farms rotisserie chickens and 313 units of Kirkland Farm rotisserie chicken soup, rotisserie chicken leg quarters and rotisserie chicken salad, according to a notice issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The products were sold directly to consumers between Sept. 11 and Sept. 23. 
The rotisserie chickens may have been contaminated with a type of Salmonella heidelberg rarely found in the United States, FSIS officials said. The strain is linked to an ongoing food poisoning outbreak associated with three Foster Farms poultry plants in Fresno and Livingston, Calif. The USDA issued a public health alert for products from the plant on Monday, but on Thursday agreed that the facilities could remain open if the company made promised food safety fixes. 
At least 317 people in 20 states have been sickened by the outbreak since March, according to an updated notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the cases have been in California, where 232 people have been reported ill. It is the second outbreak of salmonella Heidelberg tied to Foster Farms in less than a year. A previous outbreak sickened 134 people in 13 states.
Some of the seven strains of salmonella detected in the outbreak are drug-resistant, which has created hard-to-treat infections in some patients. About 42 percent of victims in the outbreak have been hospitalized, twice the typical rate for salmonella infections. 
The rotisserie chicken recall is limited to the single store, Craig Wilson, Costco's vice president for food safety, told NBC News on Saturday. One cooked bird tested positive for the rare salmonella strain, Wilson said.

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A infections potentially associated with “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix


This handout image provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows the label of Townsend Farms of Fairview, Ore., Organic Antioxidant Blend, packaged under the Townsend Farms label at Costco and under the Harris Teeter brand at those stores.
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Viral Hepatitis

Posted June 12, 2013 12:15 PM ET
CDC is collaborating with public health officials in several states and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A illnesses. Preliminary results from the ongoing investigation are highlighted below.

At a Glance:

  • Case Count: 99
  • States: 8
  • Deaths: 0
  • Hospitalizations: 38
  • Recall: Yes

Vaccine and IG Information:

More Information:

Latest Case Count Map
Persons infected with Hepatitis A virus, by State
Click map to view case count map.
Latest Epi Curve
Persons infected with Hepatitis A virus, by date of illness onset
Click graph to view epi curve graph.

Highlights

  • Read the Advice to Consumers »
  • As of June 11, 2013, we are investigating acute hepatitis A illnesses in 99 people in eight states: Arizona, California Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.
  • Based on epidemiologic investigation of 73 cases:
    • 47 (64%) ill people are women
    • Ages range from 2 – 87 years
    • Illness onset dates range from 3/16/2013 – 6/1/2013
    • 38 (52%) ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported
    • 63 of 73 (86%) ill people interviewed reported eating “Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix
    • All ill people reported purchasing this product from Costco markets; however, the product was also sold at Harris Teeter stores. No cases have been identified that bought the product at Harris Teeter at this time.
  • Investigation by state and local health departments, FDA, and CDC is ongoing.  Costco notified its members who purchased this product since late February 2013, and has removed the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix from its shelves.
    • FDA has begun an inspection of the processing facilities of Townsend Farms of Fairview, Oregon.
    • The FDA is also finalizing a protocol to test berries for the Hepatitis A virus (HAV), and will be testing samples related to the outbreak, including the frozen blend for the presence of HAV.
  • On June 3, 2013, Townsend Farms, Inc. of Fairview, Oregon voluntarily recalled certain lots of its frozen Organic Antioxidant BlendExternal Web Site Icon because it has the potential to be contaminated with hepatitis A virus.
  • Preliminary laboratory studies of specimens from two states suggest the outbreak strain of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is genotype 1B. This strain is rarely seen in the Americas but circulates in the North Africa and Middle East regions.
  • This genotype was identified in a 2013 outbreak in Europe linked to frozen berries and another 2012 outbreak in British Columbia related to a frozen berry blend with pomegranate seeds from Egypt. However, there is no evidence at this time that these outbreaks are related.
  • According to the label, the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix associated with illness contained products originating from the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Turkey.
  • Hepatitis A is a human disease and usually occurs when an infected food handler prepares food without appropriate hand hygiene.  However, food contaminated with HAV, as is suspected in this outbreak, can cause outbreaks of disease among persons who eat or handle food.

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AP/ June 11, 2013, 9:53 PM

Hepatitis A linked to frozen berries sickens 87

This handout image provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows the label of Townsend Farms of Fairview, Ore., Organic Antioxidant Blend, packaged under the Townsend Farms label at Costco and under the Harris Teeter brand at those stores.


This handout image provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows the label of Townsend Farms of Fairview, Ore., Organic Antioxidant Blend, packaged under the Townsend Farms label at Costco and under the Harris Teeter brand at those stores. / FDA/AP
WASHINGTON The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an outbreak of hepatitis A linked to a frozen berry mix sold at Costco has grown to 87 people with illnesses in eight states.
The CDC said Tuesday that illnesses have been reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.
Townsend Farms of Fairview, Ore., last week recalled its frozen Organic Antioxidant Blend, packaged under the Townsend Farms label at Costco and under the Harris Teeter brand at those stores. So far the illnesses have only been linked to the berries sold at Costco.
Craig Wilson, director of food safety at Costco, said the store is providing vaccinations for people who ate the berries within the last two weeks and is reimbursing others who have gotten the vaccine outside the store. The store has contacted about 240,000 people who purchased the berries at one of their stores, Wilson said. The company knows who bought the berries because purchases are linked to a membership card that customers present when they check out.


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