Burch Equipment LLC Expands Recall to Include Additional Cantaloupe Shipping Dates and to include Honeydew Melons

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm315248.htm?source=govdelivery

Burch Equipment LLC Expands Recall to Include Additional Cantaloupe Shipping Dates and to include Honeydew Melons

Contact
Consumer:
910-267-5781
burch@intrstar.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 10, 2012 - Burch Equipment LLC, North Carolina, is expanding its recall to include all of this growing season's cantaloupes and honeydew melons that may remain on the market because they may possibly be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. There have been no illnesses reported to date.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. The incubation period (the length of time between consuming a product and becoming ill) for Listeria monocytogenes can be 1 to 3 weeks, but may be in the range of 3 to 70 days.

The whole cantaloupes are identified by a red label reading Burch Farms referencing PLU # 4319. All cantaloupes involved in the recall were grown by Burch Farms, however some of the cantaloupes may have been identified with a "Cottle Strawberry, Inc." sticker referencing PLU #4319 (note: Cottle Strawberry, Inc. did not grow or process the cantaloupe involved in this recall). Cantaloupes from Burch Farms were shipped in both corrugated boxes (9 cantaloupe per case) and in bulk bins.

Honeydew melons involved in this recall expansion do not bear any identifying stickers and were packed in cartons labeled melons.

Consumers who may have purchased these honeydew melons should contact the store where they purchased their melons, for information about whether those melons are part of this recall.

The cantaloupes and honeydew melons involved in this expanded recall were sold to distributors between June 23rd and July 27th, in the following states: FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, and VA, VT and WV. The melons may have further been distributed to retail stores, restaurants and food service facilities in other states."

Burch Equipment LLC is requesting any consumer that may have one of these cantaloupes or honeydews to discard the product.

There have been no illnesses reported to date. FDA and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are working with Burch Equipment LLC following a random sample of a cantaloupe testing positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

This recall expansion is based on FDA's finding of Listeria monocytogenes on a honeydew melon grown and packed by Burch..

Questions can be directed to Burch Equipment LLC at 910-267-5781 Monday through Friday, (9:00am to 4:00pm) or email burch@intrstar.net.

Fresco Green Farms Inc. RECALLS Cilantro BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm315245.htm?source=govdelivery

Fresco Green Farms Inc. RECALLS Cilantro BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK

Contact
Consumer:
(562) 205-7673

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 9, 2012 - Fresco Green Farms Inc. of Winchester, CA is recalling 1,643 cases of Cilantro harvested from July 18th 2012 to July 27th 2012, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. Consumers who believe they have purchased the affected cilantro should dispose of it and it should not be consumed.

The cilantro was on store shelves in California and Minnesota beginning July 19, 2012 and likely sold or removed from sale before August 6, 2012. There have been no illnesses reported. The cilantro is bunched and tied together with a brown rubber band. Each bunch has the following dimensions; 10 inches of length and 1 ¼ width. The individual bunches have no identifying labels or lot numbers. They were distributed in shipping cases labeled “Fresco Green Farms Inc., Hemet, CA. Produce of USA cilantro 2.5dz “ Consumers who may have purchased the cilantro should contact the store where hey purchased it to determine whether the cilantro was included in the recall.

The recall was as the result of a routine sampling program by the USDA, which revealed that the cilantro harvested from July 18th to July 27th has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Fresco Green Farm is taking this matter as high priority and has made extreme quality control measures to identify if any cilantro is contaminated prior to shipping to distributors and retail markets.
Consumers whom have concerns may contact Fresco Green Farms Inc. at (562) 205-7673 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Pacific standard time.

PETA back at Iowa State Fair

PETA received a call late Friday afternoon from Iowa State Fair official Rollie McCubbin inviting us to return for the fair’s duration and show uncensored undercover footage—showing unlawful animal cruelty and profane language by farm workers—taken at Iowa farms. PETA will re-open the booth on Saturday at noon, in case you’d like to cover fairgoer reaction and speak with PETA rep Matt Bruce on-site. His contact info is on the release below from earlier today. Thank you. For Immediate Release:

August 10, 2012

Contact:

Matt Bruce 801-839-8487; MattB@peta.org

Shakira Croce 212-260-2304; ShakiraC@peta.org

PETA BOOTH BOOTED FROM STATE FAIR FOR PROFANITY OF SLAUGHTER WORKERS IN GRAPHIC VIDEO

Animal Charity Demands $1,050 Refund From Fair Organizers as Multimedia Display Is Disbanded

Des Moines — PETA's interactive booth has been thrown out of the Iowa State Fair after a video—which initially had been approved—sparked complaints over profane language used by meat-trade workers who abused animals on factory farms. PETA has demanded fair officials return its $1,050 fee for the booth—which drew throngs of visitors on opening day. (See photos below.)

The scene that led to the booth's dismissal spotlights a worker on a turkey farm who unsuccessfully attempts to break the neck of a struggling bird. He exclaims, "Sometimes they're fucking hard [to kill]." In the wake of Iowa's controversial new law to ban undercover investigations inside factory farms, the booth also contained video footage from PETA's investigation of an Iowa pig farm, which documents supervisors and workers beating pigs with metal rods and jabbing clothespins into the animals' eyes—evidence that led to convictions for the abuse and neglect of animals. The video, hosted by Paul McCartney, is viewablehere.

Photos from PETA's booth are included below. For more information, please visit PETA.org.