Kashrus Alerts – April 30

-Be advised that a limited quantity of Snapple naturally flavored Go Bananas made by Snapple Beverage Corp. has been inadvertently labeled OK Pareve. This product is kosher but contains milk (as stated in the ingredients) and is dairy. Labels are being corrected.

-Effective immediately, Ossie’s Fish Market is no longer certified by the Star-K. The OU states that the company is certified by the OU and Rabbi Babad.

-The following health alert is from the FDA:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today recommended that consumers not eat raw alfalfa sprouts, including sprout blends containing alfalfa sprouts, until further notice because the product has been linked to Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contamination. Other types of sprouts have not been implicated at this time. The investigation indicates that the problem may be linked to contamination of seeds for alfalfa sprouts. Because suspect lots of seeds may be sold around the country and may account for a large proportion of the alfalfa seeds currently being used by sprout growers, and cases of illness are spread across multiple states, FDA and CDC are issuing this general advisory.

CDC, FDA and six State and local authorities have associated this outbreak with eating raw alfalfa sprouts. MI, MN, PA, SD, UT, and WV have reported 31 cases of illness with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul to CDC. Most of those who became ill reported eating raw alfalfa sprouts. Some reported eating raw sprouts at restaurants; others reported purchasing the raw sprouts at the retail level.

This outbreak appears to be an extension of an earlier outbreak in 2009. In February and March, an outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul infections occurred in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. This outbreak was linked to raw alfalfa sprouts, and the outbreak strain was indistinguishable from that of these recently reported cases. A separate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections was also linked to sprouts in 2009. In the 1990s, a number of outbreaks related to sprouts led FDA to issue its guidance. Experience over the past decade has shown that the likelihood of Salmonella in sprouts can be minimized when recommendations from FDA’s Sprout Guidance are followed. For persons who continue to eat sprouts, visit (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002 consumer advisory, available at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpsprout.html.

{kashrut.com, Matzav.com Kashrus Division}