Jealous Newlywed Refuses to Leave Tip for Flirtatious Server

Photo: Screengrab

Restaurant receipts aren’t technically a soapbox to express emotions and thoughts, but that doesn’t stop some people.

According to Fox40, a newlywed wife used a receipt this past weekend to take her anger and jealousy out on a server. The woman, who is referred to as Jenny, was dining at a restaurant in Ohio with her husband and another couple. The newlywed couple were apparently there “celebrating their honeymoon.” Server Jessica Morris wrote in a now deleted Facebook post that she thought the night had gone smoothly, but when she saw the check, it came with a big fat zero for a tip and a not-so-kind note: “He’s my husband, go find your own. Good luck =).”

---

Morris says that when she sat the table and learned that they were newlyweds, she revealed that she was also a newlywed herself and thought that the table heard her. Morris explains in her Facebook post that to make money waitressing “you have to be nice, and show personality,” two things Jenny interpreted as flirting. Jenny was upset that Morris and her husband developed a small inside joke:

“So, this lady (Jenny) and her husband place their order and she asks me what my name is. I tell her “Jessica” she responds with, “oh, we don’t really like that name. Can we call you Jess” and I laughed and said “yeah, you can call me anything you want. I’ll even respond with a**hole.” In which her husband laughs and proceeds to call me that throughout the whole experience we had as server and guests.”

---

To make it all worse, Morris writes, on top of leaving her no tip, Jenny also stole Morris’s last pen, officially making her the worst kind of customer.

In response to the tip stiffing, Morris posted an open letter to Jenny and held back no punches in the process. Turns out a male server also working that night is Morris’ husband. She writes that he she “found [my husband] on my own, and [he] looks better than yours.” Morris then throws in a brag about how her husband treated her to a cruise for their honeymoon, not just meal at a restaurant in Ohio with another couple. Ouch.

---

Morris leaves Jenny with one last piece of surprisingly sage life advice: “So Jenny, here’s a life tip for you from me, your insecurity as a woman is heartbreaking. Have pride in yourself and your relationship with YOUR husband to where you don’t need to put another down to bring yourself up.” Someone needs to turn that into a poster.

Japanese Porn Star Opens Restaurant Serving Curry That Tastes Like Poop

One of Japan’s most popular porn stars has opened a restaurant that might flush your appetite down the toilet. CNN notes that Ken Shimizu, more commonly known by his screen name Shimiken, is Japan’s “king of porn” and a new restaurateur. His Tokyo restaurant, Curry Shop Shimizu, is getting a lot of attention for its curry dish that supposedly mimics actual poop. Hiroki Okada, the restaurant’s manager, explains that the restaurant is an “attempt to satisfy an unlikely lifelong desire to find out what excrement tastes like.”

(Screenshot via CNN)

---

The curry—which “deliberately mimics the texture and flavor of feces”—is brown, sloppy, and stinky. It takes a slew of ingredients to create the poopiness including onion, minced chicken, bitter gourd, cocoa powder, carrot, bitter green tea, and curry powder. The restaurant adds kusaya, “a sun-dried salted horse mackerel that gives off the smell of dog dung,” for an extra pungent kick. To really drive the point home, the curry is served in a toilet bowl.

While Okada doesn’t claim to have done any research into the taste of excrement for the restaurant, he says that Shimiken is already a bonafide expert. The Daily Mail notes that the porn star allegedly got his start in a film where he ate feces. Okada alleges that since then “Shimiken has eaten feces many times — 250 people’s — so he can examine whether the curry taste the same as the real thing.”

---

So can a restaurant that sells poop curry really sustain itself? Okado says that since the curry house opened in August, it has developed a roster of loyal customers, some of whom “visit the restaurant every day.” The team behind the curry restaurant adds that of the 300 customers that visited the restaurant in its first month, over 90 percent have managed to slurp their toilet bowls of poop curry clean.

While that may be the case, the concept still appears difficult to swallow even in a country that is very accepting of err, non-traditional, takes on popular dishes: Japan is home to a spa that offers pork broth-based ramen baths, after all. But even bathing with gooey and slimy noodles for the sake of beauty is tame compared to seeking out, paying for, and eating feces mimicking curry on purpose.

---

Flight of Cheese trays prepared in-store at Safeway recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

Class 1
Reason for Recall: Health Hazard – Listeria
Product(s): Flight of Cheese trays
Recalling Firm: Safeway
Distribution: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.

Recall details

Ottawa, September 18, 2015 – Safeway is recalling Flight of Cheese trays prepared in store at Safeway which may contain recalled Yanni and Gopi brand cheese products due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

This recall applies to Flight of Cheese trays prepared in-store that may contain the following affected products; Yanni brand Hand-Braided String Cheese Olive Oil Garlic & Herbs, Yanni brand Hand-Braided String Cheese Original, and Gopi brand Paneer, purchased from Safeway on or before September 17^th, 2015. Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased affected products should check with their Safeway store.

Recalled products

Brand Name	Common Name	Size	Code(s) on Product	UPC
Safeway	Flight of Cheese (plastic wrapped on Styrofoam tray)	Variable	Any tray that may contain the affected cheese products: Yanni brand Hand-Braided String Cheese Olive Oil Garlic & Herbs Yanni brand Hand-Braided String Cheese Original Gopi brand Paneer purchased from Safeway on or before September 17, 2015	Variable

What you should do

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, the infection can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

• Learn more about the health risks
• Sign up for recall notifications by email, follow us on Twitter, or join the CFIA community on Facebook
• View our detailed explanation of the food safety investigation and recall process

Background

This recall was triggered by a recall in another country. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses in Canada associated with the consumption of these products.

More information

For more information, consumers and industry can contact the CFIA by filling out the online feedback form.

Product photos

Printer ready version of photos

• 

CDC: Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Mexican Cilantro Sickened 546 People

The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the recent Cyclospora outbreak sickened 546 people from 31 states from May to August. The numbers of reported cases in the U.S. have returned to baseline levels, the agency noted.

CDC stated that epidemiologic and traceback investigations conducted in Texas, Wisconsin, and Georgia by state and local public health and regulatory officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicated that some illnesses among residents in these states were linked to fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico. However, the vehicle(s) of infection for non-cluster-associated cases has not been identified, the agency added.

Most of these persons — 319 (58 percent) of the total of 546 — experienced onset of illness on or after May 1, 2015, and did not have a history of international travel within 2 weeks before illness onset, CDC stated.

These 319 persons were from the following 23 states: Arkansas (3), California (2), Connecticut (5), Florida (13), Georgia (26), Illinois (9), Iowa (1), Kansas (2), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (12), Michigan (2), Missouri (1), Montana (3), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (7), New Mexico (2), New York (excluding NYC) (10), New York City (22), North Carolina (1), Texas (179), Utah (1), Virginia (3), Washington (2), and Wisconsin (11).

Illness onset dates ranged from May 1 to Aug. 22, 2015. Ill persons ranged in age from 15 to 89 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-six percent of ill persons were female, CDC stated.

Previous U.S. outbreaks of cyclosporiasis (the illness caused by the single-celled parasite) have been linked to imported fresh produce, including cilantro from the Puebla region of Mexico. FDA issued an import alert about the cilantro on Aug. 31, 2015.

More information about Cyclospora can be found here.

Burger King is Bringing Its Black-Bun Whopper to US

You no longer have to travel to Japan to try BK’s murdered-out hamburger.

Written by Zachary Harris

Burger King is going goth this Halloween. The chain will be offering a black Whopper, according to The Telegraph and a Reddit user claiming to have access to Burger King’s internal website

---

Not much has been released about the “spooky” cheeseburger, but we do know the ‘HA.1.Loween Whopper’ will be a regular patty sandwiched between two dyed-black buns, with lettuce, tomato, mayo, pickles, onions, American cheese (sorry, it’s not black), and A1 steak sauce.

This isn’t the first time Burger King has changed the colors of its buns. A BK burger with black buns, black cheese, and squid-ink sauce was released in Japan one year ago. In Japan, the buns are dyed using traditional bamboo charcoal.

---

Photo: Facebook/ Burger King Japan

Burger King has also released a limited-edition red bun ‘Samurai Burger’ in Japan as well as a green-bun burger in Saudi Arabia.

---

There is no word on whether the buns on America’s black burgers will be dyed with bamboo charcoal, regular charcoal, or squid ink, but our best guess is food coloring because Americans are easy.

BK will also offer a limited-edition holiday beverage, the Pumpkin Spiced Oreo Milkshake, because literally every brand ever is now capitalizing on the pumpkin craze.

---

Is America ready for the black bun? We’ll finally get to find out. The burger should be available in the U.S. on Halloween, but still no word on how long the special release will last for.

Twice-Hospitalized Salmonella Victim Sues Chipotle in Minnesota

April Beck of Minneapolis, MN, dined at Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. at 2600 Hennepin Ave. S. on Aug 10, 2015, and within five days was showing signs of having been infected with Salmonella Newport. She is among 45 or more Salmonella cases involving the restaurant chain that have been reported since Sept. 2 to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Beck was taken to the hospital with severe stomach cramps and diarrhea on Aug. 23. She was treated with IV fluids for severe dehydration and was not discharged until Sept. 1.

However, Beck was later re-admitted for blood clots in both arms and released for a second time on Sept. 4. After she was discharged, the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed that she was infected with the outbreak stain of Salmonella Newport associated with the ongoing outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota. Beck has since continued to suffer from bouts of diarrhea and blood clots.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, Beck sued Chipotle in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Represented by attorneys Joseph Flynn in St. Paul, MN, and William D. Marler in Seattle, Beck has filed a four-count federal lawsuit against the restaurant chain (Marler is also publisher of Food Safety News.). She is suing based on strict liability, breach of warranty, negligence and negligence per se.

Her complaint states that the 1,847-unit restaurant chain has the responsibility to deliver to the plaintiff food fit for human consumption. It notes that “Salmonella contaminated food” would not be fit for the uses intended. Any ingredients served should have been “free from adulteration, and safe for human consumption, but it failed to do so, and was therefore negligent.” Further, the defendant failed to comply with health and safety acts, according to the complaint.

Beck wants the restaurant chain to pay compensation, prejudgement interest, reasonable attorney fees, and whatever additional judgement and relief the court deems “just and equitable.”

The ongoing investigation into one of two recent outbreaks involving Chipotle is focused on finding a specific food item as the source of the outbreak. The Salmonella Newport outbreak has reportedly led to Chipotle changing its produce supplier for the Minneapolis area.

The Salmonella serotype is one of 2,500 known to cause human illnesses. The infection is usually transmitted to humans by food contaminated with animal feces or handled by workers with poor personal hygiene.

The 5 Most Dangerous Foodborne Pathogens

By Lydia Zuraw

It can be tricky business to say that one foodborne pathogen is more dangerous than another. Are the criteria the number of illnesses, number of deaths, or percentage of victims who die? Do the severity of an illness or chronic side effects factor into the ranking?

The first three pathogens on this list are fairly obvious dangers and ones on which federal agencies, such the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focus most of their attention. The other two are much rarer, but they’re still important pathogens to watch out for.

Listeria

Apart from some diarrhea or minor gastrointestinal problems, most people don’t get sick when they’re exposed to Listeria. It’s estimated that it sickens only about 1,600 people in the U.S. each year, but, if the pathogen gets into their bloodstream, one in five people die, giving it the highest mortality rate of foodborne pathogens.

At least 90 percent of people who get Listeria infections are pregnant women and their newborns, people 65 or older, or people with weakened immune systems.

Listeria can contaminate foods we don’t usually cook, such deli meats, sprouts, and soft cheeses. In 1985, Listeria-contaminated queso fresco sickened 142 people, killed 10 newborns and 18 adults, and caused 20 miscarriages. In 2011, 147 people were infected with Listeria from cantaloupes and 33 people died. Within the past year, there have been outbreaks linked to new food vehicles — caramel apples and ice cream.

Salmonella

Approximately 1 million people are sickened by Salmonella in the U.S. each year and approximately 380 of them die from the infection.

Children are at the highest risk for Salmonella infection. Children younger than 5 have higher rates of Salmonella infection than any other age group. Young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to have severe infections.

Salmonella illnesses are commonly associated with poultry and eggs, along with meat, unpasteurized milk or juice, cheese, contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, spices, and nuts. In 2009, 714 people were infected with Salmonella Typhimurium linked to peanut butter. Approximately 1,939 Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses associated with shell eggs were reported in 2010, and 634 people were sickened by Salmonella Heidelberg linked to Foster Farms chicken in 2013 and 2014.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)

Most Escherichia coli are harmless and an important part of a healthy human intestinal tract, but some are pathogenic. There are six pathotypes of E. coli that are associated with diarrhea and the one we hear about most often is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) – also referred to as Verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) or enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). The most commonly identified STEC in North America is E. coli O157:H7 (often shortened to E. coli O157).

STEC is estimated to cause 265,000 illnesses and 30 deaths each year. It infects people of any age, but young children and the elderly are more likely to develop severe illness and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe complication in which red blood cells are damaged and can cause kidney damage and kidney failure.

Undercooked ground beef, raw milk and juice, soft cheeses made from raw milk, and raw fruits and vegetables have been commonly linked to E. coli infections.

In 1992-1993, an E. coli O157 outbreak that sickened more than 700 people was linked to Jack in the Box hamburgers. In 2006, 199 people were sickened by contaminated spinach. And in 2009, raw refrigerated, prepackaged cookie dough sickened 72 people.

Vibrio vulnificus

The number of Vibrio illnesses and subsequent deaths may much lower than those for Salmonella, Listeria or E. coli, but it is still be a troubling pathogen.

An average of 50 culture-confirmed cases, 45 hospitalizations, and 16 deaths are reported each year from the Gulf Coast region (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas). As of Sept. 11, Florida has reported 30 confirmed Vibrio vulnificus infections this year, including 11 deaths.

While not potentially life-threatening to most healthy people, Vibrio vulnificus can be very dangerous to immunocompromised people, especially those with chronic liver disease, cancer or diabetes. In these people, the bacterium can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness that is fatal about half the time.

Vibrio vulnificus lives in warm seawater, such as the Gulf of Mexico, and is found in higher concentrations in the summer months as water temperatures rise. It can cause disease in those who eat contaminated shellfish raw or undercooked — particularly raw oysters. Contrary to what some people believe, eating raw oysters with hot sauce or while drinking alcohol does not kill the bacteria.

Since 2006-2008, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) has detected a 52-percent increase in Vibrio infections, including V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus and V. vulnificus.

The increases may be the result of higher water temperatures lasting more months of the year and reaching further north due to climate change.

Clostridium botulinum

Botulism is another rare but serious foodborne illness. It’s a paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

In the U.S., an average of 145 cases are reported each year. Of these, approximately 15 percent are foodborne, 65 percent are infant botulism and 20 percent are wound-related.

Botulism can result in death due to respiratory failure. However, in the past 50 years, the proportion of patients with botulism who die has fallen from about 50 percent to 3-5 percent.

A patient with severe botulism may require a breathing machine, as well as intensive medical and nursing care, for several months, and some patients die from infections or other problems related to remaining paralyzed for weeks or months. Patients who survive an episode of botulism poisoning may have fatigue and shortness of breath for years, and long-term therapy may be needed to aid recovery.

Foodborne botulism has often been linked to home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn, and is caused by failure to follow proper canning methods. Outbreaks of foodborne botulism involving two or more people occur most years and are usually caused by home-canned foods.

Field cucumbers and various in-store produced products that contain cucumbers purchased from Safeway recalled due to Salmonella

Reason for Recall: Health Hazard – Salmonella
Product(s): Field cucumbers and various in-store produced products that contain cucumbers purchased from Safeway
Recalling Firm: Safeway
Distribution: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia

Recall details

Ottawa, September 6, 2015 – Safeway is recalling field cucumbers and various in-store produced products that contain cucumbers purchased from Safeway due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

This recall applies to fresh field cucumbers sold in bulk, unwrapped and various in-store produced products that contain cucumbers, such as Greek salad, vegetable trays, sushi and sandwiches purchased from Safeway on or before September 6, 2015. Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased affected products should check with their Safeway store.

Recalled products

Brand Name	Common Name	Size	Code(s) on Product	UPC
None	Field cucumbers (bulk, unwrapped)	Variable	Purchased from Safeway on or before September 6, 2015	PLU 4062
Safeway	Various in-store produced products that contain cucumbers (Greek salad, vegetable trays, sushi and sandwiches)	Variable	Purchased from Safeway on or before September 6, 2015	Various

What you should do

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

• Learn more about the health risks
• Sign up for recall notifications by email, follow us on Twitter, or join the CFIA community on Facebook
• View our detailed explanation of the food safety investigation and recall process

Background

This recall was triggered by a recall by Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce (“A&W”) of San Diego, California, and may be associated with an outbreak in the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

Currently, the CFIA is not aware of any reported illnesses in Canada associated with the consumption of these products.

More information

For more information, consumers and industry can contact the CFIA by filling out the online feedback form.

Product photos

• 

Media enquiries

CFIA Media Relations
613-773-6600

Smirnoff Ice brand alcoholic beverages recalled due to pieces of glass

Reason for Recall: Extraneous Material – pieces of glass
Product(s): Smirnoff Ice brand alcoholic beverages
Recalling Firm: Diageo Canada
Distribution: National

Recall details

Ottawa, September 4, 2015 – Diageo Canada is voluntarily recalling Smirnoff Ice brand alcoholic beverages from the marketplace due to possible glass contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

The following products, sold in glass bottles, were distributed nationally.

Recalled products

Brand Name	Common Name	Size	Code(s) on Product	UPC
Smirnoff Ice	Peach Bellini	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 204 L5 231	0 82000 76753 4
Smirnoff Ice	Peach Bellini	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 204 L5 231	0 82000 76754 1
Smirnoff Ice	Peach Bellini	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 204 L5 231	1 00 82000 76754 8
Smirnoff Ice	Green Apple	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 232	0 82000 76013 9
Smirnoff Ice	Green Apple	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 232	0 82000 76012 2
Smirnoff Ice	Green Apple	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 232	1 00 82000 76012 9
Smirnoff Ice	Raspberry	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 232	0 82000 76011 5
Smirnoff Ice	Raspberry	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 232	0 82000 76010 8
Smirnoff Ice	Raspberry	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 232	1 00 82000 76010 5
Smirnoff Ice	Cranberry & Lime	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 206 L5 232 L5 233	0 82000 76019 1
Smirnoff Ice	Cranberry & Lime	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 206 L5 232 L5 233	0 82000 76018 4
Smirnoff Ice	Cranberry & Lime	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 205 L5 206 L5 232 L5 233	1 00 82000 76018 1
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 210 L5 236 L5 237	0 82000 76360 4
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 210 L5 236 L5 237	0 82000 75948 5
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 210 L5 236 L5 237	1 00 82000 75948 2
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice	12 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 210 L5 236 L5 237	0 82000 75949 2
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice	2 (12 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 210 L5 236 L5 237	1 00 82000 75949 9
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice	24 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 210 L5 236 L5 237	0 82000 76360 4
Smirnoff Ice	Watermelon Mimosa	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 206 L5 233	0 82000 77350 4
Smirnoff Ice	Watermelon Mimosa	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 206 L5 233	0 82000 77351 1
Smirnoff Ice	Watermelon Mimosa	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 206 L5 233	1 00 82000 77351 8
Smirnoff Ice	Orange Screwdriver	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 206 L5 207 L5 234 L5 235 L5 236	0 82000 76021 4
Smirnoff Ice	Orange Screwdriver	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 206 L5 207 L5 234 L5 235 L5 236	0 82000 76020 7
Smirnoff Ice	Orange Screwdriver	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 206 L5 207 L5 234 L5 235 L5 236	1 00 82000 76020 4
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice Light	330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 207 L5 233 L5 234	0 82000 76370 3
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice Light	4 x 330 mL	Bottle codes beginning with L5 207 L5 233 L5 234	0 82000 75947 8
Smirnoff Ice	Smirnoff Ice Light	6 (4 x 330 mL)	Bottle codes beginning with L5 207 L5 233 L5 234	1 00 82000 75947 5
Smirnoff Ice	The Life of the Party Pack	12 x 330 mL	Case codes beginning with L5 137 L5 139 L5 203 L5 231	0 82000 77352 8
Smirnoff Ice	The Life of the Party Pack	2 (12 x 330 mL)	Case codes beginning with L5 137 L5 139 L5 203 L5 231	1 00 82000 77352 5

What you should do

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

• Sign up for recall notifications by email, follow us on Twitter, or join the CFIA community on Facebook
• View our detailed explanation of the food safety investigation and recall process

Background

This recall was triggered the company. Diageo Canada is voluntarily recalling the potentially affected products from the marketplace. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported injuries associated with the consumption of these products.

More information

For more information, consumers and industry can contact the CFIA by filling out the online feedback form.

Media enquiries

CFIA Media Relations
613-773-6600

1 Death, 300-Plus Salmonella Cases in 27 States Linked to Cucumbers

A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Poona linked to imported Mexican cucumbers has apparently sickened more than 300 people from 27 states and hospitalized 53 of them, according to an alert posted Friday afternoon by the New Mexico Department of Health and additional reporting by Food Safety News.

A statement released Friday by the California Department of Public Health reported that there has been one related death in California, and that additional cases were continuing to come in.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released information on the outbreak at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Friday night.

According to CDC, “Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from July 3, 2015 to August 26, 2015. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 99, with a median age of 13. Fifty-four percent of ill people are children younger than 18 years. Fifty-seven percent of ill people are female. Among 160 people with available information, 53 (33%) report being hospitalized. One death has been reported from California.”

Fifteen confirmed cases were announced Friday in New Mexico, as well as 11 confirmed cases (with two suspected) reported from eight counties in Montana.

Thursday’s total case count was 285, and the total on Friday was said to have climbed higher than that.

“I know that it’s over 300 now,” Mark DiMenna, deputy director of the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, told Food Safety News.

He said the breakdown of the 285 S. Poona cases by state as of Sept. 3 was as follows: AK (8), AR (6), AZ (60), CA (51), CO (14), ID (8), IL (5), KS (1), LA (3), MN (12), MO (7), MT (11), NE (2), NM (15), NV (7), NY (4), ND (1), OH (2), OK (5), OR (3), SC (6), TX (9), UT (30), VA (1), WA (9), WI (2), WY (3).

He said that Albuquerque health inspectors come in from the field on Friday and contacted anybody in grocery stores or restaurants who might have received the Mexican cucumbers.

“We contacted anybody who we knew had gotten them and asked them to pull them off the shelves,” he said, adding that barring an official recall, product removal would be on a voluntary basis.

While DiMenna wouldn’t name the distributor involved, he noted that several outlets in his area had already been contacted by them.

“It’s an indication of the scale of that distributor,” he said.

On Friday, a San Diego produce distributor, Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, recalled cucumbers imported from Mexico for Salmonella risk. Andrew & Williamson also supplies vegetables to Red Lobster and In-And-Out restaurants, among others, according to an Oklahoma City TV station.

California health department officials stated that Andrew & Williamson had initiated a voluntary recall of their garden cucumbers after being informed of the epidemiologic association between these cucumbers and the Salmonella Poona outbreak.

“The recalled garden cucumbers can be identified in distribution channels as ‘Limited Edition’ brand pole grown cucumbers. The labeling on these cases indicates the product was grown and packed by Rancho Don Juanito in Mexico. These cucumbers were distributed between August 1 – September 3, 2015,” the department stated.

The Mexican cucumbers being linked to the current S. Poona outbreak are not the long, thin ones that come wrapped in plastic (English cucumbers) nor the small pickle-shaped type (Persian cucumbers). They are the thick-skinned, unwrapped type of garden-variety cucumbers and were sent to grocery stores and restaurants in New Mexico and other states through a produce distributor.

CDC reported Friday that several state health and agriculture departments are collecting leftover cucumbers from restaurants and grocery stores where ill people reported eating or shopping to test for the presence of Salmonella.

“The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency isolated Salmonella from cucumbers collected during a visit to the Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce facility. DNA ‘fingerprinting’ is being conducted to determine the PFGE pattern of the Salmonella isolated from these cucumbers. Results of additional product testing will be reported when available,” CDC stated.

The New Mexico Health Department noted in its Friday announcement that officials there were working with CDC, FDA, the New Mexico Environment Department, the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, and multiple other state health departments on the outbreak investigation.

According to the state health department there, the 15 New Mexico cases are seven residents of Bernalillo County, two residents of Doña Ana County, two residents of Sandoval County, and one resident from McKinley, Santa Fe, and Valencia counties, respectively, with one case of unknown residence at this time.

Several of the New Mexicans sickened were hospitalized, ranged in age from 1 to 65 years of age, and approximately 60 percent are female. Illness onset ranged from July 30 to late August, according to the health department.

New Mexico health officials recommended that New Mexicans not buy, sell, eat, or serve cucumbers grown commercially in Mexico until additional information is available from the CDC and FDA.

“If you have any concerns we recommend that you ask your retail grocer where the cucumbers you purchased were grown. When in doubt as to their origin, do not eat them, and throw them out,” they stated.

California health officials sent out a photo of a box of the recalled cucumbers, noting that, “It is unlikely that cucumbers in retail grocery stores will have any identifying brand information. CDPH recommends that consumers check with their grocer to determine if the cucumbers they purchased are impacted by this warning.”

People who are at high risk for Salmonella infection include: infants, elderly, those with compromised immune systems, including persons on immunosuppressive therapies or medications, and pregnant women. Healthy adults rarely develop severe illness. It is important for people at high risk to follow the standard CDC guidance about Salmonella. People can decrease their risk of Salmonella infection through proper food handling and preparation and by practicing proper hand washing and hygiene practices.

Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, an uncommon but potentially serious infection. Salmonellosis is characterized by an acute onset of headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. Dehydration, especially among infants, may be severe.

This is not the first Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers. An outbreak of Salmonella Newport in 2014 affected a total of 275 people in 29 states and the District of Columbia, with illness onsets occurring during May 20 to Sept. 30, 2014. That outbreak was linked to cucumbers grown in the Delmarva region of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.