Today In Alt Med

Samantha Lynn Issues Reumofan Recall

Screen shot of cached ReumofanShop.com website.

On the heel's of the Food and Drug Administration's latest warning about the "natural" supplements Reumofan a company called Samantha Lynn Inc., has announced its own recall of 500 lots of Reumofan Plus.

In its official press release the business, for which I can find almost no information at all, basically repeated what the FDA has been saying for weeks now--despite their claims to the contrary Reumofan products aren't "natural" and they contain potentially dangerous pharmaceutical drugs that have the potential to cause very serious and even life-threatening problems in users.

What I can tell you about the business is that Samantha Lynn is the company behind the website reumofanshop.com. (The email address given in the press release is the same email address that pops up when you hover over the website's "contact" link but you'll have to look at an old web cache of the page to see it.) That site is currently displaying only a blank page.

The company says that if you bought Reumofan Plus from them between February and June of this year you'll soon be getting an email letting you know about your "options". (If you bought your Reumofan product anywhere else, though, you're simply up the creek without a paddle.) Samantha Lynn did not say what those "options" entailed and provided only the email address naturallifeandhealth@aol.com as contact info. There was no telephone number given in the press release.

Organic Pine Nuts Contaminated With Peanuts, Says Distributor

Hummingbird Wholesale is warning customers in Washington and Oregon that bulk pine nuts purchased from "Natural Foods Retail" stores are contaminated with peanuts. The peanut contamination was found during a visual inspection, says the company in its press release.

Hummingbird Wholesale's official press release about this recall gave almost no other information about the situation. The notice, which apparently actually went out yesterday, is so poorly written that I can't even tell if "Natural Foods Retail" refers to a specific chain of stores or just Hummingbird Wholesale's customers in general.

Nor were Hummingbird Wholesale's website and Facebook page any help, either. The website contains no information about the recall at all (at least as far as I can see) and its Facebook page is also absent any mention of the recall--despite the fact that it's been updated by the company at least 3 times today.

All I can tell you right now is that the contaminated pine nuts were--according to the company's own press release--on the market as recently as tomorrow. (Yes. Tomorrow. Really.)  They were distributed to natural foods stores in 5-pound and 27.5-pound bulk bags for sale in bulk bins.

If you think you might have the contaminated pine nuts on hand and are concerned about a potential allergic reaction to peanuts (or you simply think you should get the product you thought you were buying in the first place) you can return your pine nuts to your store of purchase for a refund. For more information you can also contact Hummingbird Wholesale directly at 1-541-686-0921.

Two Moms In The Raw Announces Allergy Alert For Pesto Sea Crackers

Image of Two Moms in the Raw Gluten-Free Pesto Sea Crackers courtesy of FDA.

Organic snack maker Two Moms in the Raw is recalling its Gluten-Free Pesto Sea Crackers product and issuing an allergy alert because of potential cross-contamination with peanuts. In its press release, which was actually dated yesterday, Two Moms blamed the possible peanut contamination on an unnamed supplier from whom the company says it gets its pine nuts. Two Moms did not name that supplier and I am currently unable to find any information about any other recent recalls involving pine nuts at this time.

But back to the recall at hand . . . If you think you might have some of this in your home you'll need to look for 4-ounce bags of Two Moms in the Raw snacks labeled Gluten-Free Pesto Sea Crackers. If you find that, you'll need to turn the bag over and look at the lower part of the bag's backside for a lot number. There are multiple lot numbers affected by the Two Moms recall. Those include:

• 1008
• 1016
• 1027
• 1055
• 1067

Two Moms says that the recalled Pesto Sea Crackers were shipped coast-to-coast from early last month to early this month. If you have any of this on hand you should throw it out or take it back to your store of purchase. To get more info you can call Two Moms at (720) 221-8555.

You can also supposedly contact Two Moms through its website but as of my last visit to the site there was still no notice about the recall posted that I could find.

Clif Recalls Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars, Issues Allergy Alert

Image of recalled CLIF bars from FDA via CLIF

Clif Bars and Company has announced a recall of one of its Clif® Bar products after a labeling snafu put the wrong wrappers (but the right bars) into some packages. In a statement on the ClifBar.com website the company explains that some packages of its Coconut Chocolate Chip CLIF® Bars sold at Wal-Mart and Target may actually have packaging for the company's White Chocolate Macadamia CLIF Bar instead. The bars themselves are the right ones--if I'm reading that correctly--but the individual wrappers are not.

What this means is that some folks could potentially chow down on a Clif bar without realizing they're eating coconut. To avoid a potential allergic reaction the company is advising customers who have these products on hand to throw them out.

The exact product to look for is called Coconut Chocolate Chip CLIF® Bars. They were packaged in 6-count boxes and all the recalled boxes have the UPC 722252660305 and the "best by"         code 16MAY13G1. You can find the UPC code on the bottom of your box and your date code on the individual wrappers of the bars. And thanks to the photos CLIF made available you can see examples here:

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Examples of how to find date codes for recalled CLIF bars generously provided by CLIF

 

If you have bars in any other flavors, you're OK, the company says. And if your coconut Chocolate Chip bars have any date code other than 16MAY13G1 you're OK, too. It will only be bars meeting all these criteria that are being pulled from the market.

And in what I consider a very classy move, the company has also placed notices in its Twitter stream and on its Facebook page. 

 

Jean Perrin Edel de Cleron Cheese From PA Whole Foods Recalled

This is an older recall but I'm passing it along because so many of us shop at Whole Foods. Earlier this month health officials with the Allegheny County Health Department in Pennsylvania and Whole Foods Market issued a joint statement recalling Jean Perrin Edel de Cleron cheese. The statement didn't offer a lot of detail but what I can tell you is that the cheese appears to have been sold only at the East Liberty Whole Foods Market store.

Unfortunately neither the ACHD nor Whole Foods made a photo available for me to pass along to you but the recalled cheese was reportedly cut at the store and wrapped in clear plastic. It was then labeled with a Whole Foods scale sticker and assigned a code beginning with the number 293351. It was on the market between May 20 and July 3, 2012.

At the time of its statement the ACHD was already investigating 1 case of listeriosis being blamed on the cheese. There was no word on the age or condition of the victim. As far as I can tell this is the only case of Listeria infection so far. The ACHD has already confirmed that the bacterium was found in samples of the product. The agency has not said how many samples came back positive or how many lots of the cheese could potentially be contaminated.

Whole Foods has published a recall notice on its website and has posted a sign in the store itself. Signage is posted in Whole Foods Market stores to notify customers of this recall.  Customers who purchased the cheese will be given refunds if they bring the cheese back, the store has said.

What do you do if you think you bought the cheese but no longer have the wrapping? If you'd like to have your Jean-Perrin cheese tested you can call the Department at 412-687-ACHD to set that up.

Jean-Perrin cheese is made in France. Several Whole Foods Markets stores sell these cheeses but it is only this one lot from the one store that is being recalled at this time. Edel de Cleron cheese is a soft cheese named for the area in France which first made it famous.

Wellements' Baby Move Recalled For Potential Salmonella

Label of Baby Move provided by FDA

"Natural" baby products company Wellements has announced that it's recalling all lots up to lot number 12179 of its Baby Move Prune Concentrate supplement over fears that the product could be contaminated with a yet-unidentified serotype of Salmonella bacteria.

In its statement about the Baby Move recall Wellements stressed that no one has actually become ill from the supplement and no tests on the supplement have turned up any Salmonella in the finished product itself.

The problem, says Wellements, lies with one of its suppliers, Ingredion. Earlier this month Wellements was informed, the company says, that 5 lots of Ingredion's "Purimune" ingredient--a prebiotic product--had tested positive for the bacterium.

Wellements has not identified the exact serotype of Salmonella Ingredion allegedly found in its prebiotic. As of my visit to Ingredion's website this afternoon there was no mention of the alleged Salmonella contamination that I could find.

Nor, though, does Wellements' own website bear any notice of the recall that I could find. Neither the Baby Move page nor the company's "Mommy Blog" bore any mention of it. Wellements' Facebook page was equally void of a recall notice, despite being updated while I was writing this article.

So that leaves us with only the info provided in the official Baby Move recall press release. What you need to know is that all lot numbers up to (and including) 12179 are covered by this recall. If you have any of the recalled supplement in your home you can take it back to your place of purchase for a refund. For more information about the recall you can contact the company directly at 800-255-2690.

iFlora Kids' Probiotics Recall Expanded

Image of recalled iFlora probiotic courtesy FDA

Sedona Labs has announced that its recall of iFlora® Kids Multi-Probiotic® products is being expanded. One new UPC and 2 new lot numbers are now covered by this recall.

In its update, Sedona stressed that no actual cases of Salmonella poisoning have been reported so far and no other products made by Sedona are being removed from the market at this time.

Curiously, Sedona didn't actually ask customers to return their supplements but they did say that anyone who wished to would receive a refund if they take those products back to their place of purchase.

And, of course, the company again blamed the potential Salmonella contamination on the supplier from which Sedona gets its galactooligosaccharide ingredient. Galactooligosaccharides aren't actually probiotics but they work as pre-biotics in your body. Essentially, they give your body's beneficial bacteria something to munch on.

The updated list of lot numbers covered in this recall now includes:

• 1074711
• 1479611
• 1640811
• 1734411
• 1595811
• 2089411

The expanded UPS list now includes:

• 6 48575 01013 2
• 6 48575 01013 2
• 6 48575 01013 2 
• 6 48575 01013 2 
• 6 48575 01014 9

Sedona says that these products are distributed nationwide. They are available at retail stores, health food stores and through some healthcare providers. This morning I also found an extensive collection of iFlora products at online retailers like Amazon.com and Drugstore.com. I also found them at the websites for CVS and Swanson.

Aloha Maid Coconut Water Recalled

Image of recalled Aloha Maid Coconut Water provided by FDA.

I initially hesitated to report on this because there was so little information available and, unfortunately, after nearly a week, nothing has really changed. Here's what we know so far:

A company called ITO EN USA has recalled the Coconut Water with Pineapple variety of its Aloha Maid brand of canned drinks. The recall, according to the company's press release, was prompted by customer complaints of what's being described only as "an off smell". The entire press release is fewer than 100 words long and gives no information at all about what could be causing the offending odor.

What is also unclear right now is whether anyone has been sickened by the beverage. ITO EN USA says only that no one has been made "seriously ill" but doesn't specifically say if it's received any reports of less-than-"serious" reactions like nausea or upset stomach.

The company's website, itoen-usa.com, was even less useful. It contains no mention of the recall at all, as far as I can tell. What I did learn from the site, though, is that the Aloha Maid line is manufactured in Hawaii of "all natural" ingredients.

If you think you might have some of this on hand you should turn your cans over and look for the code IHMAY0913 stamped on the bottom. Obviously, you should not consume the product.

When (or if) I learn any more about the Aloha Maid recall I'll let you know.

Banner Mountain Organic Sprouts Recalled For Salmonella

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Images of recalled Banner Mountain Sprouts labels generously provided by FDA.

Banner Mountain Sprouts has announced a recall of several varieties of its sprouts over fears that the foods could be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Banner Mountain's press release about the recall didn't give a lot of information but it does say that routine testing has turned up "evidence" of the pathogen. The company has not said which serotype of Salmonella was found or whose "routine" testing found it.

What we DO know, though, is that several varieties are affected. Those include:

• 4oz. zesty greens
• 5oz. sprout salad
• 4oz. clover
• 2lb. clover
• 4oz. alfalfa/broccoli
• 4oz. alfalfa sprouts
• 1lb. alfalfa sprouts
• 2lb. alfalfa sprouts

Banner Mountain says that these sprouts were sold only in California. The recalled sprouts are packaged in clear plastic clamshell containers and clear plastic zip-top bags. If you find these in your kitchen you're encouraged to simply throw them out as soon as possible.

There have been no actual cases of Salmonella poisoning blamed on these sprouts so far.

As of my visit to BannerMountainSprouts.com late this morning there still appeared to be no mention of the recall on the site. Banner Mountain Sprouts is located in Elk Grove, California. According to its website, the company grows "the only 100% organic full-line sprout produce in the western United States". The company also says that it has put 10 million containers of sprouts into the marketplace in the past 25 years.

Golden Glen Creamery Recalls For 3rd Time In 7 Months

Late yesterday Golden Glen Creamery announced that it was recalling its Red Pepper with Onion & Garlic Cheddar cheese product after a positive Listeria test. And if this sounds familiar it's because this is Golden Glen's third recall since November.

I only got the press release overnight but it is actually dated June 11th. In it Golden Glen Creamery admits that the recall was issued only after the Washington State Department of Agriculture found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample that agency tested itself.

Covered in this recall are about 124 pounds of Red Pepper with Onion & Garlic Cheddar. Golden Glen Creamery says that the cheese was on the market in Washington and Oregon from around March 1st through June 7th of this year.

The company did not provide a photo of the recalled cheese that I could share with you but says that the cheese was packaged in random-sized packages ranging from about 0.3 pounds to about 0.5. There should also be a 3-digit batch code somewhere on the package. The code to look for is 887.

Regular readers might remember that this same cheese producer was forced to recall raw cheddar back in November and then forced to recall 2 varieties of butter a few weeks later. In this latest press release, though, Golden Glen Creamery points out that it has had "no positive results" for bacterial contamination "in the past six months". It also says that it has stopped distribution of the potentially tainted batch of cheese.

No cases of listeriosis in people who ate the cheese have been reported.

Golden Glen Creamery is based in Bow, Washington. According to its website, www.goldenglencreamery.com, the creamery produces "all-natural" cheeses and butter from cows the dairy raises itself. This latest recall notice did not actually say that this cheese was a raw milk cheese but the cheddar that was recalled back in November was. Sales of raw milk and raw dairy products are legal in Washington.

As of my last visit to the Golden Glen Creamery website this morning there was still no mention of the recall that I could find. The company's Twitter stream and Facebook page appear not to have been updated in the past week.