Tag Archives: metal

Metal is a risk in food, even in Australia

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Mark Donaldson of the Wanneroo Times writes, a Currambine food outlet, which has now shut down, has been fined for a food safety breach after a customer bit into a piece of metal while eating a meal last year.

DS Business Venture, which ran Pastacup at Currambine Central, was due to stand trial in Joondalup Magistrates Court today but changed its plea to guilty.

No one from the business appeared in court to face the charge of “a person must not sell food that is unsuitable”.

The City of Joondalup prosecutor said a customer bought a three cheese ravioli from the store in May, 2017.

The complainant was eating a meal and bit into something hard, damaging a tooth.

Investigators found it was a rivet that had fallen off a cheese grater.

Magistrate Edward de Vries considered it a minor food safety case but said the customer “would have been in some pain biting into a metal rivet”.

He fined the business $3000 plus costs of another $3000.

The prosecutor conceded there was little chance of recovering the fine now the business had shut down.

Macaroni & metal

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Kraft Foods Group is voluntarily recalling approximately 242,000 cases of select code dates and manufacturing codes of the Original flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner – due to the possibility that some boxes may contain small pieces of metal. The recalled product is limited to the 7.25-oz. size of the Original flavor of boxed dinner with the “Best When Used By” dates of September 18, 2015 through October 11, 2015, with the code “C2” directly below the date on each individual box.  The “C2” refers to a specific production line on which the affected product was made.

heavy.metalKraft has received eight consumer contacts about this product from the impacted line within this range of code dates and no injuries have been reported.  We deeply regret this situation and apologize to any consumers we have disappointed.

$25K fine; Australian Woolworths supermarket fined for food safety breach

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Woolworths Noranda in Western Australia was issued with a fine of $25,672.40 on 28 February 2014 for offences dating back to 23 September 2013 involving the in-house bakery.

WA Today reports that further investigation of the site found that metal from equipment was discovered in baked goods that were intended for woolworthssale.

A spokesperson for the supermarket giant told WA Today that it has since rectified the issue.

“We have replaced the equipment in the store to ensure there can be no further incidents of this type.”

Metal in onion ring caused ‘much soul-searching’ $75,000 fine for Hungry Jack’s

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Hungry Jack’s is the sole Australian franchisee for the American fast-food joint, Burger King.

One of the outlets in Beechboro, northeast of Perth, was fined $75,000 for selling food that contained a piece of metal.

Ouch.

Hungry Jack’s was convicted in the Perth Magistrates Court of selling unsuitable food after a woman nearly choked on the 1.5cm piece of metal in an onion ring purchased in February.

A lawyer for Hungry Jack’s said the matter had been the subject of much “soul searching” for company management.

A spokesman for Hungry Jack’s said the company was “surprised and disappointed” by the findings and intended to appeal the decision.

“We have sophisticated quality assurance and rigorous training systems, which we believe stand up to scrutiny,” he said.

Is that a piece of metal in your mouth or are you just happy to see me: Pepperidge Farm recalls sesame sticks

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Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of 10.2-ounce boxes of Baked Naturals Sesame Sticks as a precaution due to the possible presence of small, thin pieces of wire.

A small number of consumers have reported minor scrapes in and around the mouth. Pepperidge Farm issued the voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of consumers.

The affected product is marked with a yellow 20% More! banner across the top of the package and has the following codes on the top package flap:

W07*1781 Sell by 11/20/2011
W07*1891 Sell by 11/27/2011
W07*1921 Sell by 12/4/2011
W07*2041 Sell by 12/11/2011
W07*2061 Sell by 12/13/2011
W07*2221 Sell by 1/1/2012.

Approximately 13,000 cases of the affected products were shipped to customers across the United States. The product is not distributed in Canada.

Bugs and band-aids, maggots and worms, all in Labor Day hot dogs

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Maggots, worms, metal, plastic and even a razor were just a few of the objects that horrified callers said were in their hot dogs in complaints lodged with the U.S. Department of Agriculture between 2007 and 2009.

Stephen Rex Brown of The Local East Village filed a Freedom of Information Act request in 2009 asking USDA to give up its ‘dirty-dog logs.’ The 64 case files finally came in this week, just in time for the Labor Day holiday.

One report told of a “winged insect that resembled a dragonfly inside the package of hot dogs,” and noted that the insect’s “head, eyes, and wings are visible. Insect is black in color, over 1-inch long.”

In the vast majority of cases, U.S.D.A. investigators determined that the gross-out did not indicate a pattern of neglect at the packing plant, and simply notified the company that handled the hot dog.

But on at least one occasion, even the federal officials in charge of inspecting food became the subjects of an investigation. As one document from June 13, 2008 reveals, a Food Safety Inspection Service employee bit into a rogue hot dog at an “F.S.I.S. Unity Day” cookout in Maryland.

A spokesman for the Hot Dog and Sausage Council, speaking frankly about the matter, said foreign objects in hot dogs were a very rare occurrence, especially given the roughly 20 billion wieners made every year. According to the Council, between Memorial Day and Labor Day — known as “hot dog season” within the industry — roughly 818 hot dogs are consumed every second.

Ring Pop found with metal

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I don’t know what a Ring Pop is but the candy (right) probably shouldn’t contain metal.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is investigating after a Calgary boy found pieces of metal in two Ring Pops bought at an Ogden corner store.

Dean Anderson and his son Sloan, 11, stopped at the Bella Food Store on Ogden Rd. on Sunday to buy a Ring Pop candy.

“He took a lick on it and immediately flinched and said ‘ouch.’ We examined it and picked out a little piece of metal. It scratched his tongue.”

So he let his son go back to the store to get a second Ring Pop and when he opened it, found another piece of metal.

“It was jagged in shape, not like a pin.”

A spokeswoman for the CFIA confirmed Wednesday night the agency is looking into the matter.

Oakridge Calgary Co-op victim of product tampering

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Here I was saying Calgary was a decent place the other day and someone decides to go and put needles or metal in bread or something.

Calgary Co-op Oakridge Centre on Southland Drive and 24th Street SW, Calgary, was the victim of a product tampering incident. As a result, Calgary Co-op has contacted the police and initiated a criminal investigation, and has notified the appropriate health authorities and is working closely with those authorities on the situation. Calgary Co-op has temporarily closed its Oakridge Centre as a precautionary measure and is conducting a complete inspection of its premises.
 
Further, Calgary Co-op is initiating a voluntary recall of its bulk bakery products, bulk food items and packaged cheeses, which may contain small metal objects. To the best of Calgary Co-op’s knowledge, these are the only products tampered with and Calgary Co-op will let the public know as soon as possible if it discovers any other concerns. Customers who may have purchased any of these items since Friday, January 15 at the Oakridge Centre are asked to return them to the Oakridge Calgary Co-op on Southland Drive and 24th Street SW for a full refund.