Food is a necessity in every part of the world. While it is a staple in every household especially on holidays, this Thanksgiving might be a bit different after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with a few other agencies warned against eating various kinds of food.
Here are some of them:
1. Romaine lettuce salad that is possibly contaminated with E. coli.
Maryland health officials are currently investigating if a store-bought chicken Caesar salad caused the outbreak on the state after patients reported that they ate it before they got sick.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that at least 17 people got sick due to E. coli infection. Two of these patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure which is associated with the E. coli strain O157:H7.
While it is still unknown what caused the outbreak in other states, the patients of the outbreak reported in the state of Maryland claimed that they diagnosis came after they ate Ready Pac's chicken Caesar salad. The CDC had then advised people not to consume any salad from this brand that has a "Best By" date of October 31.
In addition to that, the CDC also recalled at least 75,000 lbs of salad products out of fear of contamination.
2. Uninspected Morris Meat products
Although there are still not reported outbreaks that are linked to it, more than half a million pounds of pork were being recalled for by-passing inspection in Illinois.
According to the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Morris Meat Packing has been producing uninspected meat products from November 2017 up to this month.
FSIS confirmed that there is still no report of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products, but they still advise customers to throw it away or return it to the place of purchase in case they have not consumed it yet.
The list of recalled products can be seen here.
3. Chicken fried rice that is contaminated with plastic
FSIS also recalled a frozen chicken fried rice produced by Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. in Mississipi due to being contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of plastic.
The recalled packaging has an establishment number of "P-34708". It is produced between July 9 to 11 this year and was shipped to Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas.
Although the firm also confirmed this incident, there is no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products so far.
4. Cottage cheese with metal and plastic
Another case of foreign material contamination: a cottage cheese produced by Kraft Heinz Food Company.
Through a press release in November 15, the company announced a voluntary recall of three different variants of Breakstone's Cottage Cheese. These products have use-by date of December 10, 2019. It was distributed all over the United States and was exported to Latin America.
The company advised the customers not to eat it and return it for an exchange or full refund. Customers may also contact the company for a full refund.
5. Hepa-A Virus-infested Blackberries
The FDA encouraged people to throw away the blackberries they purchased between September 9 to 30 from Fresh Thyme stores.
The FDA reported that fresh blackberries produced by Fresh Thyme are the culprit of the recent multi-state Hepatitis A outbreak that has sickened at least 11 patients.
The FDA encouraged people to throw away the blackberries they purchased between September 9 to 30 from Fresh Thyme stores, including those who bought it on states that have no outbreak.
There are 11 branches that sell those blackberries: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
ALSO READ: Here is the Best Way to Store Vegetables and Fruits at Home