Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 04 | OCTOBER 2015
Food Safety Crises
10/ 2015
USA - Peanut Butter Spread Due Recalled to Possible Metal Pieces
(Source: FDA) Hormel Foods Sales LLC is voluntarily recalling 153 cases, or 1,871 total pounds, of
a single code date of SKIPPY® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread, due to the possibility
that some jars may contain small pieces of metal shavings which were discovered on an in-line
magnet check during routine cleaning. Foodborne objects that are greater than 7mm in length
may cause injury such as severe choking with airway obstruction, gastrointestinal peroration or
secondary infection.
The recalled product is limited to 16.3 ounce jars with a „Best If Used By“ date of DEC1416LR1
with a package UPC code of 37600-10500. The code date is located on top of the lid. A photo of
the product and „Best If Used By“ date appears below. Recalled product was sent to distribution
centers for Publix, Target and Walmart located in Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Delaware and Arkansas.
10 / 2015
UK - Radioactivity Report Published
(Source: FSA) The FSA has published the annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE)
report, which shows that the level of man-made radioactivity to which people in the UK are exposed, remained below the EU legal limit during 2014. No food safety concerns were identified.
The key findings are:
The total radiation dose to members of the public in the UK is significantly below the EU annual
dose limit of 1 millisievert for all exposures.
The exposure of consumers to radioactivity in 2014 was similar than in 2013 for the majority of
nuclear sites.
In 2014, the highest doses the public received were Sellafield (0.22mSv), Capenhurst (0.17mSv)
and Amersham (0.14mSv), as opposed to last year when the location with the highest dose was
Amersham (0.22mSv). The increase in the ranking of Sellafield compared to last year was established following a re-assessment of exposure pathways in 2014, including an observed increase
in seafood consumption. The doses received around Amersham and Capenhurst are mainly result of direct radiation from sources on the sites.
Between April 2014 and March 2015, 383 contaminated particles were found in the Cumbrian
coastlines originating from Sellafield by an ongoing survey programme which started in 2006.
(An increase from 117 particles in the pr