HP Hood has recalled two flavors of Heluva Good Cold Pack Cheese Food. During sampling by the state of Wisconsin, Listeria monocytogenes was found in some of the finished product. Listeria infection can be serious or fatal to those at high risk, such as those with compromised immune systems, and is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and their babies.

Heluva Good Recalled Cheese Products

The products affected by the recall, announced on January 11, 2010, are:

• Heluva Good Port Wine Cold Pack Cheese Food, packaged in 8oz plastic cup containers, with a sell by date between 11/15/2010, and UPC 73570 55503
• Heluva Good Sharp Cheddar Cold Pack Cheese Food, packaged in 8oz plastic cup containers, with a sell by date between 11/15/2010, and UPC 73570 55501

Listeria Can Cause Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death

While the elderly, young children, and people with compromised immune systems are at risk for serious listeria infection, healthy adults with normal immune systems rarely become infected with listeria. The exception is pregnant women. Women who are pregnant are more likely to become infected when exposed to listeria and the bacteria can be fatal to both fetuses and newborns to whom the mother can pass the infection.

People with certain diseases, including AIDS and cancer are also at an elevated risk for listeria infection.


Listeria Sources

Listeria is often found in raw foods, and cooking kills the bacteria. However, food can be re-contaminated after it is cooked and before it is packaged. Soft cheeses, and pre-cooked meats such as hotdogs, are common sources of listeria food poisoning.

If you believe that you have contracted listeriosis from eating recalled Heluva Good cheese products or any other product that was discovered to be contaminated, please contact the experienced defective products attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, serving clients nationwide.

Harry London Candies, Inc. has recalled its Chocolate Pecan Caramel Stars due to undeclared allergens. The unlisted ingredients in the candy can pose a serious health risk to people with wheat allergy or intolerance, celiac disease, and food dye allergy or intolerance. All of the recalled product carries lot code number 9238-1 and was sold on or before December 28, 2009.

Some Ingredients in Chocolate Pecan Caramel Stars Not Listed On Label

The ingredients list on the label of the recalled Chocolate Pecan Caramel Stars does not include the following ingredients which are contained in the candy:

• Wheat
• FD&C Yellow #5
• FD&C Red # 40
• FD&C Blue #1

The label does state that the product was manufactured on equipment shared with wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, soybeans, milk, and eggs.

Potentially Fatal Error

For those who are allergic to the unlisted ingredient, consuming the candy can cause a fatal allergic reaction. A true allergy, such as wheat allergy or allergy to FD&C Yellow #5, can lead to anaphylaxis and death.

Even those who have an intolerance, rather than a true allergy, to the ingredients can become very ill or experience other unpleasant symptoms. People with celiac disease, although different to wheat allergy, can also be adversely affected by consuming wheat products.

An adverse reaction to wheat products can cause both gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal symptoms.

If you have had an adverse reaction to a food product or any other product due to inadequate labeling please contact the experienced defective products attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, serving clients nationwide.

HappyTot and HappyBaby pouch meals produced by Nurture, Inc. have been recalled due to a packaging defect. The affected packages may swell or leak, indicating possible contamination with bacteria. No illnesses have been associated with the recalled products.

The recall applies to HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and HAPPYBABY Stage 1 and Stage 2 pouches with expiration dates from November, 2010 through January, 2011. They were sold in late December, 2009 and early January, 2010 at Target and Whole Foods stores. About 215 to 250 units were affected by the defect.

If you have one or more of the recalled pouches, or if you have a pouch that is swollen or leaking, do not feed the food to your child. You can return the item to the retailer for a full refund or contact Nurture for a full refund or exchange.

Nurture has conducted its own testing on some of the defective pouches and found no harmful bacteria. It did find food spoilage bacteria called Lactobacillus brevis (L. brevis). This bacteria should not cause any health problems, but is not desirable in the food.

Of course, anytime you discover food packaging that is swollen or leaking, it can mean that the food is contaminated with bacteria. You should never consume or feed your child any food with a packaging defect.

If you believe that your child has become ill from consuming recalled food or any other product that was discovered to be defective or dangerous in any way, please contact the experienced defective products attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, serving clients nationwide.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a health alert for Merrick Beef Filet Squares Dog Treats on January 14, 2010. Merrick voluntarily withdrew the treats from the market on January 11, but as of January 15 there were 20 cases of the affected dog treats still unaccounted for and possibly in people’s homes. The treats may be contaminated with Salmonella poses a health risk to pets who consume them as well as people who handle or come in contact with them.

Salmonella Detected in December, 2009

During routine testing, the FDA found Salmonella bacteria in Merrick Beef Filet Squares Dog Treats in December, 2009. A follow-up inspection on December 28, 2009 found deficiencies in the manufacturing and packages processes.

Treats Affected by the Health Alert

The defective dog treats are marked "9323 best by 111911". This is printed on the part of the bag that is discarded when the package is opened. The treats were packaged in 10oz, red, green, and tan, re-sealable, plastic bags.

If you have or suspect that you may have the potentially contaminated treats, do not feed them to your dog and do not handle them. Dispose of the treats in a sealed container. Wash your hands and thoroughly clean any containers, dishes, and surfaces that the treats may have come into contact with.

Salmonella poisoning can be fatal to you, your children, and your pets.

If you believe that you, your dog, or a loved one has become ill from eating or coming into contact with recalled dog treats or any other product that was discovered to be defective or dangerous in any way, please contact the experienced defective products attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, serving clients nationwide.

On January 15, 2010, Parkers Farm, Inc. expanded its existing recall to include a much wider range of food products. Products affected by the recall may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. One reason that the recall was expanded was to prevent confusion and possible consumption of affected products. The expanded recall affects all Parkers Farm products and all recall dates.

Parkers Farm products include many brands and many varieties of ready-to-eat foods, sold in about 15 different retail chains throughout the country. The full list of the recalled Parkers Food products can be found on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. Peanut butter, dips, spreads, cheese food, cheese balls, and salsa are among the products recalled.

Listeria Risk

Listeria can be serious or fatal to some people. It is not a big risk for healthy adults, but those with weakened immune systems are not only more likely to become infected if they consume food contaminated with listeria, they are more likely to suffer serious consequences or die if they become infected. Those at high risk for listeria infection include:

• Pregnant women
• Children
• The elderly
• People taking glucocorticosteroid medications
• People with certain medical conditions including AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease

If you have the recalled product you should not consume it. The products are being recalled due to possible contamination, and some of the finished product tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes in sample by the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

If you believe that you have become ill from eating recalled food that was contaminated with listeria, please contact the experienced defective products attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, serving clients nationwide.

Limeno LLC. has announced a recall of white, hard cheese sold under the brand name Rico Queso. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) detected Salmonella in the product during routine testing, prompting the recall and temporary suspension of production of the cheese. So far, no illnesses have been reported. You can return the recalled cheese to the place of purchase for a full refund.

An Unusual Source of Salmonella
Although there have been some large recalls of various types of nuts and nut products associated with Salmonella contamination, we typically think of Salmonella poisoning as a problem caused by undercooked poultry and eggs.

Cheese can be contaminated with Salmonella, but it is most often found in soft cheese. Raw milk can be a source of Salmonella bacteria in both hard and soft cheese, but cheese made from pasteurized milk can become contaminated during processing, packaging, or handling.

In 2008, one person died and nearly 90 others became ill in Quebec from eating hard cheese that was contaminated with Salmonella. About 40% of the people who were infected had to spend at least one day in the hospital.

Salmonella Infection is Serious and Can Be Fatal
Most healthy adults fully recover after a very unpleasant bout with gastrointestinal symptoms caused by Salmonella poisoning. However, even in healthy adults there are rare complications that can be fatal. Salmonella can be very dangerous and even fatal to infants, young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

If you believe that you have become ill from consuming recalled cheese or any other product that was later discovered to be contaminated with Salmonella, please contact the experienced defective products attorneys of Schlichter, Bogard & Denton serving clients nationwide.

Butter Toffee Peanuts and Yogurt Covered Peanuts are being recalled by Nutty Guys after live insects and larvae were found in some of the products. Thousands of peanut products and products containing peanuts, including human and pet foods, have been recalled in recent months sue to possible Salmonella contamination. The Nutty Guys recall is not linked to those recalls and this problem is not thought to pose a serious health risk.

Recalled Nutty Guys Peanut Products
The Recalled Butter Toffee Peanuts and Yogurt Covered Peanuts have sell by dates of March 15, 2010 and earlier. They are packaged in one pound, plastic see-through bags. Affected Butter Toffee Peanuts have the UPC code 8 31852 00261 0. Affected Yogurt Peanuts have the UPC code 8 31852 00279 5. About 2,000lbs of the recalled peanut products were sold.

The recalled Nutty Guys peanut products were distributed to the following states:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nevada
• Texas
• Utah
• Washington
• Wyoming

If you have either of these recalled peanut products you should contact Nutty Guys for instructions on how to obtain a refund.

Controlling Pests in Nuts
Live bugs are a common problem in nuts and some other foods. While there are some methods used to control and get rid of pests in nuts, many people find food treated with those methods even more undesirable than the bugs themselves. For instance, ionizing radiation can be used to sterilize or kill pests by damaging their DNA, but it is not always effective and the safety of irradiation technology is questionable at best.

If you have taken a product that was later discovered to be defective or dangerous in any way, please contact the experienced defective product attorneys of Schlichter, Bogard & Denton serving clients nationwide.

In cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) MuscleMaster.com, Inc announced a recall of 17 dietary supplements, on January 15, 2010. The FDA says the supplements contain ingredients that are or should be classified as steroids. MuscleMaster.com says that it cannot independently confirm the FDA's claims and that the recall should not be construed as an admission of selling illegal products, but is a precautionary measure.

Undeclared Anabolic Steroids in Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements marketed to bodybuilders sometimes contain undeclared anabolic steroids because they are effective in helping build muscle mass. Anabolic steroids are Schedule III controlled substances and including them in over-the-counter supplements is illegal. However, the process of classifying specific ingredients as anabolic steroids is a complicated process and the FDA does not have the authority to do so. That is the responsibility of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Of the five suspect ingredients that are or may be contained in the recalled dietary supplements, only two, androstenedione and Turinabol are technically classified as anabolic steroids. The other three, Superdrol, Madol, and Tren are substances that the FDA believes should be classified as steroids.

Why Undeclared Steroids Are Dangerous
Anabolic steroids can have dangerous and even fatal side effects. People who take them knowingly and willingly at least have the opportunity to be informed of the risks and look out for signs of the side effects. Those who take products with undeclared steroids do not have that advantage and can incur serious harm before discovering the source of the problem.

Acute liver damage is among the many potential side effects of steroid use.

If you have taken a dietary supplement or any other product that was later discovered to be defective or dangerous in any way, please contact the experienced defective drug attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton serving clients in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Wisconsin and Iowa.