Source | Associated Press

Critics say more people could have become sick because ConAgra Foods delayed a product recall of pot pies at risk for salmonella contamination.

ConAgra issued a health alert last Tuesday and asked stores to stop selling Banquet and store-brand chicken and turkey pot pies, but the company didn’t recall the pies until Thursday.

The recall affects many pot pies sold as store brands, including pot pies sold at Kroger, Food Lion and Wal-Mart. The recall includes beef pot pies to avoid confusion.

The pot pies have been linked to at least 174 cases of salmonella in 32 states — including six cases in Virginia. No deaths have been reported.

ConAgra spokeswoman Melissa Baron said Friday the company still doesn’t know any more about the problem with its pot pies than it did when the alert was issued.

She said recalling the product was a precaution.

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Minnesota agriculture and health officials have expanded the Banquet pot pie recall to include all varieties of ConAgra frozen pot pies. A consumer warning was issued Oct. 9 alerting the public of possible salmonella contamination in Banquet pot pies.

Six Minnesotans have become sick with salmonella bacteria infections after eating Banquet pot pies. The Minnesota cases are part of a multi-state outbreak of salmonella infections. At least 174 cases have been confirmed in 32 states.

All varieties of the of pot pie products under the following brands are part of the expanded recall:

• Banquet
• Albertson’s
• Food Lion
• Great Value
• Hill Country Fare
• Kirkwood
• Kroger
• Meijer
• Western Family

These recalled frozen pot pies include all varieties in 7 oz. single serving packages bearing an establishment number “P-9” or “Est. 1059” printed on the side of the package.

Brands sold in Minnesota include Great Value pot pies (sold at Wal-Mart stores), Kirkwood pot pies (sold at Aldi stores), and Banquet pot pies (sold in a variety of grocery stores and convenience stores). Consumers who have any of the recalled brands of pot pies should not eat them, but instead throw them away.

Infections with Salmonella bacteria can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramping, and vomiting. Symptoms usually last less than a week, but the infection can cause more serious health effects in very young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

ConAgra foods announced Thursday, Oct. 11, that it is voluntarily recalling all Banquet brand frozen pot pies and all pot pies marketed under a variety of names, including Wal-Mart’s Great Value brand.Local retailers Wal-Mart and Patricia’s had already removed the product from their shelves by the time of yesterday’s announcement from ConAgra.

Wal-Mart store representatives said they sell 100 to 200 pot pies each week under the Banquet brands and under the Great Value brand.

Patricia’s declined to provide specific sales information, but said they carry three other brands of pot pies unaffected by the recall.

At press time today, the pot pie production line at the Marshall facility, normally running three shifts a day and involving about 80 workers, remains in shutdown.

ConAgra spokesperson Melissa Baron said the Marshall facility employs approximately 650 workers and that there is other work for the temporarily displaced workers to do, if they wish. They can also take a voluntary unpaid leave.

Baron said ConAgra is “erring on the side of caution” in the recall, but hopes to be back in production soon. She emphasized ConAgra makes several other products in another part of the factory and that those products are not affected by the current production halt.

Investigation into a salmonella outbreak in more than 30 states started Oct. 3., and by Monday, Oct. 8, investigators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) were inspecting the Marshall facility.

As the inspection continues, consumers are advised not to eat the product.

ConAgra voluntarily included all pot pies in the recall, in an effort to simplify both the recall and the return. Earlier, consumers were told to watch for the code P9 on the product box, but that is no longer necessary, according to Baron.

Baron said consumers should discard the product and either return the empty box to the retailer where they purchased it, or send the side panel of the package to ConAgra Foods, Dept. BQPP, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103-0768. In either case, the purchase price will be refunded.

The recall includes all Banquet pot pie varieties, including poultry and beef. The store brand not-ready-to-eat pot pie products include all varieties under the following brand names:

– Albertson’s (sold at Albertson’s);

– Hill Country Fare (sold at HEB);

– Food Lion (sold at Food Lion);

– Great Value (sold at Wal-Mart);

– Kirkwood (sold at Aldi);

– Kroger (sold at Kroger);

– Meijer (sold at Meijer);

– Western Family (now discontinued; previously sold at a variety stores).

A frozen pot pie producer is recalling all of its pot pie varieties because they may be linked to a salmonella outbreak.

The chicken, turkey and beef pot pies in question were distributed by ConAgra Foods based in Marshall, Missouri. The pies were sold under the brand names of Banquet, Albertson’s, Food Lion, Great Value, Hill Country Fare, Kirkwood, Kroger, Meijer and Western Family. The recall includes all varieties of frozen pot pies in 7 ounce, single serving packages with the numbers P-9 or Est. 1059 printed on the package’s side.

Consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled products. People are being told to not eat the pot pies and to discard them.

Banquet-brand and store-brand pot pies have been pulled from the shelves of retailers following an announcement some of the items may be contaminated with salmonella.

All varieties of Banquet-brand poultry and beef pot pies have been pulled from freezers at markets and other grocery stores. Store-brand pot pies at Wal-Mart, sold under the Great Value label, also have been pulled.

The initial advisory announced Tuesday by ConAgra Foods, the parent company to Banquet and its store brands, affected only the turkey and chicken varieties with the code “p-9” printed on its side panel. Officials at stores said Friday the products were pulled immediately when the recall was announced.

A full recall of all varieties of poultry and beef pot pies under those brand names was issued Thursday, prompting store officials to pull remaining pies.

Officials at Glen’s, Wal-Mart and Save-A-Lot all said customers who have purchased these products may return them for a full refund. ConAgra Foods asks consumers to first discard the product before returning the package.

All products affected are sold not-ready-to-eat. ConAgra Foods, according to a Thursday press release, will revise on-package cooking directions to provide clearer preparation instructions.

According to Thursday’s press release, ConAgra foods was contacted by health officials regarding concerns some of its Banquet poultry pot pies may be linked to an outbreak of salmonella. Ensuing steps resulted in the removal of pot pies from shelves, suspension of pot pie production at its Marshall, Mo. plant and advising of consumers not to eat these products while an investigation is conducted. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) Web site associates Banquet pot pies with at least 165 cases of salmonella infections in 31 states since Jan. 1. At least 30 people have required hospitalization. Three cases of salmonella have been reported in Michigan.

No deaths have been reported.

According to the CDCP Web site, the illness usually lasts four to seven days and produces symptoms including diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Infants, elderly persons and people with impaired immune systems are more likely to experience serious symptoms.

Source | The Associated Press

ConAgra Foods Inc. has asked U.S. stores to stop selling Banquet pot pies linked to a salmonella outbreak and is offering refunds for the turkey and chicken-filled products.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company and the U.S. Department of Agriculture had defended their decision Wednesday not to recall the product, saying they were safe if cooked according to package instructions.

In Canada, officials at grocery chains Sobeys, Loblaws and Safeway said they do not sell Banquet pot pies.

The pies have been linked to at least 152 cases of salmonella in 31 states. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 20 people have been hospitalized as part of the ongoing outbreak, but so far no deaths have been linked to the pies.

Consumer Goods industry news provided by Financial News USA (OTC: FNWU). ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) voluntarily stopped production recently at the Missouri plant that makes its Banquet pot pies after health officials said the pies may be linked to 139 cases of salmonella in 30 states. ConAgra maintains that its pies are safe if they’re cooked properly, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a health alert recently to warn consumers about the link between the company’s product and the salmonella cases. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking reports of the salmonella cases since.

Source | The Oregonian

Food safety - A warning about Banquet brand items, made by ConAgra, comes after an outbreak of salmonellosis

By Alex Pulaski

State health officials issued a consumer warning Tuesday about Banquet brand pot pies following a large, multi-state outbreak of salmonellosis, including two confirmed cases in Oregon.

Banquet brand pot pies are sold in the freezer section at grocery stores and other outlets nationally. The pot pies have code numbers beginning with “5009″ or a “P9″ code.

“If you have any of these products in your freezer, we recommend that you throw them out,” said Dr. William E. Keene, a senior communicable disease epidemiologist at the Oregon Public Health Division.

Anyone with symptoms of severe diarrhea or diarrhea with fever should tell their doctor if they have eaten pot pies within the last week, he said.

The manufacturer, ConAgra, has suspended production and sales of all pot pies produced at its Marshall, Mo., plant. The temporary hold, pending investigation, also includes private-label store brands produced there with the same “5009″ code number. Pies are not being recalled.

Earlier this year, ConAgra was subject to a massive recall of its Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter brands after a multi-state salmonella outbreak.

In the pot pie outbreak, at least 135 lab-confirmed cases with matching DNA profiles have been identified from 30 states. At least 20 individuals were hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

Although only two cases have been confirmed in Oregon, Keene estimates that for every confirmed case, 25 or more others become ill.

Keene said the Oregon cases were reported in May and June, but health officials were not able to make a connection to the pot pies until a recent Minnesota outbreak became known.

The source of contamination at the ConAgra plant is unknown.

Salmonellosis is an infection caused by bacteria called Salmonella. Most people infected with Salmonella develop fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps 12–72 hours after exposure. Although illness usually lasts 4–7 days and most people recover without treatment, severe illness may occur that requires medical attention and hospitalization. In these patients, the Salmonella infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites. In this situation, the infection can cause death unless the patient is treated promptly with antibiotics. Infants, elderly people, and people with impaired immune systems are more likely than other people to become severely ill.

Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of animals, including birds and reptiles. Salmonella usually are transmitted to humans when we eat food contaminated with animal feces or food contaminated by a food handler who forgot to wash his or her hands with soap after handling raw meat, poultry or eggs, or after using the bathroom. Salmonella is also transmitted when contaminated objects or fingers are put into the mouth. The feces of some pets, especially reptiles, can contain Salmonella, and people can be infected if they do not wash their hands after contact with reptiles or their environment. Contaminated food, for example, beef, poultry, milk, and eggs, often originates from animals. However, many foods, including fruits, vegetables, and even flour can become contaminated.