Health Law

DeLauro on Two Major Food Safety Recalls

By Bill Marler

15 million pounds of SpagettiOs and all Marie Callender's Cheesy Chicken and Rice frozen meals being recalled.

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03) issued the following statement today in reaction to two major recalls announced by the USDA today.

One focuses on the Campbell Soup Supply Company, LLC, of Paris, Texas, and approximately 15,000,000 pounds of "SpaghettiOs with Meatballs" which may have been under-cooked and could pose a health hazard. These products were produced between December 2008 and June 2010, and were distributed nationwide. The second recall is of Marie Callender's brand Cheesy Chicken and Rice frozen meals, produced by ConAgra Foods Packaged Foods, LLC, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, due to a potential link to 29 people in 14 states who have contracted a strain of Salmonella. Though the investigation is still ongoing, eight of those sickened reported eating this product.

'These recalls are very disturbing considering that the timeframe in which the SpaghettiOs were produced spans nearly two years. The volume of potentially dangerous products is significant, and it is frightening that millions of children may have unknowingly consumed these recalled products given the popularity of SpaghettiOs among kids. While these recalls and investigations are still ongoing, I look forward to learning from USDA about the circumstances that allowed two years of potentially dangerous foods to enter the market place.

'This recall, combined with the recall of the Marie Callender's frozen meals that have sickened over two dozen people in 14 states, serves as a reminder that after we must begin the process of reviewing how the food safety system at USDA should be reformed.'

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on June 19, 2010 (boomark / email).