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Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA) - Urgent Product Recall Notice

Thu, Feb 29th 2024, 11:25 AM
Food/Cooking Health

On February 12th, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall by Fratelli Beretta of an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat charcuterie products containing Coppa that may be under-processed and which may have resulted in possible contamination with foodborne pathogens. An initial recall of the products were made by Fratelli Beretta on January 3, 2024, related to possible Salmonella contamination followed by a public health alert by FSIS on January 18, 2024, related to additional charcuterie products. Various RTE Coppa products Best By dates have been implicated and can be viewed on the FDA Recall site.

Recalled products will bear establishment numbers “EST. M47967 or M7543B” inside the USDA mark of inspection or in inkjet print on the front of the package. These items were shipped throughout the U.S., however, BAHFSA was notified on February 21, 2024 by the Caribbean Basin Agricultural Trade Office, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, indicating that some of the products may have been shipped to The Bahamas. BAHFSA has initiated the process of notifying the retailers that were identified.

Salmonella is a bacteria that is naturally found in the gut of humans and animals and may spread by exposure to fecal matter that can cause serious harm to vulnerable, at risk groups, including infants under 5yrs of age, the elderly (65yrs and above) and those who are sick with compromised immune systems. Common symptoms of a Salmonella foodborne illness (Salmonellosis) include fever, diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, headaches, and can be more severe for at risk groups. Healthy persons tend to recover without treatment after about 4-7 days. If you or anyone in your family becomes ill as a result of consuming any of these contaminated products, you are urged to contact the nearest health professional who will in turn, inform the Ministry of Health Communicable Disease Surveillance Unit. To date, there have been no reported illnesses in the country.

Some of the affected products may already be in retailers’ and consumers’ refrigerators. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them, but to discard and/or return them to the place of purchase. The Department of Environmental Health Services has also been notified and have confirmed that some of the products have been identified and removed from the market. The inspection process is ongoing.

Local merchants, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors are asked to promptly contact BAHFSA whenever they have been made aware, by a notice, of having received any recalled products and also ensure their customers are informed and provided with the affected product/s UPCs, expiry dates, sale dates in question and to which stores and on which islands the goods may have been shipped or distributed.

Please send all other concerns and queries to bahfsa@bahamas.gov.bs

Visit us on facebook and at www.bahfsabahamas.com.

You may also find recalled food products on BAHFSAs website at www.bahfsabahamas.com by clicking onto NEWS and then ALERTS in the drop down window.

On February 12th, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall by Fratelli Beretta of an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat charcuterie products containing Coppa that may be under-processed and which may have resulted in possible contamination with foodborne pathogens. An initial recall of the products were made by Fratelli Beretta on January 3, 2024, related to possible Salmonella contamination followed by a public health alert by FSIS on January 18, 2024, related to additional charcuterie products. Various RTE Coppa products Best By dates have been implicated and can be viewed on the FDA Recall site.
Recalled products will bear establishment numbers “EST. M47967 or M7543B” inside the USDA mark of inspection or in inkjet print on the front of the package. These items were shipped throughout the U.S., however, BAHFSA was notified on February 21, 2024 by the Caribbean Basin Agricultural Trade Office, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, indicating that some of the products may have been shipped to The Bahamas. BAHFSA has initiated the process of notifying the retailers that were identified.
Salmonella is a bacteria that is naturally found in the gut of humans and animals and may spread by exposure to fecal matter that can cause serious harm to vulnerable, at risk groups, including infants under 5yrs of age, the elderly (65yrs and above) and those who are sick with compromised immune systems. Common symptoms of a Salmonella foodborne illness (Salmonellosis) include fever, diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, headaches, and can be more severe for at risk groups. Healthy persons tend to recover without treatment after about 4-7 days. If you or anyone in your family becomes ill as a result of consuming any of these contaminated products, you are urged to contact the nearest health professional who will in turn, inform the Ministry of Health Communicable Disease Surveillance Unit. To date, there have been no reported illnesses in the country.
Some of the affected products may already be in retailers’ and consumers’ refrigerators. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them, but to discard and/or return them to the place of purchase. The Department of Environmental Health Services has also been notified and have confirmed that some of the products have been identified and removed from the market. The inspection process is ongoing.
Local merchants, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors are asked to promptly contact BAHFSA whenever they have been made aware, by a notice, of having received any recalled products and also ensure their customers are informed and provided with the affected product/s UPCs, expiry dates, sale dates in question and to which stores and on which islands the goods may have been shipped or distributed.
Please send all other concerns and queries to bahfsa@bahamas.gov.bs
Visit us on facebook and at www.bahfsabahamas.com.
You may also find recalled food products on BAHFSAs website at www.bahfsabahamas.com by clicking onto NEWS and then ALERTS in the drop down window.
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