Peanut: Cumin Recall (The Big Thread)

[ajasfolks2]

Holy Crapuminoli!

Not sure what I'll even use out of my spice cabinet right now until I do exhaustive comparison against the big-and-bigger recall lists.

I may have missed it, but I am wondering about Taco Bell?

[guess]

The better source may be SYSCO if we're talking distributors for restaurant supplies.

This is SYSCO's Supplier Compliance Manual including supply chain operations compliance and recall procedures.

[Macabre]

Note that I updated the Penzey's thread.

Re: Peanut: Cumin Recall (The Big Thread)


Ajas we have a separate thread for restaurants in Restaurants. No one has contacted Taco Bell yet.

[Macabre]

See this thread for restaurants: 

food service/restaurants and cumin recall

[CMdeux]

Penzey's

Stinky sent this email to me in case I could post it before she could.big typically don't post employee contact info, but in this case I'm going to. I think need to know who is telling us what in this situation.

From: Emily Barbeau [mailto:emily.barbeau@penzeys.com]
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2015 1:36 PM
To: Stinky
Subject: Penzeys Cumin

Hi Stinky,
My name is Emily Barbeau and I work with Penzeys Spices in Wisconsin. I was able to look into your question about our cumin. Our cumin supplier is in India, not Turkey.  Therefore, we were not connected to that recall of cumin at all. Rob, our Quality Assurance director, is requesting peanut-specific information from our supplier.  But, as we are aware right now, our cumin is not affected. Thank you for inquiring. I hope you have a wonderful week. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks
Emily Barbeau

--
Emily Barbeau
Penzeys Spices
Retail Operations

Edited to add subsequent email from Ms Barbeau:

The cumin sold at Penzeys currently (January 2015) is from India. 

AND-- the contaminated stuff is of Turkish origin, apparently.

Which leads us to the cost associated with this recall.  I would assume with great confidence that the FDA & ICE got this party started less under contact for allergens and more for bulked, misrepresented product.  If I were an importer of record that's what would have me quaking in my boots even if everything I did was by the book.

What we do know was that imported almond powder into the UK mislabeled almond powder by the country of origin supplier was bulked with about 50% peanut powder probably because it's cheaper.  The restauranteurs had no idea what they were using going by the product label.  Only testing uncovered the product tampering.

Could this have been what was done with a spice that is expensive in dimensional weight compared to peanut?  Maybe.  The contact was traced to country of origin, the trade company from the country of export (not necessarily country of origin) did not disclose peanut innocently or no, and it was entered as such. 

This is what I think.  I'm no conspiracy theorist, by any means.  But I do believe that for detectable peanut to have been found on the kind of SCALE that is necessary to have triggered a recall of this magnitude, it's adulteration.

Which begs the question-- how??

If it was ground HERE, that's really wild, because-- well, obviously-- coriander seeds, versus unassuming brown stuff that's been ground?

I'd guess that the 75% rule is being met via additional handling/processing.  Don't know details enough to know if repacking constitutes "manufacture" but guessing that sieving might, and that is a QC step.

[setsail]

Note that I updated the Penzey's thread.

Re: Peanut: Cumin Recall (The Big Thread)


Ajas we have a separate thread for restaurants in Restaurants. No one has contacted Taco Bell yet.

I called Taco Bell. And emailed. I'm waiting for a response from a nutritionist to get info about supplier.

Update: according to Miriam at Taco Bell hq, as of this time their supplier has not been affected by the cumin recall.
Additionally, for those like us that only buy refried beans from Taco Bell, there is no cumin in the beans. Spice is chili powder, natural flavor is garlic and onion.

[Macabre]

Thanks!

[Macabre]

CM your update about Penzey's is the very reason I wrote this post. Manufacturers and restaurants don't know enough (likely) to give us definitive information. Grrrr.


Re: food service/restaurants and cumin recall

[GingerPye]

Spice N'More Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Peanuts in Cumin Powder "Casablanca", "Salma", "Spice Class", "La Mina", "Leader Meret", "All Island Spice", "Key Food" and "H Harvest"

Contact:
Consumer:
1-718-417-0746
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 12, 2015 – Brooklyn, NY – SPICE N' MORE CORP. of Brooklyn, NY, is recalling its 2.5-oz. containers of "ALL ISLAND SPICE" cumin powder, 7-oz. containers of "CASABLANCA", "H HARVEST", "SPICE CLASS" AND "LEADER MERET" cumin powder and 12-oz containers of "SALMA", "SPICE CLASS", "LA MINA" AND "KEY FOOD" cumin powder purchased from September 23, 2014 to November 30, 2014, because they may contain undeclared peanuts. People who have allergies to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The recalled "CASABLANCA", "SALMA", "SPICE CLASS", "LA MINA", "LEADER MERET", "ALL ISLAND SPICE", "KEY FOOD" AND "H-HARVEST" cumin powder were distributed NY, NJ, PA, VA, MD, MI, MA and SC in wholesale and retail stores.

The product comes in 2.5-oz., 7-oz. and 12-oz., clear plastic containers with UPC Codes #07329600144, #81868501051, #02391315908, #81597800822, #81597800423, #63923510835, #63923510117, #63923513235 and #60953908472.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the peanut-containing product was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of peanuts. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by contamination of the product from its country of origin.

Consumers who have purchased 2.5-oz., 7-oz. and 12-oz. containers of "CASABLANCA", "SALMA", "SPICE CLASS", "LA MINA", "LEADER MERET", "ALL ISLAND SPICE", "KEY FOOD" AND "H-HARVEST" cumin powder are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-718-417-0746, Monday-Friday 9am-4 pm ET.

[Macabre]

Gp  do you mind forwarding I break that off into a different thread so it doesn't go unnoticed and add a little link to the new thread in the first post here?

[Macabre]

Okay I see you already created a separate thread. I will put a link to it in the first post.

[GingerPye]

Zenobia Company LLC. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Peanut Protein in "My Spice Sage Cumin Ground"

Contact:
Consumer:
1-877-890-5244
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — January 12, 2015 — Zenobia Company LLC. Of Yonkers, NY is recalling MY Spice Sage Cumin Ground in its 1 oz, 4 oz, 4.9 oz, 16 oz and 50 pound packages, because they may contain undeclared peanut protein. People who have allergies to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

Product was distributed nationwide through online mail orders only. The recall only applies to below skus sold between 7/1/14 - 1/8/15.

The product is sold in resealable plastic bags with the following markings except for the 50 lb bag which is not resealable and lacks UPC coding. The 4.9 oz size is in a plastic bottle:

My Spice Sage CUMIN GROUND, 1 oz (28g) – UPC 00105001
My Spice Sage CUMIN GROUND, 4 oz (113g) – UPC 00105004
MY Spice Sage CUMIN GROUND, 4.9 oz (139g) – UPC 00105000
MY Spice Sage CUMIN GROUND, 16 oz (454g) – UPC 00105016
My Spice Sage CUMIN GROUND, 50 lb
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The recall was initiated after our supplier notified us that the Cumin Ground containing peanut protein was shipped to us by them unknowingly. Consumers with questions may contact us by calling 1-877-890-5244, Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm EST.

[daisy madness]

I reached out to a family member, who works for McCormick (totally different department).  I read elsewhere on Facebook that someone was told by McCormick that their cumin is grown and ground by McCormick with no other manufacturers/importers involved.  I'm hoping he can direct me to someone who can confirm this in writing.  Cumin, by itself, is not something that I even have in our spice cabinet.  I rarely make that kind of food and when I do, it's tacos and I buy a package of seasoning.  I will not be doing that for a long time.  I am  highly concerned about how this shakes out regarding manufactured food and restaurant food and that dreaded catch-all word of "spices".  I have been stalking this thread. 

I'll let you know if I can get anywhere with McCormick. 

Ok, so this isn't the most helpful info that I was hoping it would be.  As per McCormick quality control, they do not believe their products are affected because they buy whole cumin rather than ground.  This does not sound to me like they grow their own cumin with no outside manufacturers/importers involved. 

[CMdeux]

It doesn't to me, either-- but what it is adding up to is what guess and I have been hinting at-- we would be better informed right now if we knew just WHERE in the supply chain the contamination was detected-- was this ground and imported and already contaminated (three separate factors)--

well, we know that it was imported.  Not clear whether it was contaminated after, or adulterated beforehand, or contaminated beforehand.  Again, separate things, those.

Was it WHOLE seeds upon import?  Also not known.

[rebekahc]

Note that I updated the Penzey's thread.

Re: Peanut: Cumin Recall (The Big Thread)


Ajas we have a separate thread for restaurants in Restaurants. No one has contacted Taco Bell yet.

I called Taco Bell. And emailed. I'm waiting for a response from a nutritionist to get info about supplier.

Update: according to Miriam at Taco Bell hq, as of this time their supplier has not been affected by the cumin recall.
Additionally, for those like us that only buy refried beans from Taco Bell, there is no cumin in the beans. Spice is chili powder, natural flavor is garlic and onion.

But chili powder is not usually a single ingredient, but a blend of spices often including cumin.  Adam's brand chili powder was part of the cumin recall.