The following information was transmitted by NewStar Fresh Foods LLC, Salinas, CA on July 31th, 2008 as a follow-up to their press release on July 30th, 2008.
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Related Alerts: 2008-07-30 | 2008-08-01
July 31, 2008, Salinas, CA – NewStar Fresh Foods has been notified by the Michigan Department of Agriculture that a test result previously thought to be positive for Salmonella in a sample of fresh Cilantro was today found not to be a likely indicator of the presence of the pathogen, rendering unnecessary the national recall conduc ted by NewStar on July 30th.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) immediately notified its California regional office, the California State Department of Health and Human Services and the Canadian Food Safety Agency.
Although official confirmation will not be received until next week, Jerry Wojtala, Deputy Director, Food and Dairy Division, Michigan Department of Agriculture, said the agency learned of the situation earli er this afternoon and immediately notified federal regulatory officials as well as NewStar.
Mark Drever, NewStar President said that the faulty test result was an unfortunate mistake and stressed that all parties involved have the safety and well-being of consumers as their first and foremost priority. "We will work closely with all regulatory agencies involved to improve testing protocols and to ensure that the lines of communication remain open in order to continue to protect the public health." Mr. Drever also thanked NewStar employees, customers and suppliers for their fast action and thorough response in conducting the recall.
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For mor e information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web s ite at www.inspection.gc.ca.
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Media enquiries:
Davendra Sharma (English)
Office of Food Safety and Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
613-755-2890
Linda LeBlanc (French)
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Food Recall and Emergency Response
613-760-4112
