Latest news with #Agri-Mark
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Biggest Butter Recalls Of All Time
No matter what kind of butter you buy, there's really not much to it. First, cream gets separated from milk, and then it's churned until it's a soft solid. From there, it's ready to make magic as either a toast or popcorn topping, cooking fat, a vital ingredient in baked goods, to list just some of its uses. Whether it's used at home or in a restaurant, where it tastes so much better than store-bought for some reason, butter is a universal culinary must-have. So if and when a bad batch of butter goes out into the world, the effects can be catastrophic. While butter is almost always safe to eat — its low-moisture, high-fat makeup and the pasteurization process makes for an environment inhospitable to food-borne illness — once in a while a large-scale manufacturing concern or large dairy operation releases tainted or compromised product. At that point, they'll stage a recall to limit the potential damage to the public's health. Here's a look back at all of history's most significant butter recalls. Read more: Store-Bought Maple Syrup Brands, Ranked From Worst To Best A cooperative of northeastern dairies conducting business as Agri-Mark makes and distributes butter under the Cabot Creamery brand name. Cabot Creamery is the brand of butter Ina Garten always keeps in her kitchen for cooking. Its Extra Creamy Premium Butter, Sea Salted, is sold in cardboard boxes containing two four-ounce sticks throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Arkansas. In April 2025, 1,701 pounds (or 189 cases) were ordered back to Agri-Mark. The dairy discovered an unacceptably high level of coliform in some of the butter. Coliform is a bacteria variety commonly found in human fecal matter, and if that germ is discovered in food, it means the product has likely somehow made contact with solid waste. Ingesting the bacteria itself doesn't cause common symptoms of food poisoning, but they're often spotted alongside other pathogens that do cause illness. Between the time it uncovered the coliform issue and when it announced the recall, Agri-Mark successfully re-obtained 99.5% of the potentially bacteria-infested butter from distributors. Of the 1,701 pounds of Cabot Creamery product recalled, just 8.5 pounds, or 17 boxes, remained at large, and all had been sent out for sale in Vermont. Fortunately, no sicknesses related to consumption of the butter were reported to the manufacturer. As of this publication, there are more than 600 Costco stores in the United States alone, and those massive, warehouse-style markets sell products in bulk as a matter of course. When the chain has to stop selling a product and ask for customers to return it, particularly if it's something under its Kirkland Signature private label, that's a Costco recall that can potentially affect millions. In November 2024, right in the midst of the busy holiday baking season when butter is in high demand, Costco was forced to recall 80,000 pounds of its Kirkland Signature Sweet Cream butter, in both salted and unsalted varieties. The reason: a labeling issue, in that the packages neglected to list a common dietary allergen, as is required by food manufacturers in the U.S. Produced for Costco by Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest, six lots were included in the recall, because the boxes didn't warn customers that the butter inside contained milk. Milk is one of the known allergens that must be disclosed on food labels, according to the FDA. Costco therefore recalled the butter because they needed to be in compliance with this regulation. It's cheaper to buy generic products at the grocery store, also known as private label brands. Industrial manufacturers and major companies often make those products, and for the large and upscale East Coast chain Wegmans, the specialty butter comes from Epicurean Butter. The Colorado-based company produces Wegmans Lemon Dill Finishing Butter, using frozen dill provided by an herb company. In August 2022, that supplier alerted the dairy that another of its clients tested some of its dill for the bacteria that causes listeria poisoning, and that it had received a positive result. Characterized by nausea and diarrhea in most who contract that type of food-borne illness, the infection is possibly deadly to the immune-compromised, children, and older individuals. Epicurean ordered a recall of 12 lots of just the one product, Wegmans Lemon Dill Finishing Butter, with expiration dates ranging from July to November 2022. More than 1,100 cases of the 3.5-ounce plastic tubs of butter had potentially been tainted. The recall was ultimately successful, as no listeria poisoning cases were ever linked to the Epicurean-made Wegmans-branded condiment butter. Virginia-based Homestead Creamery is a large regional bakery that produces a full range of dairy products like milk, ice cream, cheese, and butter. It sells its wares through supermarkets, its own retail outlet, and via home delivery, and in April 2020 it put out the word through all channels to temporarily end distribution on a certain lot of butter. Half-pound boxes of unsalted butter were recalled by Homestead after some regular testing on a sample suggested the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, the pathogen that causes listeria infection. Consumption of food tainted with listeria can lead to fever, nausea, and gastrointestinal symptoms as well as more serious illness or death in the youngest and oldest segments of the population. Immediately after the listeria was detected, Homestead Creamery temporarily stopped making the salted butter and allowed the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to look into how the bacteria appeared in the butter in the first place. No illnesses were reported to Homestead, or the Food and Drug Administration, which amplified the recall notice, before or after the company asked for customers to return the butter to where they bought it. The recall ended 16 days after it was first issued. Since the late 19th century, Zander's Creamery operated out of a large facility in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. It grew into a large dairy products factory and found a market niche as an industrial supplier. By the 2000s, Zander's Creamery made and shipped butter in large quantities for use in the production of foods processed by other companies and it also supplied pre-made shaped butter and butter chips to restaurants across the United States. In April 2004, a regularly scheduled test of a product sample uncovered listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that leads to food-borne illness. Listeria infection can trigger fever, aches, and diarrhea for most healthy adults; it can kill older people, young children, and the immune compromised. Zander's Creamery ordered a major recall of much of its Zander's and GFS-branded butter and butterine, a mash-up of butter and margarine. The recall was pre-emptive, as no infections had yet been reported. Unfortunately, that led to the end of the company. Within a year after the initial recall, and finding it difficult to locate or eliminate the listeria's origin, Zander's Creamery ceased operations. Small pieces of metal aren't a sickness-inducing pathogen that takes root in and thrives in food, but that's still a dangerous and unintended ingredient that manufacturers don't want anywhere near their product. Inedible and rough, unknowingly consumed metal can lead to serious dental or internal injury, and if it shows up in a food, a recall will likely result in a timely manner. Minnesota-based Land O Lakes, a major butter maker, put out a recall notice in July 2003 for one of its flagship items, multi-count boxes of sticks of salted butter. Neither the company nor the FDA, assisting in the recall, had fielded any notices of injury from customers who'd eaten the affected butter, which bore one of three lot codes. Land O Lakes aimed to get back those three runs of butter, sent to stores throughout many states in the western U.S., because during production, small pieces of metal had found their way into the product. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Butter Recall for Potential Fecal Contamination Sure Sounds Icky. Here's What to Know
A particularly disturbing food recall has captured the internet's attention thanks to its ick factor. Dairy cooperative Agri-Mark voluntarily recalled a single lot of Cabot Creamery 8-ounce Extra Creamy Premium Butter with sea salt due to "an elevated level of coliform bacteria" discovered during product testing. Coliform is a bacteria often associated with fecal matter (or, poop). Some types of coliform can also be found in plants, soil and in the intestines of animals. It's not always harmful. However, the infamous E. coli bacteria is a type of coliform that can cause severe digestive distress. A high-profile and deadly E. coli outbreak was traced to McDonald's last year. Agri-Mark initiated the butter recall on March 26, but it came to public attention when the Food and Drug Administration classified the recall as a "Class III" on April 8. The FDA has three classes of recalls. Class I is the most severe. The FDA describes a Class III recall as "a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences." In the eyes of the FDA, the butter recall was of low concern. Plus, the scale of the butter recall is pretty small. Agri-Mark said it recovered 99.5% of the affected lot before it was sold to consumers. Seventeen retail packages consisting of 8.5 pounds of affected butter were sold in Vermont. "There have been no reported complaints or illnesses related to this product," Agri-Mark said in a statement on April 9. Check your Cabot Creamery butter for the lot code 090925-055. If you're one of the few who purchased the butter, then you should dispose of it or return it to the store where you purchased it.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cabot Creamery butter recalled for fecal bacteria contamination
Cabot Creamery butter shipped to seven states, including New York, has been recalled due to contamination from bacteria often found in fecal matter. The specific butter — Cabot Creamery 8-ounce Extra Creamy Premium Butter, Sea Salted — was originally distributed to New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Arkansas, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Cabot Creamery's parent company, Agri-Mark, said it successfully pulled 99.5% of the contaminated butter off shelves before it was sold to customers. Seventeen retail packages were sold in Vermont, according to the company, which said it had addressed the root cause of the contamination. The FDA classified the recall as Class III, meaning it was 'not likely to cause adverse health consequences.' No health issues have been reported in connection with the butter. 'There have been a variety of news reports that are incomplete and have dramatically misrepresented this recall with respect to the risk it posed to consumers,' Agri-Mark wrote Wednesday in a press release. The butter was contaminated with coliform, a bacteria strain that is usually present in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. Additionally, coliform bacteria are commonly found in polluted water systems, and testing for it is often used to determine the safety of drinking water. E. coli is the most well-known version of coliform bacteria, but it was not mentioned in the FDA recall notice. With News Wire Services
New York Times
10-04-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Cabot Creamery Butter Is Recalled Over Fecal Contamination Risk
Cabot Creamery is voluntarily recalling more than 1,700 pounds of butter in seven states after testing found that the products had elevated levels of fecal bacteria, federal safety regulators said. Cabot, based in Waitsfield, Vt., is recalling 189 cases, or 1,701 pounds, of its eight-ounce, sea-salted Extra Creamy Premium Butter after it detected elevated levels of coliform bacteria. The contaminant is found in the feces of animals and humans, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recall was initiated after 'finished-product testing revealing an elevated level of coliform bacteria,' Agri-Mark, the parent company, said in a statement on Wednesday. The F.D.A. said the recalled butter was distributed in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The white-and-black packages are marked with a best-by date of Sept. 9, 2025, and the lot number 090925-055. The company said only 17 packages of the butter, or 34 sticks, were sold at retail outlets, all in Vermont. No other Cabot products were affected. 'Agri-Mark successfully recovered 99.5 percent of the lot of the recalled product before it was sold to consumers,' the company said. On Tuesday, the F.D.A. labeled the recall a Class III, which means the health risk to consumers was relatively low. 'There have been no reported complaints or illnesses related to this product,' the company said. 'Agri-Mark is dedicated to food safety and producing quality products and is always monitoring its products for compliance.' Coliform bacteria are found in the digestive tracts of people and animals, as well as in soil, on plants and in lakes and rivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, 'these bacteria generally will not make you sick,' the agency said. The company's statement did not include recommendations for what steps consumers should follow. But generally with this type of recall, the safest option is to throw the recalled product away.
Euronews
10-04-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Butter recalled in the US after possible contamination with fecal bacteria. Here's what we know
ADVERTISEMENT A dairy company in the United States has been forced to recall some of its butter products over fears it may have been contaminated with bacteria commonly found in fecal matter. The Vermont-based firm recalled more than 770 kg of butter because it may be contaminated with coliform, a group of bacteria that includes strains like Agri-Mark recalled 189 cases of Cabot Creamery 8-ounce premium butter made with sea salt, according to a notice from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Related Shampoo recalled over possible contamination with infection-causing bacteria. Here's what we know The butter was distributed in seven states across the country: Arkansas, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The recall was issued on March 26 and is ongoing, according to the FDA. It is classified as the lowest level of recall, Class III, which means it's not likely to cause health problems in people. Consumers should not eat or use the recalled butter, which has a best-by date of September 9. It is identified as lot 090925-055, item 2038. Agri-Mark officials said in statement that the company recovered 99.5 per cent of the potentially contaminated lot before it was sold to consumers. The firm said that 17 packages of the butter were sold to consumers in the state of Vermont. Agri-Mark officials said that they have "taken the appropriate internal actions to address" the cause. Related Your smartwatch wristband could be harbouring potentially harmful bacteria like study warns What happens if you consume coliform bacteria? Coliform bacteria are found in the environment and in the faeces of all warm-blooded animals and humans. The bacteria likely will not cause illness but could indicate the presence of disease-causing germs. If disease-causing germs are present, it's likely to cause gastrointestinal upset, such as stomach cramps and diarrhoea. People with compromised immune systems are most at risk of falling ill from disease-causing strains of coliform, including children and the elderly, though this is rare.
