Recall: Apple Company Pulls Products Due to Listeria Threat

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black is alerting Georgians to the recall of select lots of caramel apples produced by Merb's Candies of St. Louis, Mo.

The company has been working with the US Food and Drug Administration in its investigation of the outbreak of listeriosis, which has been associated with caramel apples. The company received notice from one of its suppliers that there may be a connection between this outbreak and the apples it supplied to Merb's Candies.

The apples may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is an organism that cancause foodborne illness in a person that eats an item contaminated with it. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and diarrhea. The illness primarily affects pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill. 
 
The affected products are as follows:

• Bionic Apples sold between Sept. 8 and Nov. 25, 2014
• Double Dipped Apples sold between Sept. 8 and Nov. 25, 2014

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating illnesses associated with this recall.

Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors will be checking to make sure the recalled products are removed from sale. Consumers who purchased any pre-packaged caramel apples are advised not to eat them, but to return it to the store of purchase or dispose of it per instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Questions about this recall?

Consumers  who purchased this product can contact Merb's Candies at 314-832-7206 or via email at customercare.merbscandies@gmail.com Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.

To view a comprehensive list of food and feed recalls affecting Georgia, visit our Food Safety Division recall website. If this recall expands or additional details become available in the future, the website will provide the most up-to-date information. 

Georgia Grown Profile: Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association

Originally published in the March 19, 2014, issue

 

Group promotes networking, industry trends to membership

By Erica Lummus, spring intern

 

The Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association was established to help support Georgia’s produce industry and to increase the members that make up its network. By increasing the members who are involved, it will improve and increase the profitability of the industry. 

 

“We are an ally for the industry and have a seat at the table with decision makers in both state and federal governments,” said Director of Communications Samantha Kilgore.

 

The services that GFVGA offers are intended to grow productivities, provide educational opportunities to members, promote new markets in the industry and improve communications between GFVGA members and industry suppliers. The association makes it a priority to keep members as educated and fully informed of new information on new industry trends.

 

GFVGA provides services such as food safety consultations, legislative representation and educational workshops. It also coordinates and plans the annual Southeastern Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference with the Georgia and South Carolina peach councils. 

 

Many of the members of GFVGA are also members of Georgia Grown and the association sees it as yet another chance for the state and the industry to work together as a team to support local, homegrown produce. The association is a proud supporter and promoter of the Georgia Grown program and is involved in many educational events and programs throughout the year at which it offers opportunities for Georgia Grown to be advertised.

 

The association is looking forward to continuing working with Georgia Grown to represent the state and hopes to continue educating people about the agriculture industry in Georgia and to help show how vital it is to the state economy’s success. 

Recipe: Margie's Chicken Salad

Originally published in the Feb. 5, 2014, issue

 

Editor's Note: Margie Leger of Cordele, Ga., sent in this favorite recipe, which she said is always requested for church functions and family gatherings. Makes approximately 10 servings.

Ingredients:
5 cups cooked chicken
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
1.5 cups apple
2 cups pecan halves
1 cup sweet pickle relish
4 hardboiled eggs (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Chop chicken, hardboiled eggs and apples. Leave the peel on the apples.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

3. Spoon servings over lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with additional pecan halves if desired.

Guest Column: Georgia's Equine Liability Law

Originally published in the March 19, 2014, issue

 

Chapman

Georgia has an Equine Liability statute that offers liability protection relating to equines and equine-related activity, but it is not an absolute shield to liability involving equines.

 

Most horse owners are aware of the requirement to post a sign with the warning that, “under Georgia law, an equine activity sponsor or equine professional is not liable for an injury to or a death of a participant in equine activities resulting from the inherent risk of equine activities, pursuant to Chapter 12, Title 4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.” However, most are not aware of the limited protection of the statute. The statute was designed to encourage equine activities and education and would protect most organized activities. In order to understand the statute, one must examine the specific elements of the statute. The elements include:

• Equine activity sponsor or equine professional
• Injury or death to a participant
• In equine activities

The horse owner may not be protected from injury or death resulting from an equine-related accident under any other circumstances. In fact, a horse owner that is not an “equine professional” is not protected, unless they are a “sponsor” of an equine activity. In addition, the person who suffers the injury must be a participant in the activity.

 

Below is a partial list of examples where the liability statute may not offer protection. The list is not intended to provide anything more than examples of possible scenarios: 

• A horse escapes from a pasture through a defective or open, fence, gate, trailer, etc.  The horse then runs out into traffic and is struck by a vehicle. The injured motorist was not participating in an equine event and the owner would not be protected by the statute.
• A family member of an equine event participant is bitten, kicked, stepped on while observing the event. The injured person was not participating in an equine event and the owner would not be protected by the statute.
• A family member of a student taking riding lessons is injured by equipment, a fall or other instrument, while a guest on the property or in the barn. The injured person was not participating in an equine event and the owner would not be protected by the statute.
• You own horses and you let someone ride one of your horses. The horse bites, kicks, throws or otherwise injures the person. Unless you are an equine professional, you would not be protected by the statute. 

It is imperative to know and understand the limits of the liability protection offered under Georgia law. A horse owner should have liability insurance that covers their horses and injuries resulting from their horses’ actions. In addition, if you have a barn, premises liability insurance is a must, and you need to know and understand exactly what is covered by the policy. Finally, it is very important to keep fences, gates and other structures and equipment in good repair.

 

Wondering how to protect yourself? The Georgia Horse Council’s $1,000,000 excess liability insurance policy covers many scenarios the equine liability law does not. 

 

Christopher Chapman, attorney at law, is president of Georgia Horse Council. For more information on GHC’s liability insurance policy, visit www.georgiahorsecouncil.com. If you have specific questions or concerns, contact an attorney with knowledge of and experience with equines and equine law. The information contained in this column is for general information only and should not be utilized for any other purpose than to consider possible risks and to address the issue before it becomes a legal problem.



Consumer Q&A: A Few Questions on Flowers

Q: While watching the Tournament of Roses, the announcer showed some silver material on a float he said was “lunaria petals.”  What is lunaria? Can we grow it here?

A: Lunaria (Lunaria annua, sometimes listed as Lunaria biennis) is an annual or biennial flower also known as “honesty” and “money plant.” What the announcer described as petals were actually membranes from inside lunaria’s oval seed pods. This silvery membrane resembles a coin, hence “money plant,” or a full moon, hence “lunaria.” “Honesty” probably is due to the fact that you can count exactly how many seeds are in the thin seed pods. The plant cannot deceive you or hide them from you.

Stalks of lunaria’s silvery membranes are popular in dried floral arrangements, left standing in the garden or used on a florally fabulous float in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.

Lunaria is attractive with purple, rosy purple or white flowers and useful because it blooms in dappled shade. It is a good companion with azaleas and, like them, is a favorite of the Eastern tiger swallowtail.

Lunaria is easy to grow from seed, which is the main way to get a start as they are not often carried as plants at garden centers.

Q: I see solitary daffodils blooming in the middle of vacant lots. How did they get there? They are not growing in spots where they look like they were planted. Don’t they have to be planted as a bulb?

A: We usually only think of daffodils as bulbs because that is how they are sold and how we plant them. However, daffodils can be grown from seed. It takes about five years from the time a daffodil seedling germinates until it blooms.

It is possible that the solitary daffodils you see in unlikely places sprouted from seeds that blew into those spots from nearby clumps of daffodils. It is also possible that the daffodils came from small bulbs planted or even tossed out years ago that have just now reached blooming size. It is also possible that an animal could have dug up a clump of daffodils and kicked or scattered one or more of the bulbs now blooming.

Q: I used to see forsythia everywhere. Have people stopped planting it?

A: No, although it doesn’t seem to be planted as much as it once was. Like many other fields, gardening is susceptible to the whims of fashion. A plant can be popular for years and then people abandon it and choose newer or less common options because they want something different or because the new plant is being widely promoted and produced by major growers. Then those new things become overused and passé, and gardeners, growers and landscape designers become infatuated with another new plant or re-discover plants from their childhood or that their grandparents grew.

Forsythia is a wonderful and durable shrub that deserves a spot in the landscape. It looks its best when it is allowed to have a loose and natural form and is not mercilessly pruned into a yellow beach ball or floral version of SpongeBob SquarePants. Combine forsythia in an informal border with winter hazel, witch hazel, flowering quince, bridalwreath spiraea, Thunberg’s spiraea, Koreanspice viburnum, pussy willow, cornelian cherry, American beautyberry, weigela, Scotch broom, deutzia, dwarf flowering almond or other shrubs. Forsythia also looks perfect with the soft yellows of the spring-blooming yellow magnolias that are now commonly available. 

Trust me – forsythia will rise again, and the tidal wave of purple loropetalums that has flooded the marketplace and Georgia landscapes will recede. 

Q: What is wrong with my camellia? Some of the leaves are pale green, abnormally thick and have a white coat on the underside. 

A: What you are seeing is camellia leaf gall, a disease caused by the fungus Exobasidium camelliae. Fungal spores form the white coat under the leaves. These spores are released or splashed onto the ground, bark, buds, twigs and leaves and will re-infect the plant next spring. Control is easy and inexpensive – pick off all the galls (enlarged leaves and shoots) and throw them in the trash. Remove them before the fungal spores are exposed. Do not throw them on the ground or in the compost pile. As an extra precaution, you can put the galls in a plastic bag and then put them in the trash.

Camellia leaf gall is more alarming than harming. It may look dramatic but causes no serious harm to the plant. This disease is primarily seen on sasanqua camellias, but can occur on other camellias. There is a similar fungus that attacks azaleas. Its control is the same.

Q: Will Siberian irises grow in Georgia?

A: With “Siberian” in the name, you would think these irises would melt or fry in our summer heat. However, Siberian irises are one of the best irises for Georgia. The heat doesn’t bother them, and they are more tolerant of clay soils and moist conditions than bearded irises. If you have had trouble with bearded irises, give their Siberian cousins a try. 

Look for Siberian irises in the perennial section of nurseries and garden centers. They combine well in the garden with many other perennials including coreopsis, amsonia, daylilies, peonies, bletilla orchid, Japanese roof iris, copper iris, Adam’s needle yucca, blue wild indigo baptisia, physostegia, cardinal flower, Penstemon digitalis and purple coneflower.

Recall Roundup: Dec. 20 through 31

Editor's Note: Food recalls related to a foodborne pathogen will be featured on individual blog posts. Food recalls related to food allergens, mislabeling or other causes will be rounded up, when applicable, in a Recall Roundup blog post. For up-to-the-minute information on food recalls, follow @GaMktBulletin and @GDAFoodSafety on Twitter, and visit the Georgia Department of Agriculture's food recall website.

Recalls were issued on select lots of the following products:

Zachary Confections, Inc.: Nine-ounce packages of Market Pantry Brand Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds with UPC code 085239555644 and best by date of July 4, 2015
Recalled Dec. 18; undeclared peanut allergen. Read more ...

Perfect Bar & Company: 2.5-ounce Peanut Butter bars with best by date of Sept. 2, 2015; 1.6-ounce Cranberry Crunch bars with best by date of Sept. 2, 2015; one-pound variety pack of bars with best by dates of Sept. 2, 2015, Sept. 1, 2015, and Nov. 24, 2015
Recalled Dec. 19; potential Salmonella contamination. Read more ...

Reily Foods Co.: Four-ounce packages of Carroll Shelby Chili Mix with best by dates between July 1 and Nov. 21, 2016; three-ounce packages of Carroll Shelby White Chicken Chili with best by dates between July 1 and Dec. 8, 2016; 3.625-ounce packages of Wick Fowler 2-Alarm Chili Kit with best by dates between July 1 and Dec. 8, 2016; 3.03-oounce packages of Wick Fowler False Alarm Chili Kit with best by dates between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2, 2016
Recalled Dec. 19; undeclared peanut and almond allergens. Read more ...

Barkworthies: 16-ounce packages of Chicken Vittles with best by date of May 2016 and UPC code 816807022510
Recalled Dec. 24; potential Salmonella contamination. Read more ...

Happy Apples: Single pack caramel apples with best by dates between Aug. 25 and Nov. 23, 2014; Three-pack caramel apples with best by dates between Aug. 25 and Nov. 23, 2014; Four-pack caramel apples with best by dates between Aug. 25 and Nov. 23, 2014; Eight-pack caramel apples with best by dates between Aug. 25 and Nov. 23, 2014Recalled Dec. 24; potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Read more ...

Adams Flavors, Foods & Ingredients: 2.82-ounce bottles of Adams Chili Powder Reddish Ground Seasoning Blend with best by dates of Sept. 23, Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, 2016; 7.48-ounce bottles of Adams Chili Pepper Reddish Ground Seasoning Blend with best by dates of Oct. 3 and Oct. 27, 2016; 2.82-ounce bottles ofAdams Ground Cumin Green/Brown Fine Ground Powder with best by dates of Sept. 23, Sept. 24, Oct. 7, Nov. 11 and Dec. 5, 2016; 6.7-ounce bottles of Adams Ground Cumin Green/Brown Fine Ground Powder with best by dates of Nov. 7 and Dec. 18, 2016; 16-ounce bottles of Adams Ground Cumin Green/Brown Fine Ground Powder with best by date of Aug. 26, 2016; 16.82-ounce bottles of Adams Chili Powder Reddish Ground Seasoning Blend with best by dates of Oct. 7, Oct. 8, Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, 2016; 18-ounce bottles of Adams Menudo Seasoning with best by date of Oct. 22, 2016; 5.26-ounce bottles of Adams Jamaican Jerk Seasoning with best by date of Oct. 16, 2016; 13.47-bottles of Adams Brisket Rub with best by date of Sept. 30, 2016; 32-ounce bottles of Adams Brisket Rub with best by date of Sept. 30, 2016; 39-ounce bottles of Adams Multi Seasoning with best by date of Aug. 28, 2016; 30-ounce bottles of Adams Multi Seasoning with best by date of Sept. 30, 2016; 3.03-ounce bottles of Adams Pinto Bean Seasoning with best by date of Oct. 27, 2016; 4.79-ounce bottles of Adams Reserve Southwestern Rub with UPC code 14288; 7.41-ounce bottles of Adams Reserve Jamaican Jerk Rub with UPC code 14330; 10-ounce bottles of Earl Campbell Rib Rub with best by date of Sept. 30, 2014
Recalled Dec. 26; undeclared peanut protein allergen. Read more ...

Jardine Foods, Inc.: Four-ounce bags of DL Jardines Texas Chili Bag O'Fixins Kit with best by date of Nov. 20, 2016; three-ounce bags of DL Jardines Texas Chili Works with best by date of Nov. 20, 2016; 3.1-ounce boxes of Shotgun Willie's Texas Chili Seasoning with bets by date of Sept. 15, 2016
Recalled Dec. 29; undeclared peanut protein allergen. Read more ...

TEN BC LLC.: 10-ounce packages of Tommy's Superfoods Santa Fe Rice with lot code C091X4K17 and best by date of Nov. 17, 2015
Recalled Dec. 29; undeclared peanut allergen. Read more ...

Campos Foods, LLC: Bulk boxes of Rockin' Roasted Chicken Drum & Thigh (With Back) Smoke Flavor Added; 16-pound boxes of Rockin' Roasted Chicken Quarters Smoke Flavor Added
Recalled Dec. 31; undeclared peanut allergen. Read more ...

Saving, Selling Protected Seed Can Land Producers in Hot Water

Originally published in the Feb. 5, 2014, issue

 

By Dallas Duncan

 

Blue Suede blueberries are growing in popularity, but producers who save and sell the plants can face criminal charges.

That’s because Blue Suede is one of many cultivars protected by either patents or the Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970, deeming them intellectual property of their developers. In the case of Blue Suede, that would be the University of Georgia.

The PVPA was written to increase crop varieties and allow for researchers to recoup development costs, said Terry Hollifield, executive director of the Georgia Crop Improvement Association. Under a PVP, which covers most seed-propagated cultivars, farmers can save enough seed to plant back their acreage, but cannot sell seed. Patented plants’ seed or cuttings, such as turfgrasses, cannot be saved or sold.

“Like blueberry farmers, they can’t go out — unless they have a license — and take cuttings off their blueberry plants and plant 40 acres,” said Brent Marable, plant licensing manager for the UGA Research Foundation.

The idea of protecting plants was to get income streaming back into breeding programs, said James Sutton, assistant commissioner for the Department.

“It costs so much to come up with a new variety and it’s so short-lived. A variety may only last three or four years,” he said. “So all that money going to make this new variety, you don’t reap the benefits, especially if you’re just giving away the seed.”

Producers pay royalties when purchasing protected seed. For instance, if UGA developed the fictitious Soybean U34 and licensed it out to be sold, farmers who purchased U34 seed would pay an extra five cents per pound. The five cents goes back to UGA breeding programs, Sutton said.

Producers sign contracts as well, allowing developers to audit their fields and financials to make sure they’re following the law. However, farmers tend to police themselves, Sutton said.

Universities and companies have legal recourse against those who propagate and sell seed illegally and are caught doing so, though most settle out of court, Hollifield said.

He said the analysis tag on seed bags will note whether a variety is protected or not.

There are limitations on how long patents and PVPA protections last, however, usually between 15 and 18 years.

“If I come up with a Georgia green, great peanut variety … it had a PVP, it had a run of about 15 years. If it had a patent, nobody’s growing it after the patent runs out,” Sutton said. “You have a great new variety and it runs for about four or five years, then something takes its place.”

In essence, it’s like smart phones.

“By the time this one is about to go out,they come out with the iPhone 5,” he said. “It’s the same with seed. By the time the patent’s ready to run out, they’ve come out with a new and improved [cultivar].”

And if a variety remains popular after its patent is up, there’s a chance it will still evolve over years of use. Take Silver Queen Corn, for example.

“Silver Queen isn’t like it used to be,” said Alan Lowman, program director for the Department’s Agricultural Inputs Section. “It’s not because nobody has a vested interest in it — nobody is keeping it true to type. Part of the PVP and patent stuff is that you get what you pay for, that varieties stay true.”

It also helps ensure plants are developed to thrive in the Southeast, since royalties from one plant are being used to spur research on others — like Blue Suede blueberries

“Ten years ago, we’re taking peanut money down to Griffin to help blueberries get going. And blueberries have overtaken peaches," Sutton said. “If [the royalties] hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have the blueberry market like you have now."