Rodent Feces Prompts Major Recall In Oregon/SW Washington

MILWAUKIE, OR — More than 22,000 pounds of chia seeds, 1,000 pounds of nutritional yeast, and 63,000 pounds of pumpkin seeds are being recalled after Oregon Food Bank officials in Portland learned the products may be contaminated.

Anyone who received any of these three products in Oregon and Clark County, Washington, between Nov. 1, 2017, and March 16 should dispose of the product immediately.

The products were donated to the Oregon Food Bank by Milwaukie-based aquaponics company Live Local Organic, which did not actually produce any of the recalled products. Myrna Jensen, spokeswoman for the Oregon Food Bank, said no reported food-borne illnesses have yet been directly linked to this recall.

A customer complaint regarding foreign material in the chia seeds prompted the initial investigation that uncovered the rodent feces in the chia seed donation, Jensen said, adding inventory still at the Oregon Food Bank also showed signs of contamination.

The Oregon Food Bank distributes food to 21 regional partners in Oregon and Clark County, helping to feed more than 740,000 people annually.

Live Local Organic, a 3-year-old private startup, has reportedly never had a case of rodent feces contamination or had to respond to a recall, COO Joel Kelly told Patch. Additionally, Kelly said, the chia seeds were part of a large-scale acquisition Live Local Organic made when a wholesale seed company that rented space at its warehouse went out of business.

Along with the chia seeds, Live Local Organic obtained hundreds of thousands of pounds of pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast, and other products, Kelly said.

"We had all of this product fall into our laps and didn't know what to do with it," he said. "We were going to throw it all away, but that seemed like such a waste."

After reaching out to the Oregon Food Bank, Kelly said he told the organization what he knew about the product — such as the fact some of it was already expired and that Kelly himself had never personally inspected the seed wholesaler's business practices, though the unidentified wholesaler assured Kelly "he took all necessary precautions regarding pest control."

"I explained this information to the Oregon Food Bank — said they could come look at it, and that they could take what they thought they could use," Kelly said. "After inspecting and sending some of the product to a lab, they decided they wanted to take a few hundred thousand pounds of pumpkin seeds, a few hundred pounds of nutritional yeast, and around 22,000 pounds of chia seeds."

According to Kelly, only a small portion of the total 22,201 pounds of chia seeds were contaminated, but the whole batch was recalled as a precaution.

"After inspecting the pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast, they concluded that there was no evidence of rodent activity and kept those products," he said. "I would like people to know that I really was just trying to help fight hunger in Oregon and had no intent of causing any harm. Much of what was donated is still doing a lot of good, and I hope people are able to understand our perspective."

A few days later, Oregon Food Bank officials announced a second and third recall of the nutritional yeast and pumpkin seeds.

The pumpkin seed recall affects 63,825 pounds of pumpkin seeds received as part of the same donation as the chia seeds and nutritional yeast. According to Jensen, the pumpkin seeds "have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria species … which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems."

Other symptoms of Listeria exposure include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Jensen said, noting also that "Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women."

Along with the chia and pumpkin seeds, the Oregon Food Bank initiated a recall of 1,219 pounds of nutritional yeast. Though once again no food borne illnesses have been reported, the recall has been initiated out of caution. Food bank officials did not specify what if any contaminant has fouled the yeast.

Jensen provided Patch with the following statement via email:

We hold the people experiencing hunger in the center of all we do and we work diligently to ensure our clients receive safe, wholesome food. When we receive donations, we examine the transportation vehicle (trailer) to ensure there are no signs of pest activity or damage to product that would cause food safety issues. For refrigerated foods, we check product temperature and transport temperature to ensure the products are held at the proper temperatures to keep them safe.

We have a food safety management system in place to ensure foods in our control maintain wholesomeness and to remove any food which might present a risk to consumers. Our food safety management system is consistent with industry best practices. We are a licensed facility with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and undergo voluntary food safety inspections with the American Institute of Baking (AIB).

We partner with generous donors across the state and across all industries who strive to provide safe, wholesome food for people experiencing hunger. If a problem arises, we collaborate closely with the donor to resolve issues. For recalls, we strictly adhere to FDA guidelines.

As soon as we detect a possible issue we stop distribution of a product and then if there is need for a recall we act quickly to notify clients, food pantries, and the media. Our ultimate goal is to make sure the people we serve get the best food possible.

For more information about either the recall or the seeds, consumers can contact the location where they obtained the seeds or call Oregon Food Bank's Facilities and Regulatory Compliance Manager Ryan Wist at 503-419-4160.

This post has been updated with a statement from the Oregon Food Bank, and includes information about additional recalls.

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