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Yesterday’s food recall triple threat: grape tomatoes, smoked salmon and soymilk

Not the offending grape tomatoes (Image: Clay Irving)

Is it just us, or does it seem as though there were an unusual number of food recalls in Ontario yesterday? Consumers are being warned about possible salmonella in organic grape tomatoes, listeria in smoked salmon from a Toronto plant and undeclared milk and peanuts in soymilk sold in the GTA. No illnesses have been reported thus far—we just hope that no one with a peanut allergy chooses to enjoy their smoked salmon with roast tomato chutney and a glass of Korean soymilk. The complete details on the recalled products, after the jump.

The Dish

Foodie Follies

September 1, 2011 | 12:42 pm

Toronto Underground Market a smash hit before it even starts: all 1,200 tickets already sold out

(Image: Jeremy Burgin)

Earlier this spring we despaired that Toronto might be too straitlaced to join the underground market fad (all-night foodie raves that have been gaining popularity in the U.S. and in Europe). Our lack of faith in Toronto’s street food culture spurred Hassel Aviles into action. Following our post, Aviles founded the Toronto Underground Market to try to allow home cooks to sell their food without having to rent a commercial kitchen. The good news: the first ever TUM will take place on September 24 at the Evergreen Brick Works. The bad? If you haven’t already bought your ticket, you’ll have to wait until October for the next go-round, as rabid street food–loving Torontonians snatched up all 1,200 $5 tickets within a week.

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Pantry Raid

February 14, 2011 | 4:16 pm

Cracking down: authorities trace ungraded eggs that showed up in six Scarborough food shops

A bad egg (Image: Valerie Everett)

Over the weekend, the Star reported that at least six Scarborough food stores, along with a few in York Region, have been charged with buying and using illegal, ungraded eggs. One distributor of the ungraded eggs is identified as a Chinese supplier who delivers the illegal orbs from an unmarked white cube van.

An unlicensed warehouse in Scarborough was raided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and was found to have more than 100,000 ungraded eggs, many which were covered in fecal matter, dirt, feathers and cracks. The eggs have been destroyed, and most of the offending establishments have also cleared out their stock.

• Certain Frontier Brand Seasonings and Spices May Contain Salmonella Bacteria [CFIA]
• Various Frontier Brand and Whole Foods Market Brand Seasonings and Spices ay Contain Salmonella Bacteria [CFIA]

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Pantry Raid

March 17, 2010 | 2:43 pm

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Potentially salmonella-tinged spices latest thing to make lunch terrifying

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is issuing yet another recall. This time, it’s spices that may contain salmonella. Here’s hoping no one jazzed up their Siena deli meat sandwiches with this stuff. The seasonings in question are from Frontier Natural Products (full list here) and Whole Foods Market 365 (full list here). Combine this with the deli meats, the mystery infections and Toyota’s massive recall, and lunch breaks are deadlier than ever. It doesn’t matter if someone is packing his or her lunch or driving to McDonald’s—everyone is screwed.

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Bottoms Up

November 23, 2009 | 12:59 pm

Toward a better booze-scape: seven egg-infused creations boost Toronto’s cocktail comeback

For years, Torontonians returning from Chicago and New York brought tales of their cocktail adventures—stories typically followed by complaints about the dismal state of mixed drinks in their hometown. Well, that’s in the process of changing. Professional mixologists are increasingly common at bars and restaurants in this city, and they have been leading something of a cocktail comeback. Such Gatsby-era classics as flips, fizzes and sours are popping up everywhere, and crafty bartenders have revived the use of eggs to froth up these bold creations. We decided to look into the practice and found some of the city’s more inspired egg-infused cocktails.

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Read All About It

November 7, 2009 | 2:21 pm

How to be Martha Stewart’s intern, Elizabeth Hurley’s low-calorie beef jerky, the best kinds of cheeseburgers

(Photo by Kyle T. Ramirez)

• While covering the cheeseburger beat for the Chicago Tribune, Kevin Pang scarfed down 60 different versions of the patty-and-bun classic. Now on a beef detox program of carrot sticks and flax seeds, Pang serves up his collected wisdom. On condiments: hold the ketchup and the mustard, but don’t forget the mayo. On french fries: while greasing them in duck fat is trendy, beef tallow provides a more robust taste. On flavour combinations: nothing beats cheese, bacon and caramelized onions. [Chicago Tribune]

• One lucky bidder will get the chance to work as Martha Stewart’s intern for the bargain-basement cost of $3,600. The American tastemaker is auctioning off a six-week paid internship to raise money for her eponymous centre at Mount Sinai Mission. Is this her take on stimulus spending or a version of home economics she picked up in prison? [Eat Me Daily]

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Restauran-TO

October 19, 2009 | 10:30 am

As the unappetizing infractions rack up, Ruby Restaurant closes for good

The latest—and likely last—development in the Ruby Restaurant brouhaha was announced in the Toronto Star this morning: the usually jam-packed Scarborough eatery is closing for good. After a roach infestation, 22 salmonella cases and two inspection failures in one week, Ruby’s owners held an emergency meeting over the weekend at which they decided to declare bankruptcy. The DineSafe page for Ruby reads like a nasty report card, with a series of S and C marks (meaning “significant” and “crucial,” respectively) in such categories as “Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated” and “Operator fail to prevent an insect infestation”—nausea-inducing terms that prompted us to start searching out the DineSafe pages for some local eating spots.

Without getting into specifics, we will sign off with this: the words “conditional pass” become more terrifying when read over and over, and the city’s searchable DineSafe database is a great way to kill a few hours (if not a few cockroaches).

The Dish

Read All About It

October 15, 2009 | 4:45 pm

The Ruby Restaurant fiasco: come for the Peking duck, stay for the salmonella

Kates' review says that "every item has snap, crackle and pop to spare."

In what appears to be a colossal case of bad timing, the Globe and Mail’s Joanne Kates offered a glowing review of Ruby Chinese Restaurant a full three days after health inspectors had closed it down. Apparently the Scarborough restaurant flunked its inspection due to dirty floors, an infestation of cockroaches, inadequately cleaned cooking surfaces, raw meat maintained at the wrong temperature and, last but not least, salmonella. The investigation was prompted last week after an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that left at least 18 people sick was linked to food served at Ruby. Authorities are also investigating the death of an elderly man who ate there, as well as 15 other potential cases.

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Read All About It

October 11, 2009 | 10:13 am

Black widow spider shipped with grapes, salmonella outbreak in Toronto, Michael Pollan’s 20 rules to eat by

Spider fan: a Torontonian opted to release the black widow spider he found among his grapes (Photo by )

Spider fan: a Torontonian opted to spare the life of the black widow spider he found among his grapes (Photo by Care_SMC)

• A Toronto resident was surprised to find a black widow spider among the U.S.-grown grapes in his fridge earlier this week. The venom in the arachnid’s bite is reportedly 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake’s, though the spiders are generally not aggressive. An entomologist from the ROM says it’s not uncommon for black widows to travel north on grapes: “It happens a lot more than people realize.” The man plans to find a suitable home for the stowaway. We plan to panic in the produce aisle. [Toronto Star]

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Read All About It

June 23, 2009 | 8:01 am

Soft-serve bacteria, prohibition at Cabbagetown resto, free booze elsewhere

Twisted: Some soft-serve ice creams contain too-high levels of bacteria (Photo by Chihaya+Sakura)

Twisted: Some soft-serve ice creams contain high levels of bacteria (Photo by Chihaya and Sakura)

• The Toronto Star found that five out of 14 soft-serve ice creams bought from trucks and stores across the city had high levels of bacteria, such as coliform, prompting health officials to launch an investigation. What a great way to start the summer. [Toronto Star]

• When America’s first lady isn’t pumping iron or making fashion editors swoon, she’s tending to her garden at the White House, which just yielded 73 pounds of lettuce and 12 pounds of peas. It’s a mighty harvest, considering she spent only $200 on the garden. [New York Daily News]

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Read All About It The Dish

March 19, 2009 | 9:45 am

Hannah “Salmonella” Montana, a chopstick tutorial, Canada’s water obsession

The great bar recall

• Pint-sized pop star Miley Cyrus is getting flack again—and this time, it’s not for suggestive photographs. The teen’s Hannah Montana snack bars have been recalled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency due to potential salmonella contamination. [Entertainment Wise]

• Toronto may be awash in sushi restaurants, but some say our citizens lack the table manners required for traditional Japanese eating. Mikado’s head chef, Keiichi Masuda, has a video lesson in technique for inept chopstick handlers. [Toronto Star]