Additional 218 Counties Designated As Primary Natural Disaster Areas

More than half of all U.S. counties have been named disaster areas

By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com

There's no letup in the drought gripping much of the nation.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today signed disaster designations for an additional 218 counties in 12 states as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat.

Counties designated today are in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming. More than half (50.3 percent) of all counties in the United States have been designated disaster areas by USDA in 2012, mainly due to drought.

"The assistance announced today will help U.S. livestock producers dealing with climbing feed prices, critical shortages of hay and deteriorating pasturelands,” said Vilsack. “Responding to my request, crop insurance companies indicated that producers can forgo interest penalties to help our nation's farm families struggling with cash flow challenges."

Read the entire article here.

Gills Onions Recalled

Gills Onions Voluntarily Recalls Diced and Slivered Red and Yellow Onions, and Diced Onion and Celery Mix Because of Possible Health Risk

By FoodSafety.gov

Gills Onions, LLC of Oxnard, CA is initiating a voluntary recall of a single day’s production of diced and slivered red and yellow onions and diced celery and onion mix because they may be contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall, and no other Gills Onions products are affected by this recall. A list of recalled products is provided at the end of this release.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recalled products, which are packaged under the brand "Gill's Onions," were shipped between July 2-4, 2012 directly from Gills Onions to retailers in Canada and the following U.S. states: California, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington.

This voluntary recall was initiated when the company was notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that a random sample of diced yellow onions taken at retail tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. As a precautionary measure, Gills Onions is recalling all products processed on the same day and on the same line as the sample that tested positive.

Gills Onions is notifying all customers who received the recalled product directly from the company and requesting that they remove it from commerce. We are also asking our direct customers to notify their customers of this recall. Gills Onions is keeping the U.S. Food and Drug Administration informed of its recall process to assure that consumers are properly alerted.

“Gills Onions is committed to protecting public health and to executing this voluntary recall effectively and efficiently,” said Steve Gill, president of the company. “We are a multi generational family business, and we work hard every day to earn the trust and confidence of customers and consumers who enjoy our high quality, healthy products.”

Anyone who has the recalled product in their possession should not consume it and should destroy or discard it. Consumers with questions may contact Gills Onions at 1-800-348-2255, M-F 8am-5pm PDT. Please visit our website at www.gillsonions.com for a copy of this release.

See the complete list of recalled items and the entire article here.