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FSAI Warn Of Presence Of Peanut In Batches Of Sofra Garlic Powder.

Alert Summary dated Monday, 24th March 2025.

Allergy Alert Notification: 2025.A06 (Update 1).
Allergen: Peanuts.
Product Identification: Sofra Garlic Powder; pack size: 100g.
Batch Code: All batch codes and all best before dates.
Country Of Origin: Lebanon
.

Message: Further to FSAI food allergen alert 2025.A06, all batches and best before dates of Sofra Garlic Powder may contain peanut, which is not mentioned on the label. This may make the batches unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of peanut and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batches.

Bayer To Pay Billions In Damages Following Weed Killer Cancer Case.

A jury in Georgia, South Carolina, USA, has ordered the Monsanto parent company Bayer to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who maintains the company’s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, according to his attorneys.

This verdict, delivered on Friday last, marks the latest in a long-running series of court battles that Monsanto has faced over its Roundup herbicide. The agrochemical giant says it will appeal the verdict, in an efforts to overturn the court’s decision.

In a statement, law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC said that the penalties awarded to the plaintiff will include $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages. This marks one of the largest legal settlements reached in a Roundup weed killer related case to date.

The plaintiff named as Mr John Barnes filed his lawsuit against Monsanto in 2021, seeking damages which related to his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The lead trial lawyer, Arnold & Itkin attorney Kyle Findley, stated that the verdict will help to place his client in a better disposition in order to obtain necessary treatment needed going forward.

The verdict on the case is seen as an important moment of truth, following the refusal by Monsanto to accept responsibility for poisoning people with their product, same regarded as highly toxic.

Glyphosate is a herbicide used to kill certain plants and grasses and is the declared active ingredient in most versions of Roundup. The biggest users of glyphosate are growers of crops that have been genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide. This allows the plant to survive while killing nearby weeds. The crops with the highest use of glyphosate are modified corn, cotton, and soybeans.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. maintain that glyphosate is not likely to cause cancer in humans. But there is concern about the other ingredients in Roundup, as they may be more toxic than glyphosate. These other chemicals are not the active ingredients in Roundup, so they are rarely the focus of regulatory health risk assessments.
One study found that Roundup was among the most toxic of the herbicides and insecticides tested.

FSAI Recall Batches Of Hogans Farm Turkey Burgers.

Recall of specific batches of Hogans Farm Turkey Burgers due to missing or incorrect ingredients listed.

Alert Summary dated Thursday, March 20th 2025.

Alert Notification: 2025.15.
Product Identification: Please see table below.
Batch Code: Please see table below.
Country Of Origin: Ireland
.

Product name.Pack size.Use by dates.
Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers.400g25.03.2025, 26.03.2025 and 28.03.2025.
Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers with a Spicy Buffalo Glaze.420g25.03.2025, 26.03.2025 and 28.03.2025.
Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers with an Asian BBQ Glaze.260g25.03.2025, 26.03.2025 and 27.03.2025.

Message: The above batches of Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers and Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers with a Spicy Buffalo Glaze are being recalled due to the absence of an ingredients list on the labels.
In addition, the below batches of Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers with an Asian BBQ Glaze are being recalled as an incorrect version of the ingredients list is on the label. Recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.

Please also refer to FSAI food allergen alert 2025.A10.

Action Required: Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers and retailers.

Retailers are requested to remove the implicated batches from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Wholesalers/distributors are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated batches and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retail customers.

Consumers: Sulphur dioxide is an ingredient in the above batches of Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers. Sulphur dioxide is not declared on the implicated batches of Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers and Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers with a Spicy Buffalo Glaze. In addition, sulphur dioxide is incorrectly declared on the list of ingredients on the affected batches of Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers with an Asian BBQ Glaze.
This may make these batches unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of sulphur dioxide, and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batches.

FSAI Recall Organic Sunflower Kernels – Presence Of Salmonella.

Food Safety Authority Recall Batch of Do It Organic Sunflower Kernels Due to the Possible Presence of Salmonella

Alert Summary dated Wednesday, March 19th 2025.

Category 1: For Action.
Alert Notification: 2025.14.
Product Identification: Do It Organic Sunflower Kernels; pack size: 5kg.
Batch Code:
L2402615.
Best Before Date: 18/04/2026.
Country Of Origin: Netherlands
.

Message: The above batch of Do It Organic Sunflower Kernels is being recalled due to the possible presence of Salmonella.
Recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.

Nature Of Danger: People infected with Salmonella typically develop symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, but this can range between 6 and 72 hours. The most common symptom is diarrhoea, which can sometimes be bloody. Other symptoms may include fever, headache and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to require hospital admission. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Action Required: Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Distributors, Caterers and Retailers:

Retailers are requested to remove the implicated batch from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Wholesalers/distributors are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated batch and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retail customers.
Caterers should not use the implicated batch.
Consumers: Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated batch.

Welcome Reduction In Nitrogen Levels In Rivers In 2024, says EPA

There has been a welcome reduction in nitrogen levels in rivers in 2024, says Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

  • Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator for 2024, published by the EPA, shows that nitrogen levels in rivers have reduced in 2024.
  • Despite the reduction, nitrogen remains too high in the southeastern half of the country and further reductions will be needed to bring them to satisfactory levels.
  • Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in our waters. Significant actions are underway by the sector to reduce nitrogen losses.
  • Ongoing and sustained actions will be needed to reduce nutrient levels so that the ecological health of our waters can improve.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published early insights into nitrogen levels in rivers in 2024. The Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator 2024 has been developed to provide more timely information on nitrogen levels and is based on monitoring data at 20 major and representative rivers. Overall, the early insights indicator shows that nitrogen levels have improved in 2024. However, nitrogen remains too high in the southeastern half of the country. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in these areas.

Commenting on the report, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “The EPA continually strives to produce timely information and evidence on Ireland’s environment. Specifically, this publication responds to a need for early insights into trends in nitrogen levels. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in Irish rivers and there is significant action underway within the sector to improve water quality. It is therefore very welcome to see these early signs of improvement. It is important that the sector builds on this momentum and continues to implement actions to reduce nutrient losses in a targeted way.”

The EPA will publish its three-yearly assessment of water quality in Ireland, for the period 2019 – 2024, later in 2025. This future report will combine data on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in waterbodies, with the biological quality monitoring data on fish, aquatic insects and plants, to give a comprehensive assessment of the ecological health of all waters.

Ms Jenny Deakin, EPA Programme Manager, added: “It is very positive to see this improvement in nitrogen levels in 2024, following a period of little positive change in recent years. However, nitrogen levels remain too high in the southeastern half of the country. Further actions will be necessary to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses to levels which will support good ecological health in our water bodies. The ecology will not improve until nutrient levels are reduced in the areas where they are elevated. The EPA will be reporting on the ecological health of our waters later in 2025.”

The Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator 2024 report is now available on the EPA website.

Further information on local water quality and targeting agricultural measures is available on the EPA website.