Flush syringes, beans recalled

January 18, 2008 -All lots and sizes of Heparin and Saline pre-filled flush syringes from AM2 PAT Inc. because some of the syringes were found to be contaminated with the bacteria Serratia marcescens. This type of bacterial infection could lead to serious injury or death. The company recalled one lot of syringes in December after about 40 patient infections were reported. The recalled syringes were sold under the product names Sierra Pre-Filled and B. Braun. Manufacturer Sierra Pre-Filled of Angier, N.C., distributed the syringes nationwide. Any reactions should be reported to the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch adverse event reporting program at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

-Cans of green beans and garbanzo beans from New Era Canning Co. because the food may have been processed under conditions that could have led to contamination with Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning. The New Era, Mich., company has received no reports of illnesses, and no product has tested positive for the toxin, said company spokeswoman Linda Miller. The beans were sold in 6-pound, 5-ounce cans to restaurants and other food-service businesses, although some of the products may have been purchased by consumers at retail stores. Labels include Bunny, Code, Comsource, Frosty Acres, GFS, Goodtaste, Harvest Value, Kitchen, Kitchen Essentials, Monarch, Monarch Premium, Mount Stirling, Necco, New Era, Nugget, Pocahontas, Sysco, U.S. FoodService and USDA Food and Nutrition Service Special Nutrition Programs. For more information, consumers can call the company at 800-282-9007, ext. 111, or the Food and Drug Administration at 1-888-SAFEFOOD.