Posts Tagged “Canadian Food Inspection Agency”
A public warning has been issued by Canadian officials about consumers having found toxic iron cross blister beetles in prepackaged salads. The warning otherwise is very vague, except to say that there haven’t been any confirmed illnesses or injuries.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued the warning May 29th, but does not say what country the pre-packaged salads are from or what grower or shipper distributed them. The warning also does not say where the salads were distributed.
“Fresh produce can harbor insects that may be injurious to consumers, but this is rare,” according to the CFIA’s warning.
“The iron cross blister beetle is very distinctively colored, with a bright red head and bright yellow markings on the wings, separated by a black cross. This particular beetle should be treated with caution as it may release an irritating chemical called cantharidin. This chemical may cause blisters at the point of contact.”
The CFIA advises consumers to wash and visually inspect leafy vegetables and remove beetles without touching or crushing them. The warning requests that anyone who finds a beetle to report it to the local CFIA office.
The iron cross blister beetle is generally found in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, according to information from the University of California-Davis department of entomology website. Also known as soldier beetles because of their habit of traveling in single-file lines, they are found primarily in late spring and early summer, according to the website, and often occur in immense feeding and mating aggregations.