Information for food importers
Be cautious when dealing with Egyptian Olive Exporter Wadi El Nile
Our company has experienced two separate serious food safety violations with Wadi El Nile products and their owner Abdalla Mashhour within the last 12 months totalling 1661 cases recalled or destroyed valued at $78,921.04 USD.
First Incident
Glass and pieces of foreign objects (believed to be metal debris from a conveyor system) were found in Wadi El Nile’s 12×1.6L pouch Sliced Black Olives product . The claims were well documented for Wadi El Nile prior to destruction of the contaminated products. Despite being notified of the risks their compromised product presented to consumers, Wadi El Nile offered no compensation or replacement for the cases disposed. Instead, Wadi El Nile issued a corrective action report of systems that should have already been in place to prevent foreign objects from entering the product. Subsequently, Wadi El Nile’s 12×1.6L pouch Sliced Black Olives have been involved in full recalls. See: Food Safety News – Black Olives Recalled in Quebec Because of Glass Pieces. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency deems foreign objects and glass in product as not fit for consumption, and our QA team/Management agrees. Link: Canadian Food Inspection Agency – Physical Hazards
Second Incident
Can seam defects were documented on additional Wadi El Nile 6×2.84L canned Sliced Olives product. Wadi El Nile management and their owner Abdallah Mashhour refuse to take ownership of the documented claim, and they determined the product was safe for consumption despite the obvious dangers. Under Government guidance and our obligation as a CFIA Registered importer, we recalled 1007 cases, and notified Wadi El Nile prior to disposal, yet Wadi El Nile refused to compensate for any costs incurred by their can seam failures. These defects represent a critical food safety risk, including the potential for loss of hermetic seal and subsequent microbial contamination. All actions taken were precautionary, necessary, and fully compliant with CFIA recall protocols to protect public health and mitigate regulatory exposure.
