• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 💪 Wellness News: Three Minutes to a Calmer You
• ⚠️ Health Alert: Weekly U.S. Food Recall & Safety Roundup
• 😄 Meme of the Day: Laughter is the Best Medicine
• ❤️ Communities need strong connections: Show Your Support
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)

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Host: Dr. Chris Coetzer, Founder of Cary Spotlight
Guest: Nasira Abdur-Razzaq, Owner of Exhale Daily Wellness Club

What if just three minutes of intentional breathing could change the course of your day? In this episode of Cary Spotlight Connect, Dr. Chris Coetzer welcomes Nasira Abdur-Razzaq, owner of Exhale Daily Wellness Club, to explore the power of breathwork, stress awareness, and intentional rest.

Nasira shares how anxiety during her corporate career led her to discover somatic breathwork, a practice that transformed her daily routine and inspired her to become a certified instructor. She explains how to recognize signs of an overwhelmed nervous system and offers practical ways to reconnect with yourself amid everyday pressures.

Drawing from her experience with entrepreneurial burnout, Nasira challenges the idea that rest must be earned. Instead, she encourages listeners to identify what kind of rest they need and rediscover activities that bring genuine joy. From three-minute breathing exercises to creating floral bouquets, this conversation offers an accessible approach to prioritizing personal well-being.

Ready to make intentional rest part of your everyday life? Visit Exhale Daily Wellness Club to explore virtual breathwork classes, discover upcoming wellness experiences, and connect with Nasira.

Bottom line upfront: The most important new consumer recall involves Once Upon a Farm toddler snack bars, recalled nationwide because they can form a dense, sticky mass during chewing and create a choking hazard. Three choking complaints prompted the recall, although no injuries have been reported. For North Carolina readers, the most relevant food-contamination recall involves Wise Wife ground cinnamon, which may contain elevated lead levels and was distributed in NC and 13 other states. A separate nationwide recall affects 365 Whole Foods Market ashwagandha capsules because of possible Salmonella contamination.

The biggest outbreak development is the identification of 59 illnesses in a newly reported Salmonella Javiana outbreak, while CDC has confirmed additional illnesses linked to raw oysters harvested in Virginia.

Products: All lots and varieties of Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars, including Strawberry, Pumpkin & Beet; Apple, Sweet Potato & Spinach; Banana, Pumpkin & Cauliflower; and variety packs.

Hazard: The bars can rapidly form a dense, dry, sticky mass when mixed with saliva and chewed, creating a choking hazard, particularly for toddlers ages 18–30 months.

Affected identification: All lots, including expired products. Unexpired packages have Best If Used By dates from October 30, 2026, through August 26, 2027.

Distribution: Retail stores and online sellers nationwide, including Puerto Rico.

Recall announced: October 30; FDA published November 2.

Incidents: Three choking complaints; no injuries reported.

Consumer guidance: Do not give the recalled bars to children. Return unopened packages to the place of purchase for a full refund or contact the company for assistance.

Source: FDA recall announcement. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Product: Wise Wife Brand Ground Cinnamon, 110-gram (3.88-ounce) clear plastic containers with black screw-top caps.

Affected identification: UPC 0688474302754, Best Before April 25, 2027.

Hazard: Potential contamination with elevated levels of lead. Testing by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station detected elevated lead in a product sample.

Distribution: Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Recall announced: October 29, 2026.

Illnesses: None reported.

Consumer guidance: Do not consume the cinnamon. Discard affected containers or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Lead exposure is particularly concerning for young children because prolonged exposure can cause permanent neurological and developmental harm.

Source: FDA recall announcement. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Product: 365 Whole Foods Market Standardized + Full Spectrum Blend Ashwagandha Capsules, 120-count bottles.

Affected identification: Lot 2025-26227, UPC 9948252099, expiration date October 13, 2028.

Hazard: Potential contamination with Salmonella, detected through routine sampling of a retail product.

Distribution: Whole Foods Market stores nationwide and online through Amazon. Products were available between November 24, 2025, and October 20, 2026.

Recall announced: October 30, 2026. The announcement clarified that distribution was nationwide rather than limited to selected states.

Illnesses: None reported.

Consumer guidance: Do not consume the affected capsules. Discard them rather than returning them to the store. Refunds are available at Whole Foods Market locations.

Source: FDA recall announcement. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Products: Previously recalled raw oysters harvested by Little Wicomico Oyster Company from the Little Wicomico River harvest area in Virginia.

Hazard: Salmonella Telelkebir.

Major October 30 update: CDC confirmed 28 illnesses across 13 states, 5 hospitalizations and no deaths. This represents one additional illness and one additional affected state since the October 19 update.

Distribution: The original recall included oysters distributed to restaurants and retailers in multiple states, including North Carolina.

Investigation: Testing identified the outbreak strain in oysters collected from the implicated Virginia harvest area.

Consumer guidance: CDC says the recalled oysters should now be past their shelf life, and harvesting from the affected area has stopped. Consumers should avoid recalled oysters and cook oysters thoroughly to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

Source: CDC October 30 outbreak update. CDC

Agency: FDA.

Products: Not yet identified. No manufacturer, brand, retailer or lot numbers have been announced.

Hazard: Salmonella Javiana.

Major October 28 update: FDA added a new outbreak investigation, reference 1424, involving 59 illnesses.

Distribution: Unknown. FDA has not identified the responsible food or its distribution area.

Hospitalizations and deaths: Not disclosed in the available federal update.

Consumer guidance: There is currently no product-specific recall or disposal recommendation. Consumers experiencing persistent diarrhea, fever, severe abdominal pain or dehydration should contact a healthcare provider.

Source: FDA Foodborne Outbreak Investigations. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Listeria outbreak increases to 50 illnesses: FDA reports that an ongoing Listeria monocytogenes investigation, reference 1417, increased from 46 to 50 illnesses. The responsible food has not been identified. No product-specific consumer action is available. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Chicken-wrap E. coli outbreak ends: FDA reports that the outbreak involving 50 illnesses linked to suspected multi-ingredient chicken wraps has ended. The implicated products were removed from sale before the outbreak connection was established and are now past their shelf life. FDA says there is no ongoing consumer risk from those products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

USDA FSIS: I could not confirm a new meat or poultry recall first announced between October 28 and November 3 from the federal notices available during this review. The previously reported Imperio beef jerky recall remains relevant, but it was announced October 24 and is outside this reporting window.

References:
FDA Recall Dashboard
USDA FSIS Recall Alerts
CDC Foodborne Outbreak Investigations

What’s faster than word of mouth? Cary Spotlight! Keeps you updated on what is going on locally and connects businesses to our vibrant community.

Outdoor events may be changed due to weather, so click the links to see latest event information. Here are a few ideas for the week, so plan ahead:

• Wednesday: Build Your Own Lasagna Planter 2PM-3PM
• Wednesday: Tai Chi: Downtown Cary Park 6:30PM-7:30PM
• Wednesday: Operation Green Light
• Thursday: Art Cart 12PM-3PM
• Thursday: Town Council Quarterly Meeting 1PM-6PM
• Thursday: Zumba 6PM-7PM
• Thursday: Trivia Night 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Friday: Movie Night: Minions 7:30PM-10PM
• Friday: Concert Singers of Cary | To Be Sung on the Water 7:30PM-9PM
• Friday: 2026 Old North State Story Telling Festival 7:30PM-9:30PM
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 9AM-12PM
• Saturday: 2026 Old North State Story Telling Festival: Sensory Friendly Showcase 10:30AM-12PM
• Saturday: Taste of China Food and Culture Festival 11AM-5PM
• Saturday: 2026 Old North State Story Telling Festival 7:30PM-9:30PM
• Sunday: Paint the Page 1PM-5PM
• Sunday: Speed Puzzling in the Park 2PM-5PM
• Sunday: Fall Foliage Stroll at Kids Together Playground 2PM-4PM
• Sunday: Sunday Sound Bath 4PM-5:30PM
• Monday: Stretch and Refresh 10AM-11AM

But wait! There’s more. To save space in your inbox, we’ve moved the full list of events online — now you can plan ahead: See Full 2-Week Calendar