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California
Company Recalls Spices Implicated in Salmonella Outbreak Date Published: Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 Source
of Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/5389 A
new salmonella
outbreak is emerging, this time linked to pepper products made by Union International
Food Company (UIFC). The company is recalling several varieties of its white
and black pepper, as well as other spices as a precaution. KTVN
in Nevada is reporting that health officials have warned consumers to avoid
eating ground white pepper that was processed, packaged, and/or distributed
by Union International Food Company (UIFC) in Union City, California.
According to KCRA in California, the warning was later expanded to include
white and black pepper products from the company’s Union City facility in
near San Francisco. In
total, four varieties of pepper are included in the recall: Whole and ground
Uncle Chen’s White Pepper and whole and ground Uncle Chen’s Black Pepper. All
four products are packaged in 5-ounce containers. Restaurant and food store
managers, restaurant suppliers, and spice wholesalers are being asked to
check their inventories and remove this product immediately, said KTVN UIFC’s
pepper products have been linked to a multi-state outbreak of salmonella
following the discovery of the pathogen in food samples collected from
restaurants and food distributors. Two date, 42 illnesses have been tied to
the contaminated spice; eight people have been hospitalized, said KTVN.
Illnesses have been reported in Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington
state said KTVN. UIFC
announced it recalled the following spices, some as a precautionary measure: *
Black Pepper: Ground and whole According
to KTVN, none of the spice’s packaging bears lot codes, but some are known to
have been sold to distributors and restaurants and are packaged under the
Lian How brand name (red label) followed by the words “Packed by Union
International Foods” or “Union International Foods.” Spices packaged for
commercial use come in 10- and 15-pound cardboard boxes with plastic liners
that are tie-closed; 4- and 5-pound clear semi-hard plastic wide-mouth jars;
5-pound plastic bags, and 2.2-pound foil bags Recalled items intended for
individual consumer purchase could display the “Uncle Chen” brand name. It
seems that many of those sickened had eaten at Asian restaurants discovered
by environmental health specialists to be using black and/or white pepper
purchased from UIFC, said KCRA. Salmonella
causes 40,000 confirmed cases each year, but, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), is probably responsible for close to 40 times that—a stunning
1,600,000—noting that 2,500 subtypes of Salmonella exist, said MSNBC in an
earlier report. Salmonella
can cause serious, sometimes fatal Salmonellosis infections in young
children, weak or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people may experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and
abdominal pain, if infected. Without treatment, severe cases of Salmonella
poisoning can result in arterial infections—such as infected
aneurysms—endocarditis, arthritis, and death; however, some Salmonella
bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, largely due to the use of antibiotics
to promote the growth of feed animals. |
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