UNION CITY Calif. The Union International Food Co. has added a number of products to its earlier announced recall of Uncle Chen and Lian How branded spices and seasonings possibly linked to a Salmonella Rissen outbreak in several western states. The recalled products are primarily used by restaurants and retailers, according to the company and public health officials.
Information about the recall, including a complete list of recalled products, can be found at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/unioninternational204_09.html.
Among the 23 additional products now included in the recall are cumin powder, cloves, crushed chili powder, orange peel powder, black sesame seeds, five spice and meat tenderizer.
The earlier list of recalled UIFC products included Uncle Chen-branded whole and ground black and white pepper distributed in 24 packs of 5-ounce plastic containers. Recalled Lian How products include black and white pepper; cayenne; powdered, minced, granulated and chopped garlic; minced and powdered onions; paprika; powdered curry; mustard; and wasabi, among others.
To date, 42 cases of Salmonella Rissen infection have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by health officials in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The FDA said 33 of the reported cases are in California.
Restaurants, retail outlets and other purchasers should stop using the recalled products immediately and dispose of them, the FDA said. It also advised users to discard any food made with the recalled products and to remove the spices from dispensers on tables and at kitchen workstations. All equipment and utensils that have come into contact with the recalled products should be washed, rinsed and sanitized before further use, the agency said.
According to the FDA, information gathered in the investigation suggests that white and black pepper products are possibly associated with the illnesses. That link, it said, comes from epidemiologic information and preliminary test results on samples collected from health authorities in the affected states.
The FDA and California state health officials are inspecting Union International Food Co.’s processing facility in Union City, Calif., and have collected environmental and product samples, the federal agency said.
Representatives of Union International Food Co. said the firm is “making every possible effort to protect our customers and the consuming public.” They said government investigators isolated salmonella from an open container of Lian How White Pepper found at a restaurant where some victims ate.
A list of United International Food Co. customers posted online by the California Department of Public Health includes 1,388 businesses, the vast majority of them restaurants, from that state alone. However state health officials pointed out that wholesalers may have repackaged the products and distributed them to additional foodservice establishments. They also noted that some of the listed restaurants maintain they have not purchased recently from Union International Food Co., suggesting the list could be dated.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. The CDC says healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].