Haifa Smoked Fish, a seafood smokehouse facility based in Jamaica, Queens, has issued a recall after the discovery of Listeria monocytogenes in its cold smoked salmon and cold smoked sea bass.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), food inspectors at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets sampled fish sold by the company. An analysis of the samples in a food laboratory confirmed the disease-causing bacteria’s presence.
According to the FDA, “Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.”
Infections in pregnant people can cause miscarriages or stillbirths. Healthy individuals can experience short-term symptoms, including nausea, a high fever, and abdominal pain.
As further noted by the Mayo Clinic, “Listeria bacteria can survive refrigeration and even freezing,” which makes vigilance especially important for people at higher risk.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the recalled fish.
What products are affected?
The impacted smoked fish packets are both eight ounces and vacuum packed between a paper board and a plastic covering. The recall includes one lot of each fish:
- Cold Smoked Salmon, lot number 219
- Cold Smoked Seabass, lot number 212
A sticker that reads Haifa 212 or 219 should be present on the packaging of any impacted fish. Example photos of the products are available on the FDA’s website.
Where and when was the product sold?
The recalled smoked salmon and sea bass were directly delivered to both retail stores and distributors nationwide.
The FDA hasn’t shared a specific timeframe during which the recalled fish was sold or a list of specific retailers. Fast Company has reached out to Haifa Smoked Fish for more details. We will update this post if we hear back.
However, the FDA urges anyone who has bought a recalled lot to return it to the same store and get a full refund.
No comments