Listeria Contamination in Strubs Norwegian Style Steelhead Salmon

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers not to eat Strubs Norwegian Style Sliced Smoked Steelhead Salmon in 300 gram packages because of potential contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Distributed by West Side Foods Inc. of Bronx, N.Y., the smoked steelhead salmon was imported from Canada, and 13 cartons were sold to three kosher retail stores in New York and Maryland. The Strubs brand Norwegian Style Sliced Smoked Steelhead Salmon was distributed in cartons containing vacuum-packed 300 gram packages bearing UPC code 0 71217 69997 4, registration number “0609”, and stickers with a code date of 03MA09. There is no production date on the individual packages. There are 24 individual-300 gram packages per carton. The FDA urges consumers who have purchased the Strubs product to dispose of the product in a safe manner and wash their hands thoroughly after handling the product. The contamination was discovered by the FDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency during routine testing. Listeriosis, the illness caused by L. monocytogenes, can be serious and sometimes cause fatal infections in young children, frail, or older people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may experience only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. No illnesses have been reported to date from the Strubs product. However, if individuals have experienced any of the symptoms listed, they should contact their health care provider. Consumers also can report problems to their FDA district office to FDA's Emergency Operations Center (301) 443-1240, or to FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) Adverse Events Reporting System (CAERS) at (301) 436-2405 or e-mail at CAERS@cfsan.fda.gov.