Trio of Cold-Smoked Fish Recalled in the United States Over Possible Listeria Detected by the New York Department of Agriculture

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published on October 9 the notice of a voluntary recall of an assortment of three cold-smoked fish, salmon, halibut and trout, vacuum-packed in 227-gram packages, over possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The possible problem was identified by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The product is of European origin and was imported and distributed by a wholesale company, which did not make it. The company recalled it voluntarily, notified its customers to stop selling it and is cooperating with the state authority and the FDA.

According to the notice, the product was distributed in six states: New York, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina and South Carolina. As of the time of the announcement, no associated illnesses had been reported. Consumers are asked not to eat it and to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. The notice gives no further details about the laboratory result or the level of contamination found.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, infections in young children, older adults and people with weakened defenses, and in pregnant women it can cause miscarriage or fetal death. Cold-smoked fish is a case of special attention for this pathogen: it does not receive a cooking step that eliminates it before consumption, it is sold refrigerated and the bacterium is able to multiply at refrigeration temperatures throughout the shelf life of the vacuum pack, so plant hygiene and surface controls are decisive.

For smoked fish producers and distributors, the episode recalls the value of environmental monitoring and finished product sampling, and of verifying suppliers of imported products. TAAG's Ampliora 2.3 kit, a real-time PCR, detects Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in foods, beverages and living and inert surfaces, and its scope declares the fishing and aquaculture industry, so it can be used in the verification of ready-to-eat products and plant surfaces.