United States Recalls Cold-Smoked Sprats over Clostridium botulinum Risk Following an FDA Inspection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted on October 27, 2026 the recall of about 560 pounds of cold-smoked sprats, a small fish of the herring family, due to possible contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that produces botulinum toxin. The unbranded product was distributed refrigerated in bulk in cardboard boxes and sold in stores in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The recall covers all lots.

The problem was detected during an FDA inspection, which found that the processor was producing the cold-smoked sprats without the food safety controls required to prevent the growth of C. botulinum and toxin formation. No illnesses have been reported to date. Consumers are asked not to eat, sell or serve the product even if it looks and smells normal, and to return it to the place of purchase.

Cold smoking does not cook the fish: it exposes it to smoke at low temperatures, so it does not destroy the spores of C. botulinum, which are naturally present in the aquatic environment. If the fish is not eviscerated or does not reach the necessary salt concentration, and is kept in low-oxygen conditions, the spores can germinate and produce toxin without changing the product's smell or appearance. That is why U.S. regulations require smoked fish processors to apply specific salting, temperature and evisceration controls. Botulism is a severe poisoning that causes double vision, difficulty swallowing and speaking, and progressive muscle paralysis.

For smoked and salted fish processors, the case is a reminder that process controls, such as evisceration, water-phase salt and the cold chain, are the main barrier against this hazard. TAAG's catalog does not include a kit for Clostridium botulinum or its toxin, so no assay is proposed for this case; detection is a matter for reference laboratories.