Personal Injury Law

Should I be worried about the black pepper in my shaker?

By Salmonella Attorney

Honestly, I have no idea, but then I suppose neither does the CDC, FSIS, FDA or Daniele.

With the CDC telling us that the Salmonella Montevideo outbreak was caused by 'a widely distributed contaminated food product,' and with the FSIS citing Daniele's belief that black pepper is a possible source of the contamination, I looked at the salt and pepper sitting on the table in a Sport's Bar as I watched part of the Jets/Colts game, with some trepidation – especially given some recent pepper history.

In August 2008 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Pak National Foods Limited warned the public not to consume the National Black Pepper Powder because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The product had been distributed in Alberta and British Columbia. The importer, Pak National Foods Limited, Richmond, British Columbia, voluntarily recalled the affected product from the marketplace.

In March 2009 a Northern California company recalled two product lines: "Uncle Chen" white and black peppers and "Lian How" dry spices, after health officials identified Lian How-brand white pepper as the culprit in a recent Salmonella outbreak. At least 42 people had fallen sick in the ongoing, four-month outbreak. Three other states besides Washington have also been also affected: California, Nevada and Oregon.

In August 2009 Adams Extract and Spice announced a voluntary recall of products because they had the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The products contained a specific lot of ground red pepper supplied by Van de Vries Spice Corporation. This lot of ground red pepper initially tested negative for Salmonella. Subsequently, Adams Extract and Spice was informed that another sample drawn from the same lot was confirmed positive for Salmonella.

I am sure the CDC, FSIS, FDA and Daniele will work this out this week.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on January 24, 2010 (boomark / email).