Salmon Recalled Due to Listeria Risk

September 2008

Trans-Ocean Products, Inc. has recalled its four-ounce Cracked Pepper Style Smoked Salmon from certain Pennsylvania stores. During routine testing, it was found that the salmon has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause fatal illness.

The affected product, lot number 54933-2, was sold in three supermarket chains in seven states: Price Choppers in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont; Giant Eagle in PA and Ohio; and Brookshire Brothers in Texas and Louisiana. The fish is vacuum-packed in a re-sealable purple plastic pouch with the lot number printed on the back of the package.

The possibility of contamination was discovered after Listeria was found in one four-ounce package of the smoked salmon. Listeria may cause high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea in healthy individuals. It can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women, and can be fatal in young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.