Listeria Found in Smoked Salmon and Cheese Spread
Georgia Department of Agriculture food scientists have found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Bright Water Smoked Salmon & Cheese Spread. The contamination was found in a seven-ounce package marked BEST BY 071007. The UPC code is 1971100073. The spread is manufactured by Bright Water Seafoods, LLC, of Charlotte, N.C. 28217.
“We have notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of today’s lab findings, and we are warning the public about the contamination,” said Commissioner Irvin. “We discovered this contamination as part of our sampling program. Sampling on a regular basis with a scientific protocol is a very important part of our food safety program.”
If you have some of the recalled smoked salmon and cheese spread and someone has eaten some of it, it may take 70 days for symptoms of a Listeria infection (listeriosis) to appear. Have the person watch for Listeria symptoms (including stillbirth or miscarriage) and, if the person is diagnosed with listeriosis, contact Pritzker law regarding linking the case of listeriosis to the smoked salmon spread. If you can safely store the leftover salmon spread without risk of someone eating it, you should do so. Write "Do not eat - 1-888-377-8900" (our phone number) on the container in which you store the salmon spread. If no one has eaten any of the salmon spread, health officials recommend throwing it out.
There have been a number of recent recalls due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. It is a rare, highly dangerous foodborne pathogen that kills about 25% of the people who contract an infection from the bacteria. Pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are at highest risk for developing serious Listeria infections (called listeriosis). The people in these groups should avoid ready-to-eat meat and several other foods. Read a list of the foods to avoid.
