The FDA has issued a public warning about cold smoked sprats from D&M Smoked Fish Inc. because the company has refused to recall the item that was produced without controls for the control of Clostridium botulinum.
The company, doing business as Haifa Smoked Fish Inc., is located in Jamacia, NY. Its cold smoked sprats were produced without the implementation of required controls to prevent Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism poisoning.
The Food and Drug Administration inspected the production facility and discovered that controls were not in place to prevent Clostridium botulinum growth and toxin formation.
The FDA has recommended D&M Smoked Fish Inc. recall all cold smoked sprats currently on the market, but the firm has declined. FDA is issuing this alert to warn consumers about the potential risk for botulism if they consume cold smoked sprats sold by Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc.
Retailers, restaurants, wholesalers, and food service customers should not sell or serve cold smoked sprats sold by Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc. If you are unsure if your cold smoked sprats are from Haifa Smoked Fish Inc., contact your place of purchase or supplier.
About botulism
Food contaminated with the spores that cause botulism poisoning does not look, smell or taste bad.
Untreated, botulism can paralyze the muscles needed for breathing, resulting in sudden death.
Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled product and developed signs of botulism poisoning should immediately seek medical attention.
In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. However, symptoms can begin as soon as 6 hours after or up to 10 days later.
The symptoms of botulism may include some of all of the following: double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, a thick-feeling tongue, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. People with botulism poisoning may not show all of these symptoms at once.
If untreated, the disease may progress, and symptoms may worsen to cause paralysis of specific muscles, including those used in breathing and those in the arms, legs, and the body from the neck to the pelvis area.