Botulism risk has prompted True Taste, LLC of Kenosha, Wis. to recall all of the hot smoked whitefish, trout, mackerel, salmon steak and cold smoked mackerel and whitefish it has produced during 2012. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.
True Taste is recalling vacuum packages of Hot Smoked Rainbow Trout, Hot Smoked Whitefish, Hot Smoked Herring, Hot Smoked Mackerel, Hot Smoked Salmon Steak, Cold Smoked Mackerel, and Cold Smoked Whitefish because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism.Consumers who have these products at home should not eat them.
Botulism, which causes muscle paralysis, is a potentially fatal form of food poisoning. Symptoms include: dizziness, weakness, double-vision and trouble speaking or swallowing and breathing. Constipation and abdominal distention can also occur. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.
Products under recall include the smoked fish varieties under the True Taste Label in CA and IL or the Lowell Foods Label in IL. They have a white sticker applied to the package with two sets of numbers. The first set of numbers represents the date of processing the second set represents the “best by” date. This recall includes all production dates beginning on 01/01/2012 through current.
The problem was discovered by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection which found during random sampling that the product did not meet the 3.5% minimum requirement for water phase salt. The sample analysis reported water phase salt concentrations of 2.2% (hot smoked white fish); 3.0% (hot smoked herring); and 3.4% (hot smoked rainbow trout).True Taste has voluntarily halted production while the investigation is underway.
