SM Fish Corporation of New York is voluntarily recalling OSSIE’S brand ready to eat salads because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these products, but listeriosis, the illness caused by this bacteria, can take up to 70 days to appear.
You can see the long list of recalled items, along with the package sizes and UPC numbers at the FDA web site. The recalled products include Pickled Lox Dairy, Herring in Sourcream, Stiglitz Herring, Honey Mustard Herring, Pickled Herring, Pickled Log, Egg Salad, Lite Tuna, Egg with Scallion, and Schmaltz Herring, among others.
These products were sold at the firm’s seven retail outlets located in New York and New Jersey between August 1, 2016 and September 9, 2016. They were packed in plastic deli containers with a UPC number and “Best by” date codes printed on the bottom of the tub of 8/21/16 through 10/18/16. Sampling by the FDA found Listeria monocytogenes in “multiple locations” throughout the facility. SM Fish Corp. ceased production and distribution of products on September 8, 2016.
If you purchased any of the recalled products, do not eat them. Throw them away in a sealed or double bagged container so other people and animals can’t get at them, or take them back to the place of purchase for a refund. Wash your hands well after handling these products.
Then clean out your refrigerator or wherever you stored the products with a mild bleach solution of 1 tablespoon liquid chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of warm water to kill any remaining bacteria. Listeria bacteria can grow at refrigerator temperatures.
If you ate any of these recalled products, monitor yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. That’s how long it can take for symptoms to appear, although most people get sick within a few weeks. The symptoms of listeriosis include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms. Pregnant women may only have a mild flu-like illness if they have listeriosis, but this illness can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. If you do feel sick, see your doctor and tell her you ate a product recalled for Listeria monocytogenes.
