A Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to frozen raw ground tuna supplied by Jensen Tuna has sickened at least 13 people in 7 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have been hospitalized.
The case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (1), Minnesota (1), New York, (1), North Dakota (4), and Washington (4). Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2019 to March 20, 2019. The patient age range is from 29 to 85 years.
Jensen Tuna, based in Houma, Louisiana, has recalled their frozen raw ground tuna, which was imported from JK Fish. The tuna was sold in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, and may have been distributed to other states.
Anyone who orders sushi, from a restaurant or grocery store, made with raw tuna, including “spicy tuna” should ask if the tuna used to make that product was from Jensen Farms. If you or the seller aren’t sure, don’t eat it.
The outbreak notice states, “In general, people who are at higher risk for serious foodborne illness should not eat any raw fish or raw shellfish. People at higher risk include children younger than 5 years, pregnant women, adults older than 65 years, and people with weakened immune systems.”
Investigators asked ill persons what they ate the week before they got sick. Nine, or 75%, of them, said they ate sushi from a restaurant or grocery store. A survey of healthy people taken during the same time frame showed that just 5% ate sushi, sashimi, or ceviche made with raw fish or shellfish. Nine people had information about the sushi they ate: all said they ate a sushi item made with raw tuna or raw spicy tuna. Traceback evidence showed that the restaurants named by patients used frozen ground tuna supplied by Jensen Tuna.
You can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker, who has filed lawsuits on behalf of clients sickened by raw tuna, said, “We hope that investigators can find the source of this contaminated tuna. Raw tuna linked to previous outbreaks was imported from Asia.”
The symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include a fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal and stomach cramps and pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody. These symptoms begin 12 to 72 hours after someone eats food that is contaminated with the pathogen.
Tuna does not naturally carry Salmonella bacteria, as chickens do, so the pathogen had to come from somewhere else. And, once the bacteria is on the tuna, grinding it mixes the pathogen all through the product. When the tuna is eaten raw in sushi or ceviche, someone will get sick.
If you or someone you know has been ill with Salmonella symptoms and has eaten sushi or raw tuna, see your doctor. You may be part of this Salmonella Newport frozen raw ground tuna outbreak.
