Major tuna recall in US following Salmonella outbreak

Posted by AFN Staff Writers on 16th April 2012

US food corporation Moon Marine, based in California, is recalling 29.4 tons of raw yellowfin tuna after the product has been linked to a major outbreak of Salmonella.

The tuna product, labelled as Nakaochi Scrape, is tuna backmeat, which is specifically scraped off from the bones, and looks like a ground product.

The tuna was sold through distributors to restaurants and grocery stores that make sushi. It has been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella which has so far caused 116 illnesses in 20 states.

According to the US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), the product in question may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market and may not be readily identifiable by retail outlets or by consumers as being from the implicated lots.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. However, in certain cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless these patients are treated promptly with antibiotics.

The FDA has advised consumers in the US to take precautions when choosing to eat raw seafood.

The FDA is working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local partners to investigate the outbreak.