News

US authorities recall frozen ground tuna after 13 reported ill

April 17, 2019

Restaurants should not serve or sell frozen ground tuna recalled this week due to a number of Salmonella Newport infections. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the tuna — imported into the U.S. by Jensen Tuna and sourced from JK Fish of Vietnam — has been voluntarily recalled by JK Fish after the CDC reported 13 people were sickened between Jan. 8 and Mar. 20, 2019, according to a press release.

The recalled tuna was individually packaged in one-pound bags and sold in 20-pound boxes to distributors in Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Washington under lot numbers z266, z271, and z272. The product was sold for use in finished food dishes sold by restaurants and food retailers.

Federal authorities advised consumers concerned that they may have eaten the recalled tuna to ask the restaurant where they ate it whether the tuna they bought contained the recalled product. Restaurants that serve tuna in their offerings should prepare for customer inquiries whether they use the recalled tuna in their dishes or not. 

"While we were able to quickly trace the product back to a single importer and work with the company to initiate a recall, we are communicating to ensure that restaurants know to look for and dispose of any recalled frozen ground tuna," FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas said in the release. "While we've taken quick action, work remains to address the risks and find the source of the contamination. The FDA's inspection will help identify the actions the company will need to take to prevent an outbreak like this from happening again. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more."

Federal authorities said as of this week, the product has been "likely linked" to a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Newport, which causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that usually start 12 to 72 hours after consumption and last four to seven days. 

The FDA said no one should eat the fish and if they have, they are directed to contact a health professional. Seven of the 13 people documented as developing symptoms, have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported across the areas affected which included four North Dakota cases and single cases in Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Washington.