Queens Fish Firm Declines FDA Recall Request, Leaving Haifa Cold Smoked Sprats in Four States Under Botulism Warning
Federal regulators are telling consumers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania not to eat any cold-smoked sprats sold by Haifa Smoked Fish after the Queens company declined the FDA's request to recall them. The agency issued its public advisory on Oct. 23, warning that the small smoked fish were made without required safeguards against Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism.
An FDA inspection of D&M Smoked Fish Inc., which does business as Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc., in Jamaica, Queens, found the firm was producing cold smoked sprats without the controls needed to prevent the bacterium from growing and forming toxin. The FDA recommended a recall of all cold smoked sprats on the market. The firm declined, so the agency issued its own warning.
No illnesses had been reported in the advisory, but the warning covers every lot, and the fish may already be sitting in home freezers, deli cases, and restaurant kitchens, with or without a label.
No Recall, No Label, and a Long Freezer Life
Several features make this alert harder to act on than a typical grocery recall. The sprats were shipped refrigerated in bulk cardboard boxes and may have been sold at restaurants and grocery store seafood counters with or without a label. The FDA notes that the product may be frozen for up to one year, so fish bought months ago could still be in a household freezer.
Shipping boxes pictured by the FDA carry the Haifa Smoked Fish name and the address 94-15 150 St., Jamaica, N.Y. 11435. For loose fish bought by weight, the agency's guidance is simple: if you cannot tell whether your sprats came from Haifa Smoked Fish, do not eat them and throw them away, or contact the store or supplier.
The FDA also advises anyone who bought or received the product to carefully clean and sanitize surfaces and containers it touched, following its safe food handling guidance.
Without a recall, there is no company-run effort to pull product from stores or contact customers, so food businesses must act on the warning themselves. Federal food safety law allows the FDA to order a mandatory recall in certain cases, but the agency has not announced such a step. It said it will update the alert as new information becomes available.
This is not the first time the company's sprats have raised botulism concerns. In March 2011, D&M Smoked Fish recalled cold smoked sprats and Haifa brand schmaltz herring after New York State Agriculture and Markets sampling found the fish had not been properly eviscerated, a known botulism risk. The recalled sprats went to retailers in Brooklyn.
Signs of Botulism Can Start Hours or Days After a Meal
Botulism toxin attacks the nerves. The FDA lists nausea, vomiting, fatigue or weakness, blurred or double vision, difficulty speaking or a change in voice, trouble swallowing, dry mouth, constipation, and breathing trouble among the symptoms. Paralysis typically moves downward, starting in the face. Drooping eyelids and slurred speech are also common, according to Food Safety News.
Symptoms of foodborne botulism generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food but can appear as soon as six hours or as late as 10 days afterward, the outlet reported. That delay matters. Someone who ate sprats at a weekend family meal might not connect midweek double vision to the food.
Contaminated fish may give no warning. The FDA says food carrying Clostridium botulinum toxin "can look, taste or smell normal, but still make you sick."
The agency is blunt: botulism is a medical emergency, and in severe cases people will die without intensive care. Anyone with these symptoms after eating smoked fish should seek immediate care and tell clinicians what they ate. More background is available from the CDC's botulism page.
Kosher Counters and Restaurants Across the Northeast
The households most likely to be affected are those that buy smoked fish by the pound at seafood and deli counters in the New York metro area and nearby states. The Lakewood Scoop reported that Haifa describes its products as under Orthodox Union kosher supervision, making the warning especially relevant for kosher shoppers.
Distribution was confirmed in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, but the FDA says the fish may have reached other states. Retailers, restaurants, wholesalers, and food service customers are told not to sell or serve the product.
Families planning gatherings where smoked fish platters are served should check the source before putting sprats on the table.
Illnesses or complaints can be reported through the FDA's consumer assistance page. MedicalDaily will follow any FDA updates, additional states, or changes in the company's position.
Key Questions Answered
What did the FDA warn about? All cold-smoked sprats sold by D&M Smoked Fish Inc., doing business as Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc., of Jamaica, Queens, because they were made without required controls against botulism.
Why is there no recall? The FDA recommended that the company recall the product, but the firm declined. The agency then issued a public warning.
Where were the sprats sold? To retailers, restaurants, wholesalers, and food service customers in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and possibly other states.
Have people gotten sick? No illnesses were reported in the FDA's Oct. 23 advisory.
What symptoms should I watch for? Blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, weakness, and difficulty breathing. Seek emergency care right away if they appear.
What if my sprats have no label? Do not eat them. Throw them away or ask the store where you bought them, then clean any surfaces or containers they touched.
Can looking at or smelling the fish tell me if it is safe? No. The FDA says contaminated food can look, taste, and smell normal.
Published by Medicaldaily.com