Source: San Francisco Chronicle
A Cupertino seafood importer is recalling nearly 60,000 pounds of raw ground yellowfin tuna linked to 116 salmonella infections in February and March.
Moon Marine USA Corp., also known as MMI, sold the “Nakaochi Scrapeâ€, a frozen back-meat product scraped from the fish bones, to retailers and distributors across the country. The product probably passed through several distributors before arriving at restaurants and grocery stores, and each package may not have been marked with the company’s name or lot information, the Food and Drug Administration said.
People in 20 states and the District of Columbia were infected with the bacteria, most after eating spicy tuna sushi made with MMI’s tuna.
Most people recovered after a few days of suffering from diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Twelve people were hospitalized, and no one has died, the FDA said.
MMI did not return calls seeking comment.
The company imported the tuna from India, FDA spokesman Curtis Allen said.
Cooked seafood is considered safer than raw fish because pathogens are usually killed in the cooking process, Allen said.
The FDA recommends consumers check with the grocery store or restaurant before buying spicy tuna products, sushi, sashimi or ceviche. Grocery stores should check with suppliers to verify the product’s origin.
Americans report about 42,000 cases of salmonella infections a year, the FDA said. Infants, elderly people and people with weak immune systems are most at risk for severe illness from the infection.