> Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 12:13:59 -0500 (EST)
> From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu>
> Subject: PRO/EDR> Botulism, canned uneviscerated fish - USA: recall
>
> BOTULISM, CANNED UNEVISCERATED FISH - USA: RECALL
> ***********************************************
> A ProMED-mail post
> <http://www.promedmail.org>
> ProMED-mail is a program of the
> International Society for Infectious Diseases
> <http://www.isid.org>
>
>
> Date: Tue 5 Dec 2006
> From: Brent Barrett <salbrent@sbcglobal.net>
> Source: FDA [edited]
> <http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/EastCoastFoods11_06.html>
>
>
> East Coast Foods Inc. in Brooklyn, NY, is recalling 48 cans of Kaija
> brand uneviscerated Herring in Special Brine. The uneviscerated fish
> was discovered by New York State Department of Agriculture and
> Markets inspectors during a routine inspection, and subsequent
> analysis of the product by Food Laboratory personnel confirmed that
> the fish had not been eviscerated prior to processing.
>
> This product may be contaminated with _Clostridium botulinum_ spores,
> which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal food-borne illness.
>
> The sale of this type of fish is prohibited under New York State
> Department of Agriculture and Markets regulations because _C.
> botulinum_ spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera
> than in any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been
> linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning.
>
> The recalled Kaija brand uneviscerated Herring in Special Brine, in
> an un-coded 1300g metal can with Cyrillic but no English labeling,
> was sold nationwide.
>
> No illnesses have been reported to date.
>
> Consumers who have Kaija brand uneviscerated Herring in Special Brine
> are advised not to eat it but should return it to the place of
> purchase. Consumers with questions should contact the company at
> (718) 372-1113.
>
> - --
> Brent Barrett
> Indianapolis, IN, USA
> <salbrent@sbcglobal.net>
>
> [The following is from FDA Regulations Section 540.650 -
> Uneviscerated Fish Products that are Salt-cured, Dried, or Smoked (CPG 7108.17)
> <http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg540-650.htm>:
>
> Uneviscerated, salt-cured, whole fish products have caused several
> outbreaks of botulism and death. _C. botulinum_ spores are ubiquitous
> in fishery products and the marine environment. The spores represent
> a public health hazard when conditions are suitable for vegetative
> cell growth and toxin production.
>
> Three outbreaks of botulism, causing 3 deaths and 11 illnesses,
> resulted from kapchunka in the USA between 1981 and 1987. Kapchunka,
> an ethnic food usually produced from whitefish, is also known as
> "rybetz," "ribeyza," or "rostov." Kapchunka is an uneviscerated,
> salt-cured, air-dried, whole fish, which may or may not be smoked. It
> is consumed without further preparation, such as cooking.
>
> The fish are salt-cured under minimum refrigeration conditions for a
> minimum of 25 days and then air dried at ambient temperature for 3 to
> 7 days. Kapchunka may be smoked before packing and are commonly
> stored under refrigeration.
>
> In 1991, 2 botulism outbreaks occurred. In one, "Faseikh" was
> implicated in at least 91 illnesses and 18 deaths in Egypt. Faseikh
> is a traditional product made by fermenting uneviscerated fresh
> mullet for up to one day and then salt-curing it in barrels which may
> be tightly sealed from one week to one year. In another, an ethnic
> fish product called "moloha" caused a botulism outbreak involving 4
> family members in New Jersey. Moloha is an uneviscerated, salt-cured
> fish product similar to "faseikh." The preparation steps in the New
> Jersey incident were not identified since the source of the "moloha"
> could not be found.
>
> Other salt-cured products, such as "bloaters," can also pose a public
> health hazard. Bloaters are prepared by salt-curing uneviscerated,
> whole herring, which may or may not be smoked. Bloaters may be
> transformed into other products, such as fillets or bloater paste. In
> addition to the products noted above, whole fish that are dried,
> pickled, or fermented can also pose a public health hazard. The
> referenced episodes of botulism are representative of a
> well-documented history of life-threatening health hazards associated
> with uneviscerated, salt-cured fish.
>
> The problems with these products are compounded by the difficulty in
> attaining sufficient levels of salt in all portions of an
> uneviscerated fish to inhibit the growth of the _C. botulinum_.
> Consequently, any fish product that is salt-cured and then dried,
> smoked, pickled, or fermented can pose a public health hazard. Toxin
> may be present in these products even when there are no outward signs
> of microbiological spoilage or other clear indications to alert the consumer.
>
> Control of growth and toxin production from _C. botulinum_ in fishery
> products is based on spore destruction (e.g., retorting canned foods)
> or inhibition of vegetative cell growth (e.g., control of water
> activity, or pH, or use of approved chemical inhibitors). The control
> measures must be applied rapidly and uniformly throughout the product
> to protect consumers from this potentially life-threatening toxin.
>
> Control of botulism can also be achieved in salted, dried, or smoked
> products prepared from small species of uneviscerated fish (generally
> 3 to 5 inches in length). Typically, these products are prepared from
> small anchovy and herring sprats. As uneviscerated fish under 5
> inches in length are processed, their smaller size helps to ensure
> complete permeation of the flesh with inhibitory levels of salt or
> drying to a uniformly low water activity, resulting in the attainment
> of conditions that prevent the growth of _C. botulinum_.
>
> FDA considers uneviscerated fish that are salt-cured, dried, or
> smoked to represent a potentially life-threatening health hazard. In
> addition, fillets, parts, or other products derived from
> uneviscerated fish pose the same potential health hazard as the
> original product. Therefore, with the exception of small,
> uneviscerated fish as described above, FDA considers uneviscerated
> fish that have been salt-cured, dried, or smoked, as well as products
> made from them, to be adulterated within the meaning of section
> 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, in that the
> product has been prepared, packed, or held under unsanitary
> conditions whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health.
> These products are hazardous whether stored at ambient temperature,
> refrigerated, or frozen, or whether packaged in air, vacuum, or
> modified atmosphere.
>
> It is not clear what the size of the canned herring was in this recall.
>
> ProMED thanks Brent Barrett for this posting. - Mod.LL]
>
-- Liz Brown Assistant Professor Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University of Alaska Fairbanks PO Box 1549 Dillingham, Alaska 99576 907-842-1265 fax 907-842-3202 http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map
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