Queens fish firm recalls cold-smoked sprats over botulism risk after FDA warning

A Queens, New York, smoked fish company has recalled all of its cold-smoked sprats because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism. D&M Smoked Fish Inc., which does business as Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc., announced the recall of about 560 pounds of the fish on October 27, according to the company announcement posted by the Food and Drug Administration. No illnesses had been reported.

The recall came four days after the FDA went public. In an advisory dated October 23, the agency said an inspection of the firm in Jamaica, New York, had found it producing cold-smoked sprats without the food safety controls required to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum and the formation of its toxin. The FDA said it had recommended a recall of all the sprats on the market, "but the firm has declined," so it issued the alert to warn consumers.

Who may have the sprats

The company says the sprats went to retail stores in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, packed loose in bulk cardboard boxes and shipped refrigerated. The FDA says they were also sold to restaurants, wholesalers and food service customers, may have been sold, labeled or unlabeled, at restaurants and at grocery-store seafood counters, and may have reached other states. All lots are included.

The fish can be kept frozen for up to a year, the agency says, so recalled sprats may still be in home freezers. Contaminated food "can look, taste or smell normal, but still make you sick," according to the advisory.

What the FDA and the company advise

• Do not eat the sprats. If you cannot tell whether yours came from Haifa Smoked Fish, the FDA says not to eat them and to throw them away, or to ask the place where you bought them.
• Clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that touched the fish.
• Return the sprats to the place of purchase for a full refund, the company says. Its number for questions is 718-523-8899, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.
• Restaurants, wholesalers and food service customers should not sell or serve them.

The FDA lists the symptoms of botulism as nausea, vomiting, fatigue or weakness, blurred or double vision, difficulty speaking or a change in voice, difficulty swallowing, paralysis that starts in the face and moves down the body, breathing difficulty, dry mouth and constipation. The agency calls botulism a medical emergency, says people with symptoms should seek medical care immediately, and says that, in severe cases, people die without intensive care.

When a company declines to recall

Here the FDA warned the public on its own after the firm declined to act, and the recall followed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission took a similar step on October 15, telling owners of about 393,000 Tristar pressure cookers to stop using them after the importer refused to recall them, as our report on that warning explains. Our guide to how recalls work covers who handles which products.

Other recalls posted by the FDA

The supplement recall notice says sildenafil and tadalafil are the active ingredients in the prescription drugs Viagra and Cialis, and that they may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Dapoxetine is not approved by the FDA. The problem was found by GNC's third-party product testing, the notice says, and no adverse events had been reported. Customers with questions can call GNC at 1-877-462-4700.

For the salad kit, which carries UPC 041220300457, Taylor Farms says no adverse reactions had been reported. Its consumer line is (855) 455-0098, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time.