Orange County Register

The salmonella scare is expanding its scope beyond nuts. Today the FDA announced recalls of dry spices sold in California stores that could also be contaminated with the bacteria.

Some 42 people have been sickened so far — 33 of those in California, according to the FDA. Investigators have isolated salmonella from an open container of Lian How White Pepper, which was found at a restaurant where some outbreak victims ate, according to the company’s press release.

None of those illnesses occurred in Orange County, health department officials here said. An investigation into the outbreak of Salmonella Rissen is ongoing.

The FDA and California officials are inspecting the manufacturer, International Food Company’s processing facility in Union City and conducting investigations in the other Western states where the product is sold.

It’s the latest in a string of salmonella-related recalls, including peanuts and pistachios. The FDA says those recalls are not related.

The dry spices being recalled were sold primarily to ethnic restaurants, wholesalers and retail outlets under the name “Lian How” and “Uncle Chen.” Recalled products sold in stores include 5-ounce plastic jars of the following Uncle Chen brand dry spices: Whole White Pepper, Ground White Pepper, Whole Black Pepper, and Ground Black Pepper. See product labels for all the recalled items.

Consumers who may have bought these spices should throw them away, as well as any food made with the products, the FDA says. Restaurants, retail outlets, and other purchasers should stop using the spices immediately. All equipment and utensils that have come into contact with these dry spices should be washed, rinsed and sanitized before further use.

More on the outbreak:

FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare

Related links:

Peanut butter scare reaches OC

FDA defends response as peanut recalls continue

Recall expanded: Bad peanut butter sent to 100s of schools

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.