Public health officials in Oregon warn that a national recall of 1.2 million pounds of pepper-coated Daniele brand salami includes
eight cases of salmonella poisoning here and 184 nationwide. Fourteen cases have been reported in Washington state.
No deaths have been reported so far. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has complete information.
Retail outlets should discard the products and consumers should return them for a refund.
The salami has been sold grocery stores, warehouses and online. Retailers include Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club and Amazon. Some products are sold under the brand name Black Bear, or Dietz & Watson. All recalled products have a small round USDA mark that reads "EST. 54" or "EST. 9992".
Safeway, Albertsons and Fred Meyer are not part of the recall, said Dr. William Keene of the state health division. He described this a "a funny outbreak" because of product involved - salami - which has a long shelf life. The first case dates back to summer 2009, he said.
Public health investigators in Washington state found that many of the state's 14 residents who got sick shopped at the warehouse retailer Costco, Keene said. Costco has posted notice of Daniele's recall on its Web site.
With permission from the patients, Keene said, investigators compared their shopping records.
"There was one product that jumped out," he said. "That gave us the focus on salami."
So, Keene said, investigators re-interviewed people who were thought to be part of the outbreak, such as members of a hunting party from the South who had been to the Great Plains and responded to new questions with answers such as, "Now that you mention it, we did stop at a Wal-Mart in South Dakota and buy some salami."
Daniele spokesman Jason Maloni told the Associated Press "there's no evidence that points to us" as the source.
Maloni said 11 people who got sick ate salami from the Daniele Italian Brand Gourmet Pack, but that Rhode Island and federal officials have not linked the company's products with the outbreak.
"We're taking the prudent step in the event that further evidence does point to us," he said of the recall. "It is our responsibility to take this aggressive step."
Maloni said two of the Daniele's three plants have been tested and found free of the bacteria. Additional testing is planned.
"Our goal right now is to take prudent, proactive measures to do everything possible to remove any products that do not meet our high standards for quality and taste," Daniele Inc.'s vice president of sales, Davide Dukcevich, said in a statement.
The company has set up a hot line for consumers or distributors at (888) 345-4160.
Here is a complete list of products being recalled:
Daniele Deli Selection (20 oz) Daniele Italian Brand Gourmet Pack (16 oz) Daniele Italian Brand Gourmet Pack (8 oz) Daniele Surtido Fino Italiano (454 g) Dietz and Watson Artisan Collection Party Platter Pack (8 oz) Daniele Gourmet Combo Pack (16 oz) Daniele Surtido Fino Italiano (340 g) Daniele Brand Gourmet Pack (Emballage Assorti Gourmet Italian) (500 g) Boar's Head All Natural Salame Coated with Coarse Black Pepper (8 oz) Daniele All Natural Salame Coated with Coarse Black Pepper" (10oz) Daniele Pepper Salame Black Bear Baby Genoa Pepper Salame (9 oz) Dietz & Watson Artisan Collection Baby Genoa Pepper Salame Daniele Gourmet Italian Deli Selection (600 g) Daniele Salame Bites Pepper Salame (7 oz) Daniele Natural Salame Coated with Coarse Black Pepper Daniele Gourmet Deli Selection (Assortment De Fines Charcuterie Italienne) (400g) Daniele deli Selection (32oz)
