ATLANTA (AP) — A recall of smoked salmon dip has been expanded to three other products, Georgia inspectors officials said Tuesday.
This week, a Georgia Agriculture Department inspector found a deadly bacteria in a 7.5-ounce package of Kroger Smoked Salmon Dip, prompting a product recall by House of Thaller Inc., the company that packaged it.
No one has been reported ill from the contamination, but the company has decided to expand the recall to three additional products:
- 7.5-ounce packages of Kroger Cajun Salmon Dip, marked ''Use by 04NOV2007A LN3'' and ''Use By 04NOV2007B LN3.''
- 7.5-ounce packages of Kroger Southern Crab Dip, marked ''Use by 04NOV2007A LN3'' and ''Use By 04NOV2007B LN3.''
- 7.5-ounce containers of Kroger Sun Dried Tomato Crab, marked ''Use By 24OCT2007A LN3.''
On Oct. 22, inspectors collected a package of salmon dip at a Kroger in Loganville, Ga. The package contained the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause the disease listeriosis.
The discovery led to a recall of salmon dip, announced Monday. The production of salmon dip at the House of Thaller's Knoxville plant has been suspended while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates.
The four recalled products were distributed to Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
People who purchased these packages can return them to the store where they bought them for a full refund. Consumer with questions can call the House of Thaller at 1-800-462-3365.
Listeriosis primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The infection can cause fever, muscle aches and nausea or diarrhea. If it spreads to the nervous system, a patient may suffer headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions. In pregnant women, it can cause miscarriage.
In the United States, an estimated 2,500 people become seriously ill from listeriosis annually, and 500 of them die.
Healthy adults and children who get infected rarely become seriously ill.
