Who's Got the Pepper?

Food safety folks know if they sit around bored on a holiday weekend or a Friday night, something is bound to happen.

"Just before midnight on Friday, January 22, Daniele, Inc. announced a voluntary recall of its Pepper Coated Salame products because of possible concerns about salmonella. Samples of the black pepper used to coat some of our products have tested positive for salmonella," Daniele's Recall of Pepper Coated Salame Products release stated. On January 26, 2010, Daniele, Inc. issued a recall letter to its customers.

The Rhode Island Department of Health, on January 28, 2010, issued a press release stating that "ground black pepper samples from an open container at Daniele Inc. has tested positive for salmonella. Further lab testing also shows that the ground pepper contains the same strain of salmonella that is associated with a national outbreak. This brand of ground pepper was only distributed to Daniele, Inc. in Rhode Island. Because the sample was from an open container of ground pepper, it is considered to be probable as the source of the outbreak. Additional samples of ground pepper from closed containers at Daneile Inc., the distributor and the importer are being tested."

Later that day, Robert Roos, News Editor at CIDRAP reported that Annemarie Beardsworth, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Health, noted that the "fact that the sample came from a previously opened container means the pepper could have been contaminated at Daniele rather than at the facility where it was produced. We're pretty sure that it didn't get contaminated at Daniele, but we need a positive sample from a closed container to be absolutely 100% sure."

Roos' report further stated that "Beardsworth said the ground pepper came from a New York firm called Wholesome Spice, a distributor that sells ground pepper only to Daniele. At Wholesome Spice in Brooklyn, N.Y., a person who answered the phone today confirmed that the company sells pepper to Daniele but said several days of tests on samples of Wholesome pepper have yielded all negative results so far."

William Marler, foodborne illness litigator and food safety advocate, at Marler Blog asked the question on everyone's mind: "So, now, where did the black pepper originate from?"

It's an important question, because its answer could prevent more illnesses. If the contaminated pepper was supplied to more than Daniele, then that means more of it is still out there. Not yet recalled. Still in our homes. Still at our markets. The possibilities are endless.

Thus far, the government agencies are keeping their pact of silence. Better to protect the potentially innocent supplier than save the lives of consumers, eh?

While we wait, consumers who keep salami around the house might want to verify that they aren't eating any of the following, known to be recalled, potentially contaminated products:

• Daniele All Natural Salame (Coated with Coarse Black Pepper)
• Daniele Brand Gourmet Pack (Emballage Assorti Gourmet Italian)
• Daniele Deli Selection
• Daniele deli Selection
• Daniele Gourmet Combo Pack
• Daniele Gourmet Deli Selection (Assortment De Fines Charcuterie Italienne)
• Daniele Gourmet Italian Deli Selection
• Daniele Italian Brand Gourmet Pack
• Daniele Italian Brand Gourmet Pack
• Daniele Natural Salame Coated with Coarse Black Pepper
• Daniele Pepper Salame
• Daniele Salame Bites Pepper Salame
• Daniele Surtido Fino Italiano
• Daniele Surtido Fino Italiano
• Dietz & Watson Artisan Collection Baby Genoa Pepper Salame
• Dietz & Watson Artisan Collection Party Platter Pack
• Boar’s Head All Natural Salame (Coated with Coarse Black Pepper)
• Black Bear Baby Genoa Pepper Salame

On January 29, 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) updated its list of retailers which received the now recalled salami products from Daniele.

Phyllis Entis, a food safety microbiologist and author of "Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives" and "Food Microbiology - The Laboratory," at her blog eFoodAlert, is maintaining a Retail Distribution List For Recalled Meats linked to the outbreak.

Consumers concerned would be wise to check both lists.

Meanwhile, the 202 people across 42 states are known to be ill, from as far back as last summer. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website:

"As of 9:00 pm EST on January 28, 2010, a total of 202 individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Montevideo have been reported from 42 states and District of Columbia since July 1, 2009. The number of ill persons identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AK (1), AL (2), AZ (5), CA (30), CO (4), CT (4), DC (1), DE (2), FL (3), GA (3), IA (1), ID (2), IL (11), IN (3), KS (3), LA (1), MA (12), MD (1), ME (1), MI (3), MN (4), MO (1), NC (9), ND (1), NE (1), NH (1), NJ (7), NM (2), NY (16), OH (9), OK (1), OR (9), PA (5), RI (2), SC (1), SD (3), TN (4), TX (7), UT (7), VA (1), WA (15), WV (1), and WY (2)."

Note: For those new to the food safety arena, this is not uncommon. People are often sick for months, with no clue what made them ill or why, frequently until there are one or more deaths, before the government agencies meant to protect consumers step up or anyone ever thinks about issuing a recall. By the time a recall is issued, it's often too late. Contaminated food has long been consumed. Especially in cases of more deadly pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, the damage is done. Lawyers like Marler can sometimes sue, to recap some of the million dollar medical bills and to teach companies a lesson about the costs of poisoning consumers, but they can't revive the dead or restore good health to the two year old who needs a kidney transplant. The USDA's newly nominated Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen has a lot on her plate. Let's hope she comes with superpowers.