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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned its most serious risk classification (Class I) to two food recalls, both linked to smoked seafood products, over concerns they were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The recalls cover Starfish Seafood Cold Smoked Norwegian Salmon and Starfish Seafood Cold Smoked Trio Salmon Halibut Trout, according to FDA enforcement reports. Both recalls were designated Class I on November 3, meaning the agency considers it to be “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
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The two voluntary recalls were initiated by Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc., a wholesale distributor based in Brooklyn, New York, on October 6. Both remain listed as ongoing cases in the enforcement reports.
The recalled Norwegian salmon is a frozen product, carries UPC 4751048940099, lot D080-148, and a best-before date of November 27, 2027.
The trio comes in 8-ounce vacuum-sealed packages and carries lot number D139149161-153, an expiration date of December 1, 2027, and UPC 4751048940341.
Both products originated in Latvia, and the enforcement reports say that 86 cases of each product have been recalled.
Where Were the Products Sold?
The FDA's enforcement reports list the distribution of both products in New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, and North Carolina.
However, earlier company announcements posted by the FDA give somewhat different distribution lists.
The trio was originally reported as being distributed in New York, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and South Carolina, while the Norwegian salmon was reportedly distributed in New York, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
The recalls followed testing by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. According to the FDA-posted announcements, potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination was identified through state sampling of the products, prompting Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc. to initiate the recalls.
It’s worth noting that the company is the wholesale distributor and not the manufacturer of the products. No illnesses had been reported in connection with either product when the announcements were issued.
Consumers who bought the affected products have been advised not to eat them and to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
What Is Listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can contaminate food and cause an infection known as listeriosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1,250 people become infected and 172 die from Listeria infections in the U.S. each year.
Those at greatest risk of serious illness include pregnant women and newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems, although most other people who become infected don’t usually become seriously ill.
The CDC says that intestinal listeriosis can cause diarrhea and vomiting, generally beginning within 24 hours of eating food contaminated with Listeria. When it spreads beyond the intestines, it turns into invasive listeriosis, which can cause fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and seizures. Symptoms of invasive infection generally begin within two weeks.
Listeria can be particularly dangerous during pregnancy. Symptoms in pregnant women can be mild or absent, but an infection can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or a life-threatening infection in the newborn. Among nonpregnant people with invasive listeriosis, nearly one in six die, according to the CDC.
Recent Foodborne Illness Outbreaks
The seafood recalls come amid a series of foodborne illness investigations across the U.S.
In its most recent weekly figures, dated October 28, the CDC said it was investigating 25 possible outbreaks: 17 possible multistate outbreaks involving Salmonella, five involving Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, two involving Listeria and one involving Campylobacter.
The country also saw an unusually large surge in Cyclospora infections this summer. The CDC received reports of 20,996 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cases with symptoms beginning during the May 1 to August 31 season, including 1,161 hospitalizations and two deaths. Cases were reported by 49 states and the District of Columbia. The figures included illnesses associated with a major outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce as well as other cases that were unrelated to that outbreak.
According to the FDA, that iceberg lettuce outbreak was traced to lettuce sourced from central Mexico, with more than 12,000 cases connected to the outbreak. Taylor Farms de Mexico voluntarily recalled affected lettuce, and the FDA closed its outbreak investigation in October.
Other major investigations this year have included a Salmonella outbreak linked to shell eggs produced by Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. The CDC recorded 134 cases across 18 states and 34 hospitalizations, although no deaths were reported. More than 1.5 million dozen shell eggs were recalled in July.
An E. coli O145 outbreak linked to frozen organic blueberries resulted in 17 confirmed illnesses and six hospitalizations across two states. No deaths were reported. Although the outbreak investigation has ended, the CDC has warned that some recalled frozen berries carry best-by dates extending into 2028 and could therefore remain in consumers' freezers.
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Listeria has also prompted other significant recalls and investigations. An outbreak associated with different cheeses, including requesón cheese (cottage cheese) and soft ricotta cheese, resulted in 15 cases across four states, 14 hospitalizations and one death.
Investigators found Listeria monocytogenes in six product samples of requesón cheese supplied by Clover Hill Dairy and in one environmental sample.
The CDC says it typically coordinates 17 to 40 investigations involving possible multistate foodborne illnesses each week, though only some ultimately result in public outbreak notices.
Newsweek has contacted the FDA and also Krasnyi Oktyabr for comment.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Emma Lee-Sang
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