Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 1/25/10

Daniele International Inc. is recalling about 1.24 million pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) varieties of Italian sausage products, including salami/salame, because they may be contaminated with salmonella, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced over the weekend.

The products are in commerce and potentially available to customers in retail locations under the brand names Daniele, Boar's Head and Dietz & Watson.

FSIS became aware of the problem during the course of an ongoing investigation of a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella serotype Montevideo illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FSIS, state health and agriculture departments, and Daniele International, which has operations in Pascoag and Mapleville, R.I., are cooperating in this investigation.

The CDC has posted information about the multi-state outbreak on its website, but the investigation is ongoing, and has not yet definitively identified a food vehicle(s). 

During the course of that investigation, a sample of product found in commerce was tested on behalf of a participating state department of health and found to contain salmonella, which FSIS has a zero tolerance for in RTE products. The product tested was similar to products bought by customers who later became sick in the Montevideo investigation, but there is not yet a direct link.

The salmonella strain in the tested product does not appear to be the Montevideo strain of interest and further testing of the sample is ongoing at a state health partner laboratory. FSIS will update the public on the progress of this investigation as information becomes available.

In addition, the company is recalling all products in commerce associated with black pepper, which the company believes is a possible source of contamination. For a complete list of the products subject to recall, click here.

Each package bears a label with establishment number "EST. 9992" or "EST. 54" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were distributed to retail establishments nationwide and internationally.

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