Spice Recall Expands to Pepper

A recall of Union International Food Company spices after a recent salmonella outbreak has been widened to include pepper sold at retail stores under the Uncle Chen product name, the state said.

White and black pepper products from the company's Union City facility in the Bay Area have been associated with an outbreak that has sickened 42 people in four states, including 33 in California. No deaths have been reported, the California Department of Public Health added.

Illnesses among California residents have occurred in 15 counties in the central and north part of the state.

The products include four varieties of pepper: whole and ground Uncle Chen's White Pepper and whole and ground Uncle Chen's Black Pepper. All four products are in 5-ounce containers.

The spices were sold at retailers throughout the Bay Area.

Union International Food Company earlier initiated a voluntary recall of the retail pepper products as well as other pepper and spice products repackaged in its facility. The state said the latest known onset of illness occurred earlier this month.

A high proportion of those who have become sick had eaten at Asian restaurants which were found by environmental health specialists to be using black and/or white pepper purchased from Union International Food Company, the state said. The products in those cases were packaged under the Lian How brand name (red label) in various sized containers (10- and 15-pound cardboard boxes with plastic liners that are tied-closed, 4- and 5-pound clear semi-hard plastic wide-mouth jars; 5-pound plastic bags and 2.2-pound foil bags).

Following the Lian How brand name, the wording "Packed by Union International Foods" or "Union International Foods' appears. The following products were earlier included in the recall:

white pepper
black pepper
cayenne pepper
paprika
chopped onion
onion powder
garlic – chopped, minced, powder and granulated
whole white pepper
whole black pepper
curry powder
mustard powder
wasabi powder

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in infants, frail or elderly individuals and others with weakened immune systems, the state said. Healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses. Consumers should consult with their physicians if they have these symptoms, the state added.