Smoked salmon products made in Alaska and sold in the Fairbanks area have been recalled by their maker due to possible contamination with botulism-causing bacteria, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
DEC says the recall includes both commercial and custom-processed items that were hot-smoked, vacuum-packed and sold since December 2011 by Interior Alaska Fish Processors, Inc., under the Santa’s Smokehouse brand, with labels incorrectly indicating that they can be kept under refrigeration.
“The recalled products may have batch numbers ranging from #408 through #457,” DEC said in a statement Tuesday. “The primary product label shows Santa’s Smokehouse Gourmet Smoked Salmon, the incorrect holding statement, ‘Keep refrigerated below 38° F,’ a handwritten batch number, and a product description of ‘original,’ ‘honey,’ ‘garlic,’ ‘sweet and sour,’ ‘teriyaki,’ ‘tropical,’ or ‘Cajun.’”
The back of the recalled products may include a supplemental sticker with the correct warning, to keep the products frozen and thaw them under refrigeration.
Clostridium botulinum bacteria can cause botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning. Its symptoms include general weakness, paralysis, dizziness, double-vision, trouble with speaking or swallowing, difficulty breathing, muscle weakness, abdominal distension and constipation. Anyone showing signs of botulism should immediately seek medical attention.
While no cases of illness have been reported, DEC says the affected products were sold in and around Fairbanks, as well as online through the website http://www.santassmokehouse.com.