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Minnesota: MDA issues advisory for dried uneviscerated fish

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                CONTACT:

Friday, April 16, 2010                                                                    Michael Schommer, Communications Director

651.201.6629, Michael.schommer@state.mn.us

 

 

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is alerting consumers to avoid eating dried uneviscerated fish after MDA officials discovered and embargoed more than 400 pounds of product in recent weeks at ethnic grocery stores in the Twin Cities.  Eating dried uneviscerated fish – dried fish from which the internal organs have not been removed – can result in food-borne botulism poisoning.

 

The dried uneviscerated fish in question are typically salted, and in some cases smoked.  Consumers are asked to throw away any dried uneviscerated fish they may have at home.

 

There are no reports of illness linked to consumption of the dried uneviscerated fish, but MDA embargoed the fish due to the high risk of it being contaminated with Clostridium bacteria known to produce potentially deadly botulinum toxin.  Similar products in other states have led to illnesses, including a May 1992 outbreak in New Jersey in which four people were hospitalized – one with respiratory failure.  MDA is conducting an investigation to determine the product’s source and distribution channels.

 

Food-borne botulism is a potentially serious illness caused by ingestion of food contaminated with neurotoxin called botulinum.  Several botulinum neurotoxins are produced by Clostridium bacteria, one type of which has previously been associated with dried uneviscerated fish.

 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, botulinum toxin can cause double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness.  If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles.  In food-borne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days after eating the contaminated food.

 

Consumers who may have become ill after eating the products should contact their doctor or other health care provider.  MDA is working with ECHO Minnesota to distribute this message to Minnesota’s East African communities.  For information about ECHO Minnesota, visit the website at http://www.echominnesota.org.

This release is available on the MDA website at http://www.mda.state.mn.us
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