UPDATED December 8, 2021- A Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak linked to Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks sold at Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, and other stores has ended after sickening 34 people in 10 states. Most of the people sickened in the salami stick Salmonella outbreak were children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seven people were hospitalized.
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USDA FSIS Issues a Public Health Alert for Salami Sticks
After the outbreak was announced by the CDC on October 25, 2021, Trader Joe’s stopped selling this product, but neither Citterio nor Trader Joe’s issued a recall for this salami product.
On October 27, 2021, the CDC announced that salami sticks were also being sold at Wegmans stores. This was discovered when, during interviews with health officials, one of the outbreak patients named Wegmans as the store where they purchased the product. At that time, Wegmans did not issue a recall.
Also on October 27, Food Poisoning Bulletin reported that the Citterio salami sticks were part of the company’s September Facebook giveaway. In this promotion, winners received salami sticks linked to the multistate outbreak.
On October 29, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) issued a public health alert for Citterio “Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks ALL NATURAL” with “best by” dates up to January 23, 2022. These products have the establishment number “EST. 4010” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
At the time, the USDA FSIS said it did not request a recall from the product manufacturer because a specific lot or lots of potentially contaminated salami sticks has not been identified and the products were no longer being sold at Trader Joe’s and Wegmans.
Citterio Salami Stick Recall
On November 10, 2021, Euro Foods of Freeland, PA issued a salami stick recall after California health officials found Salmonella in two unopened, intact, packages of Citterio Italian-style Salame Sticks collected by the agency. Whole genome sequencing of the strain cultured from these products, Salmonella Derby, is not closely related to the strain cultured from patients, Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- The CDC did not identify any Salmonella Derby illnesses associated with the salami sticks.
The recall included 119,091 pounds of salami sticks produced prior to October 25, 2021. They were sold nationwide and in Bermuda. The recalled products have the following information:
- 2-oz. packages of Citterio “Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks ALL NATURAL”
- “best by” dates through January 23, 2022, located next to the barcode.
- “EST. 4010” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The recalled salami sticks were sold nationwide at Trader Joe’s stores, at Wegmans stores in NJ, NY, MA, PA, VA, and at other stores including:
- Cantoro Italian Market and Vince and Joe’s Fruit Markets in Michigan
- M&M Wines in New Jersey
- Olindo Cash & Carry in New York
- Alesci’s of Shoregate, Chuppa’s Marketplace, Corbo’s Bakery Placehouse Square, DeVitis Fine Italian Foods, Di Stefano’s, Fligner’s Food Market, Fragapane Bakeries, Gentiles Imported Italian Foods, Jimmy’s Italian Food Specialties, Pepper’s Farm Market, Produce Palace, Sweetberry Fresh Farm Market, and Vermilion Market in Ohio
- Lin’s Hurricane, Macey’s, Dan’s Market, Fresh Market stores in Utah
- Jubilee Foods and Crystal Falls in Wisconsin
Salami Stick Salmonella Outbreak
Epidemiologic and traceback investigations identified Citterio Italian-style Salame Sticks as the source of this outbreak. Health officials interviewed 27 patients, all but one of them reported eating salami sticks before they became ill and 25 of the 27 patients interviewed specifically named Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks.
Health officials used whole genome sequencing to identify the genetic fingerprint of the Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- strain that sickened these patients. The cultures from all of the patients had matching fingerprints.
The patients range in age from 1 to 75 years old, but most, 79 percent, are under the age of 18. The median age of outbreak patients is 8 years old.
The number of illnesses reported from each state is: California (13), Illinois (6), Kansas (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), New Jersey (2), New York (1), Pennsylvania (1) and Virginia (2).
Salmonella Symptoms
Salmonella SymptomsSymptoms of a Salmonella infection include fever, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea that is sometimes bloody. Usually, these symptoms appear within six to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. The people sickened in this outbreak reported the onset of illness on dates ranging from September 18, 2021, to October 30, 2021.
Free Salmonella Lawsuit Consultation
If you contracted a Salmonella infection from contaminated food and would like a free consultation with an experienced Salmonella lawyer, please contact us. The Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team has represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.
UPDATE – This post was published on October 25, 2021, and updated on October 29 to include new information about the outbreak.
UPDATE- This post was updated on November 11, 2021, to include recall information and additional reports of illness.
UPDATE- This post was updated on November 12, 2021, to include information about the age of the patients and the states where new illnesses were reported.
UPDATE- This post was updated on December 8, 2021 to reflect that the outbreak has ended.