Updated December 14 with final outbreak information A Salmonella outbreak linked to salmon sushi, sashimi, and poke served at restaurants in California and Arizona has ended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thirty-nine people were sickened, 15 of them have been hospitalized.
Did You Get a Salmonella Infection from Restaurant Food?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified Mariscos Bahia, Inc. as the source of the contaminated fish. The company processes seafood at facilities in Phoenix and Pico Rivera, CA, and distributes products directly to restaurants.
Multiple environmental swabs the FDA collected from the California facility were positive for Salmonella. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), which can identify the genetic “fingerprint” of a bacterial strain, showed that at least one of the samples collected from the Pico Rivera site matched the Salmonella Litchfield outbreak strain.
While genetic tests show that restaurant customers sickened in this outbreak ate sushi, sashimi, and poke containing raw salmon, the FDA said that the presence of Salmonella in the processing facilities could mean other fish including halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, and swordfish, may also be contaminated. It’s also possible that salmon, halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, or swordfish processed at the company’s California facility could have also been sent to its Phoenix facility before being distributed to restaurants, the agency said.
The contaminated fish was distributed to restaurants on or after June 14, 2022. Restaurants that receive shipments from Mariscos Bahia and froze any fish they have received since June 14 should not serve it. The company agreed to issue a voluntary recall and told the FDA that it began contacting restaurants that received shipments of implicated fish on October 20.
The Salmonella fish recall includes the following fresh fish items:
- Fresh Salmon Fillet
- Fresh Deep Skin Salmon Fillet
- Fresh Salmon Portions
- Chilean Seabass (Fillet and Portions)
- Halibut (Fillet and Portions)
- Tuna (Fillet and Loin)
- Swordfish (Loin, Fillet, and Wheel)
The people sickened in this outbreak said they first became ill on dates ranging from June 14, 2022, to October 23, 2022. They ranged in age from 1 to 80 years old.
Salmonella Lawyers with Experience
If you or a family member has been sickened by sushi, sashimi, and poke that was contaminated with Salmonella and you would like a free consultation with a Salmonella lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. Our attorneys have 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 completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.
UPDATE: This post was originally published on October 20, 2022, and updated on October 25 with FDA test results.