July 18, 2008

Advice to Consumers

Update: UPDATE OF SALMONELLA SAINTPAUL SITUATION IN NORTH AMERICA

Ottawa, July 18, 2008 – The Government of Canada is notifying Canadians that after a lengthy investigation, the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on July 17, 2008, that it has determined that fresh tomatoes now available in the US domestic market are not associated with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. As a result, the FDA is removing its June 7, 2008 warning against eating certain types of red raw tomatoes in the US.

The FDA did reiterate its guidance to consumers that those in vulnerable populations (infants, the elderly, and immune-compromised people) should avoid eating jalapeño and serrano peppers as the investigation into the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak continues.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that many, but not all, of the people who have become ill during the outbreak also reported eating jalapeño or serrano peppers.  The FDA and the CDC continue to update their respective websites to provide ongoing information about their investigation. Canadians travelling to the United States should be aware of US advice to consumers regarding jalapeño peppers or raw serrano peppers.

Canadian Public Health officials are reporting five cases of Salmonella Saintpaul infection in Canada with the same strain of Salmonella infection associated with the outbreak in the United States.  One case is under investigation while the four other cases became ill upon return from travel to the United States, suggesting they were infected during their trip. Cross border cases are expected given the size of the outbreak in the U.S., and travel by Canadians to the U.S. Officials with the Public Health Agency of Canada will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is continuing to follow the outbreak investigation related to Salmonella Saintpaul by FDA.  It is unlikely that Canadian-grown jalapeño and serrano peppers would be implicated as they were not in production during the time of the outbreak. Once the source of contamination has been determined by the US investigation, the CFIA will initiate the proper action to minimize the risk to consumers in Canada.

More information on the CDC’s investigation is available at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday). People who believe they have experienced symptoms of illness are urged to contact their health care provider.
For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts webpage at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml

Media enquiries:
Public Health Agency of Canada
Media Relations: (613) 948-7970

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Media relations: (613) 228-6682

Previous updates:
July 23: Advice to Consumers: Update of Salmonella Saintpaul situation in North America 
July 18: Advice to Consumers: Update of Salmonella Saintpaul situation in North America 
July 17: Advice to Consumers: Update of Salmonella Saintpaul situation in Canada 
July 11: Advice to Consumers: Update of Salmonella Saintpaul situation in Canada 
July 7: Advice to Consumers: Update of Salmonella Saintpaul situation in Canada 
June 8: Advice to Consumers: Outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul in the United States