July 23, 2008

Advice to Consumers

Update: UPDATE OF SALMONELLA SAINTPAUL SITUATION IN NORTH AMERICA

Ottawa, July 23, 2008 – The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are notifying Canadians that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on July 21, 2008, that one jalapeño pepper sample is a positive genetic match with the Salmonella Saintpaul strain causing the current Salmonella outbreak.

Consumers in Canada should note that the produce distribution center where the jalapeño pepper was found, Agricola Zaragoza in McAllen, Texas, does not export to Canada, as such, no recall is necessary in Canada at this time.  

The FDA is asking consumers to avoid eating raw jalapeño peppers or foods made from raw jalapeño peppers until further notice in order to prevent additional cases of illness. This recommendation does not include cooked or pickled jalapeño peppers.

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 U.S. advice to consumers regarding jalapeño peppers or 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 involve individuals who 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 PHAC will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.

The CFIA is continuing to follow the outbreak investigation related to Salmonella Saintpaul by the 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.

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 or visit Health Canada’s Salmonella page at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/salmonella-eng.php.

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