10/14/2011

Some Recalled Smoked Herring May Have Been Sold at Certain Connecticut Stores

Department Advises Consumers to Avoid Eating it, Return to Store

HARTFORD, October 14 – A Massachusetts-based fish distributor is recalling one lot of salted, smoked, split herring after a routine sample collected at a retail store by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets found the fish to be uneviscerated.

The smoked fish product was distributed to two distributors in Connecticut, as well as Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Puerto Rico. Retail stores typically stock this type of smoked herring in their fish or deli case and weigh out and package quantities of the fish at customers’ request.

Preliminary information from the Connecticut distributors indicates that only these three retailers may have received the recalled product. Other retail stores in Connecticut are NOT affected by this product recall.

·         C-Town, Danbury

·         C-Town, New Britain

·         Ciabao Market, Willimantic

Consumers who have recently purchased smoked herring from the above retailers are advised to discard it or return it for a cash refund.  Do not eat the product.

Uneviscerated fish can be a source of botulinum spores, which can lead to botulism, a serious and potentially fatal food-borne illness.  Botulism can cause general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

The Department of Consumer Protection is assisting the Food and Drug Administration in recall effectiveness checks to ensure that no product subject to this recall is sold in Connecticut.

Consumers who with any questions can contact: James Scannell or Jeffrey Long, CFE International Canadian Fish Exporters, Inc. by telephone 617-924-8300 between 9am -5 pm Monday through Friday.

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Media Contact: Claudette Carveth
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