Salmonella Enteritidis has sickened an estimated 42 people in six states, with 20 of those cases occurring in Monroe County, New York. The illnesses have been attributed to contaminated Turkish pine nuts sold by the upscale Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. between July 1 and October 18, 2011. The grocery chain issued a recall on October 26 for 5,000 pounds of the pine nuts sold in the bulk foods section and present in some prepared foods (pine nuts are commonly used in pesto and Caprese salad). The pine nuts were imported by Sunrise Commodities of Englewood, New Jersey. Affected Wegmans locations include those in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia. Over 13,000 customers who used a Shopper’s Club card to purchase Turkish pine nuts were contacted about the recall. Federal and state officials are continuing to investigate if the pine nuts were distributed to other retailers.
Salmonella infection typically causes symptoms of diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that occur 12 to 72 hours after infection. Most people who are sickened by the bacteria are able to recover without treatment in four to seven days, while others may need to be hospitalized. The United States Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration sites have additional details on the outbreak, including advice to consumers who may have purchased or become ill from the recalled product.
