A Texas produce distributor has expanded a recall following the discovery of salmonella in cilantro and parsley.
CNN reports that J&D Produce Inc., which on Monday issued the recall for cilantro and parsley packaged under the brand name Little Bear, has now included 19 additional lines of produce in its recall order. The company says that it broadened the recall because of worries that salmonella bacteria on the cilantro and parsley, which shared the same packing lines with the new products, may have spread.
The company said that the recall was voluntary and precautionary.
“It’s imperative to protect public health, even if that means being overzealous in expanding the scope of the products we’re calling back,” said James Bassetti, president of J&D Produce. “We will work closely with regulators, health officials and our customers in bringing back the products.”
This outbreak, and another unrelated salmonella case involving alfalfa sprouts from an Illinois producer, have made nearly 100 people in the U.S. and Canada sick in recent weeks. Twenty-four of the victims have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though none have died.
Salmonella outbreaks have repeatedly plagued U.S. food buyers over the past several years, most notably in an August episode that resulted in the recall of hundreds of millions of eggs.
Worries about salmonella were a driving factor behind the food safety legislation that Congress passed last week.
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