Health officials in northern Nevada say they have linked white pepper sold by a California spice company to a four-state outbreak of a rare type of Salmonella.

A joint press release from the Washoe County Health District and Carson City public health officials put it this way: "Ground white pepper products from the Union International Food Co. have been linked to a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella. The discovery of Salmonella in food samples collected from restaurants and food distributors prompted these recommendations.''

The recommendations were for consumers to avoid consuming the product and for restaurants and retailers to remove it.

The Union City, Calif., seasoning maker previously recalled white pepper, black pepper and a list of other spices after health investigators in Nevada, California and Oregon recognized an association between white and black pepper and the illnesses. So far, 42 illnesses have been confirmed as matching the outbreak strain of Salmonella enterica serotype Rissen.

Thirty-three illnesses have been in California, four in northern Nevada, four in the metro area of Portland, Oregon, and one in Washington. Eight of those sickened by the pathogen were hospitalized, officials have said.

The spices recalled by Union International were sold primarily to Chinese and Vietnamese grocery stores and restaurants under the Uncle Chen and Lian How brand names.

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Labels: California, salmonella lawyer, salmonella spices