Latest food scare... sesame seeds with Salmonella

In the latest food scare to hit North America the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume certain sesame seeds because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The agency says although to date there have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products the public need to be aware that though food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, eating it could cause salmonellosis.

Salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections in young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

In healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea; long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The products which were packed by Les Aliments G. Dion affected by this alert are:-

GD Sesame seed, sold as a 50 g package bearing UPC 6 20383 01055 9 and the lot codes 02W08S, 03W13S, 03W27S, 03W29S, 04W11S, 04W16S, 04W23S, 05W07S and 05W29S.

Sesame seeds, sold as a 1.0 kg package bearing UPC 6 20383 60355 3 and the lot codes 02W28S, 04W13S and 05W29S.

The products have been distributed in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

The company is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace and the CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735.