Sam’s Clubs in Florida, Texas, 24 other states got food connected to salmonella outbreak
People in 14 states have been sickened by a salmonella outbreak connected to a charcuterie sampler that went to Sam’s Club distributors in eight states, but actual retail locations in 26 states.
That’s according to the CDC and the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service, both of which released updates on the situation on Friday.
How widespread is the salmonella outbreak?
The CDC says it knows of 24 people who have been sickened, five of which have been hospitalized. Ohio has 11 people infected and the following states each have one infection reported: Texas, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington.
“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the CDC said. “This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella.”
What food product sold at Sam’s Club is involved?
Two days after a recall, the CDC pointed to 18-ounce Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler with Prosciutto, Sweet Sopressata, and Dry Coppa as the probable source of the salmonella outbreak.
“Of the 11 people interviewed, 6 (55%) reported eating a variety of ready-to-eat charcuterie meat products,” said the CDC, which also said all three people who remembered or had records showing exactly what they ate had consumed the Busseto Foods sampler.
A Minnesota resident got sick after eating one of the twin 9-ounce trays of meat, which prompted Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture to test the unopened 9-ounce tray. After Minnesota found salmonella, Fratelli Beretta USA recalled lot 075330300 with a use by date of April 27, 2024.
READ MORE: Salmonella causes recall of charcuterie samplers that went to Sam’s Club distributors
Which Sam’s Club locations received the charcuterie samplers?
The USDA’s original recall notice named the eight states with Sam’s Club distribution centers that received the samplers: Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Oklahoma.
When the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service posted the list of Sam’s Club retail stores that probably got the meats, it included those eight states plus: Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
READ MORE: California company mistake causes recall in Publix stores
What is salmonella?
Diarrhea, stomachaches and fever usually start anywhere from six hours to a week after eating food infected with salmonella. The hard numbers on how many people get sickened in an outbreak are hard to determine because, after four days to a week, most people are fine.
But bloody diarrhea and more harsh forms of salmonella symptoms can send people to the hospital. These usually are people over the age of 65, under the age of 5 and/or people with damaged immune systems. In only 0.03% of cases, less than one tenth of 1%, is salmonella deadly.
