Salmonella Prompts Ahi Tuna Recall

An outbreak of salmonella has possibly been traced to tainted ‘ahi on O’ahu Island, in the state of Hawai’i, the Honolulu Advertiser reports. This outbreak led to a recent recall of 11,000 pounds of ‘ahi by an O’ahu distributor.

More than 33 cases of salmonella poisoning have been reported in O’ahu from October to December 2007. Hawai’i officials traced the outbreak to the consumption of raw ‘ahi. Since this tainted fish was frozen, it is likely to have been eaten as poke.

Not a single store or distributor can be linked to the tainted fish meaning more fish could still be for sale. It is still not certain whether the tainted ‘ahi is the same salmonella strain that’s infected Hawai’ians.

The fish was imported from Indonesia in December and about half has been retrieved. Critics of the FDA say the agency hasn’t done enough to warn the public of this outbreak and the questions still surrounding it.