Smoked Salmon Tainted

Smoked salmon tainted with salmonella has sickened hundreds of people in the Netherlands, authorities said, sparking major recalls there and in the U.S.

U.S. health authorities say they are also investigating whether the salmon could be at the root of a multi-state outbreak of the illness.

The Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said the salmon was traced to a Dutch company called Foppen, which sells fish to many major supermarkets in the Netherlands and stores around the world.

The Dutch public health institute said that around 200 people — and likely more — have been sickened in the Netherlands by a strain of the bacteria called Salmonella Thompson.

The smoked salmon was sold under the Foppen name, as well as under Costco’s store-brand name, Kirkland. Wilson did not know how much of the product was sold.

Customers who purchased the items will be called by Costco to notify them of the recall, Wilson said. The calls will be followed up with a letter.

Wilson said Costco’s independent testing of the smoked salmon hasn’t yet turned up any positive results for salmonella.

Since the company set up a public information phone line two days ago, de Vries said about 1,400 people had called and around 350 of the callers “reported symptoms consistent with a salmonella infection.” Those infected by the salmonella bacteria can suffer symptoms including fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

Foppen, which processes fish in the Netherlands and at a factory in Greece, is investigating the cause of the outbreak.