I remember asking my mom when I was little after being warned not to eat raw eggs, “But how can I get salmonella if I’m not even eating salmon?” The answer back then didn’t make sense, but now my 7-year-old self would nod at the inevitability of salmon actually being linked to salmonella. In this case, it’s smoked salmon that’s reportedly sickening hundreds in the Netherlands and the U.S.

Health authorities said the tainted salmon has prompted a major recall. The affected food was traced back to a Dutch company called Foppen which distributes fish to a plethora of Dutch supermarkets and other stores around the world.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said in a statement (via the Associated Press) that at least about 200 people in the Netherlands have fallen ill, as well as more than 100 in the U.S. Those are just low estimates, and the number of afflicted is likely higher.

A Foppen spokesman said around 1,400 had already called a public information phone line that was set up two days ago, with about 350 reporting symptoms like fever, vomiting and diarrhea — all of which are consistent with salmonella infection.

In the U.S., Costco is the only wholesaler that deals with Foppen, and will be in charge of helming the recall in this country. So far it’s unclear how much of the salmon has been sold in America, but the good news for the rest of the world is that no other countries beyond ours and the Netherlands appear to be included in the recall.

“The investigation into the cause is under way and has been narrowed down to one production line at one factory (in Greece),” a Foppen spokesman told the AP. “We can’t yet say what the cause of the infection was.”

Smoked Salmon Blamed For Salmonella Outbreak [The Associated Press]

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