CDC Food Safety Alert: CDC investigating Salmonella outbreak linked to Citterio brand Salame Sticks

A CDC food safety alert regarding a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections has been posted.

Key points:

• 20 people have been reported sick from 8 states, and 3 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Most of the sick people (80%) are younger than 18 years old. Children are more likely to get very sick from Salmonella.
• CDC is advising people not to eat Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks. This product is primarily sold at Trader Joe’s grocery stores. Trader Joe’s has voluntarily stopped selling this product until we learn more.
• Interviews with sick people show that the likely source of the outbreak is Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks.
• Investigators are working to determine if additional products may be contaminated. The true number of sick people is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for
• This outbreak is different from other ongoing Salmonella outbreaks and is caused by a different strain of Salmonella.

What You Should Do:

• Do not eat Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks with any best-by date purchased from any store. Throw them away.
• Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the products using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
• Contact a healthcare provider if you have severe Salmonella symptoms.

About Salmonella:

• Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria.
• The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.
• In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other parts of the body.
• Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.