About 1.24 million pounds of Italian sausage products that were distributed nationwide, including to Los Angeles County, have been recalled as being potentially contaminated with Salmonella, the LA County Department of Public Health cautioned residents today.

“Once we learned of the recall, Public Health immediately reached out to food retailers throughout the county to determine their awareness of the potentially tainted meat products,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “All of the retail food chains we contacted were aware of the recall and had removed the affected product from their shelves. Public Health inspectors are currently out at stores to help ensure that none of the product remains available for purchase.”

“However, consumers should check their own refrigerator or freezer shelves for recalled meat products. If you have eaten food product that has been recalled and you are ill or are concerned about foodborne illness, call your doctor,” said Dr. Fielding.

If you do have recalled products at home, do not eat the food product. Contact the store where you purchased the product for refund or disposal instructions. The product should be kept refrigerated and marked with “Do Not Eat” until it can be returned or disposed of properly.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service became aware of the problem while investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo illness. So far, 187 confirmed cases of the strain have been reported from 37 states. Thirty of the cases were reported from California, including six from Los Angeles County. One of the LA County cases was hospitalized, but none have died. Salmonella is one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses and has the potential to be life-threatening, particularly to the very young, elderly and persons with weak immune systems.

Although the exact source of the S. Montevideo outbreak was not immediately identified, a sample of ready-to-eat products produced by Rhode Island-based Daniele International Inc. tested positive for Salmonella. The product was similar to other products purchased by customers who later became sick with S. Montevideo. A direct link has not been established and the matter is still under investigation, but Daniele International has voluntarily recalled all of its products associated with black pepper, which the company believes to be a possible source of contamination.

Products subject to recall include:

• 10-ounce packages of “DANIELE NATURALE SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER.”
• Catch weight packages of “DANIELE PEPPER SALAME.”
• 9-ounce packages of “BLACK BEAR OF THE BLACK FOREST BABY GENOA PEPPER SALAME.”
• 20-ounce packages of “DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SMOKED SALAME, PEPPERED SALAME, RUSTIC SALAME.”
• 340- and 454-gram packages of “DANIELE SURTIDO FINO ITALIANO, SALAMI GENOA CON PIMIENTA, LOMO CAPOCOLLO, SALAMI CALABRESE.”
• 16-ounce packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION PARTY PLATTER PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO.”
• 16-ounce packages of “DANIELE GOURMET COMBO PACK, PEPPER SALAME, CAPOCOLLO, CALABRESE.”
• 500-gram packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK EMBALLAGE ASSORTI GOURMET ITALIEN, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, CALABRESE PIQUANT, SALAMI AU POIVRE, HOT CAPOCOLLO, CAPOCOLLO PIQUANT.”
• 8-ounce packages of “BOAR’S HEAD BRAND ALL NATURAL SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER.”
• Catch weight packages of “DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION, BABY GENOA PEPPER SALAME, MADE WITH 100% PORK COATED WITH BLACK PEPPER AND PORK FAT.”
• 20-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SWEET SOPRESSATA, PEPPERED GENOA, MILANO SALAME.”
• 21-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE GOURMET ITALIAN DELI SELECTION, SWEET SOPRESSATA SALAMI, PEPPERED GENOA SALAMI, HOT SOPRESSATA SALAMI, MILANO SALAMI, SALAMI SOPRESSATA DOUX, SALAMI GENOA POIVRÉ, SALAMI SOPRESSATA PIQUANT, SALAMI MILANO.”
• 7-ounce packages of “DANIELE SALAME BITES PEPPER SALAME.”
• 14-ounce packages of “DANIELE GOURMET ITALIAN DELI SELECTION ASSORTMENT DE FINES CHARCUTERIE ITALIENNE, SWEET SOPRESSATA SALAMI, MILANO SALAMI, SALAMI SOPRESSATA DOUX, SALAMI MILANO.”
• Catch weight packages of “DANIELE NATURALE SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER.”
• 32-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SWEET SOPRESSATA, PEPPERED GENOA, MILANO SALAME.”

Each package bears a label with establishment number EST. 9992 or EST. 54 inside the USDA mark of inspection. More information, including pictures of the labels of the recalled products, is available on the Food Safety and Inspection Service website at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_006_2010_Relea se/index.asp.

For more information from the product manufacturer, please call Daniele, Inc. at (888) 345-4160 or visit their website at http://www.danielefoods.com/.

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000 employees and has an annual budget exceeding $750 million. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov, visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/lapublichealth, or follow us on Twitter: @LAPublicHealth.