Health authorities are warning restaurants to stop serving raw ground tuna from Jensen Tuna because of indications the sushi component may be contaminated with salmonella.
Thirteen people in seven states have already been sickened in an outbreak traced back to the product, which Jensen has voluntarily recalled. Two of the victims required hospitalization.
The raw ground tuna is often used in spicy tuna sushi rolls. It is usually packed in 1-pound packs and shipped in 20-pound cartons.
Officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the illnesses to date were reported from Jan. 8 through March 20 in Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York and Washington. In an outbreak of foodborne illnesses, the count of victims typically climbs as the publicity leads more people to come forward and report their illnesses.
The CDC is simultaneously tracking another outbreak of foodborne illness that may involve restaurants, a rash of E. coli poisonings that have sickened more than 109 consumers in six states.
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