Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Public Faces another Salmonella Scare – from Spices

Companies should guarantee the safety and high standards of their product before it is to be put out on market. This would prevent consumers from any incident such as defective products.

The California-based Union International Food Company recently announced its recalls of some of its products because of salmonella contamination.

Reports earlier indicated that there were 33 individuals from California who have been victims of salmonella food poisoning from spices such as black and white pepper manufactured by Union International. No deaths have been reported from the said contamination.

The California Department of Public Health has warned individuals and restaurant owners who have purchased other products of Union International that might also be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

Other products include black, white, and cayenne peppers, powdered and chopped onions, curry, wasabi, and mustard powder, paprika, and garlic.

The said salmonella contamination on spices has followed a pistachio-related scare manufactured by a company which is also based in California.

These outbreaks could have been prevented with stricter implementation of safety and health standards. Also, the state should be able to monitor and make sure that companies would follow procedures that would ensure their products are safe for people’s consumption.