The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Concord illnesses linked to tahini imported from Israeli manufacturer, Achdut Ltd.
Achdut has voluntarily recalled all brands of tahini products manufactured from April 7 to May 21, 2018 with expiration dates of April 7 to May 21, 2020. The FDA is advising consumers not to eat recalled Achva, Achdut, Soom, S&F, Pepperwood and Baron’s brand tahini.
Complicating the situation is that some brands manufactured by Achdut may lack specific dates or may have labels written in Hebrew. Retailers and restaurants should not use any of the recalled tahini. The FDA is also urging any processors that might used the recalled tahini (either repacked or as an ingredient) to consider recalling their products.
The CDC identified five ill people in the U.S. that had the same genetic fingerprint as the Salmonella Concord found in tahini sampled at the point of import into the United States. All five reported consuming hummus made with tahini; three reported eating tahini or hummus made with tahini in a restaurant in the U.S., while the other two reported consuming tahini or hummus made with tahini during international travel.
A sample of imported tahini collected by the FDA at the point of import tested positive for Salmonella Concord. Achdut is collaborating with health officials. The probable root cause for this recall is cross contamination. According to the company, they have eliminated the source of the contamination and preventive steps have been taken.
