Whole Foods, Safeway and Other Stores Recall Shrimp for Salmonella Contamination

Several lots of frozen cooked shrimp have been recalled nationwide at major grocers, including Whole Foods, Safeway, Meijer and Hannaford. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated the recalled shrimp has been found to contain Salmonella contamination.

The eight recalled brands include Chicken of the Sea and the supermarket house brands.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that six people have been infected with the contamination so far—four in Nevada and two more in Arizona. There were two hospitalizations and zero deaths. The last onset illness was April 25.

All recalled shrimp were distributed by Avanti Frozen Foods of India, and the affected lots were distributed between December 2020 and February 2021.

Salmonella was first found in an import sample during January, the FDA stated. Though that particular sample was destroyed in March, illnesses began sprouting up in April from the contaminated lots sold three months earlier.

"As of (Friday, June 25), there are six clinical isolates from ill people that are genetic matches to the salmonella collected from the import sample. Five of the six ill people were interviewed to determine the foods they ate before becoming sick, and all five ill people report eating shrimp," the FDA stated.

The shrimp that caused the reported sicknesses have already passed their expiration dates and have been pulled from the shelves. Here are the affected products still on the shelves and their lot numbers:

• Censea, tail off — 2-pound pouch; Codes 140313D, 140314D, 140315D, 140316D; expiration dates 5/7/2022 — 5/10/2022.
• Chicken of the Sea, tail on — 16-ounce tray; Codes 91AS/02UN/216 and 91AS/03UN/217; expiration dates 5/1/2022 and 5/2/2022.
• Honest Catch, tail on — 1-pound pouch; Code 3150-GFF; expiration date 11/9/2022.
• CWNO, tail on — 7-pound pouch; Codes 91AS/06UN/220D, 91AS/07UN/221C, 91AS/23HN/206B, 91AS/24HN/207; expiration dates 1/23/2022; 1/24/2022; 2/6/2022; and 2/7/2022.
• Hannaford, tail on — 1-pound pouch; Codes. AVF 30920 EF and AVF 31020 EF; expiration dates 10/25/2022 and 10/26/2022.
• Waterfront Bistro (Safeway house brand), tail on — 16-ounce tray; Codes 20305 and 20306; expiration dates 10/30/2022 and 10/31/2022.
• Open Acres, tail on — 1-pound pouch; Code 02572 0307 11 and 02572 0308 11; expiration dates 11/2/2022 and 11/3/2022.
• 365 (Whole Foods store brand), tail on — 2-pound pouch; Codes 91AS/29HN/212B and 91AS/30HN/213; expiration dates 4/29/2022 and 4/30/2022.
• Meijer, tail on — 1-pound pouch; Codes 29720 49982, 29820 49982, 30220 50736, 30320 50736, 30520 49486, 30620 49486, 30920 50737, 31020 50737; expiration dates 10/22/2022, 10/23/2022, 10/27/2022, 10/28/2022, 10/30/2022, 10/31/2022, 11/3/2022, 11/4/2022.

Healthy people who come in contact with Salmonella could experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. More serious problems could include arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.

Should any person have these symptoms after handling the product, they should contact their health care provider.

The CDC says that roughly 1.3 million people get sick on an annual basis from Salmonella contamination.. There are about 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths annually.