Daniele Inc, the meat company at the centre of the outbreak, has so far recalled more than 1.3m pounds of ready-to-eat sausage products in relation to the outbreak that has sickened 207 people across 42 states.
The Rhode Island Department of Health confirmed yesterday that black pepper samples imported by two of Daniele’s distributors - Mincing Overseas Spice Company and Wholesome Spices - have tested positive for salmonella.
The distributors imported the pepper from common sources and Daniele is now buying pepper that has already been treated to insure the elimination of Salmonella and other infectious organisms, said the body.
“These recent findings show that black pepper used during the manufacturing process at Daniele was the likely source of this outbreak,” said Director of Health David R. Gifford, MD, MPH. “This outbreak only underscores the importance of closely monitoring food that is imported from other countries as they may not have the same food safety standards as we do.”