EXPANDED HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

CERTAIN PODS OF GREEN CARDAMOM MAY CONTAIN SALMONELLA BACTERIA

Related alerts: 2010-06-29 | 2010-06-25

OTTAWA, June 29, 2010 – The public warning issued on June 25, 2010 has been expanded to include additional retailers and sizes of the affected product.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the pods of Green Cardamom described below because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The following Green Cardamom products, sold at the Ontario and Nova Scotia store locations listed below, are affected by this alert. The Green Cardamom, still in the pods, was sold in various size packages or from bulk bins. Green Cardamom is a product of Guatemala.

Size	Sold at	Affected Period
100 g & 1 lb (454 g)*	Fanor Mini Mart 2985 Oxford St. Halifax, NS	April 29 to June 25, 2010
50 g & 100 g	Indian Groceries 2585 Robie St. Halifax, NS	February 26 to June 25, 2010
200 g	Golden Cash & Carry/V2 Foods Inc. 1400 Weber St. E Kitchener, ON	April 8 to June 23, 2010
50 g & 100 g	Onkar Foods and Spices Inc. 101 Hazelglen Dr, #15 Kitchener, ON	March 10 to May 17, 2010

* Additional size

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a food borne illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The distributors are voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts web page at:: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/salmonellae.shtml

For information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA’s Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp.

To find out more about receiving recalls by e-mail, and other food safety facts, visit our web site at: www.inspection.gc.ca.

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Media enquiries:

CFIA Media Relations
613-773-6600