News

Raw seafood recall for Texas, Louisiana restaurants

July 19, 2019

The FDA advises all restaurant that have received Topway Enterprises Inc. or Kazy’s Gourmet ready-to-eat raw seafood products — particularly salmon and tuna — to stop selling or using them and discard the products due to possible Listeria monocytogenes bacteria contamination that may cause those who eat it to develop a serious disease called listeriosis. A listeriosis infection can have particularly adverse effects for women who are or may become pregnant, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems, a news release said.
The FDA said any consumer who has recently eaten raw seafood — particularly raw salmon and tuna — in Texas and Louisiana, who suspect food poisoning to immediately seek medical care for the products that the FDA said would have been received from July 10 - 13, this year, and may have been also incorporated into sushi. 

Restaurants would have received the seafood as fillets wrapped in clear plastic at their locations in Texas and Louisiana. They are typically sold fresh and don't have a long shelf life, though they can be frozen. 

Topway Enterprises Inc. ships RTE seafood products to restaurants and informed the FDA that the cut tuna and salmon would have been received on those dates in those states. The FDA advises restaurants and food retailers that have received Topway Enterprise Inc. RTE seafood products to clean and sanitize the surfaces that these products were served, stored or prepared on.

The problem came to light after an inspection of the Topway Enterprises Inc. facility turned up non-disease causing Listeria species and serious sanitation issues. The firm promised corrective action, but during a follow-up visit last month by state health officials in Texas four samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes and the FDA was notified again. The firm said it would stop operations and recall products, but on July 10, 2019, the FDA found production was resumed without any of the needed corrective actions having taken place and the agency has been unable to determine if any recalls were made, so it published this alert.