Don't eat these bean sprouts

The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has issued a warning not to eat a certain brand of bean sprout.

Further information is included in the following news release issued today by the unit:

The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit is warning the public not to consume bean sprouts (mung) from Sun Wah Trading Inc, also known as Hollend Enterprises Inc. This product may be contaminated with salmonella. All codes and ‘Best Before’ dates are affected by the alert. The manufacturer is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace, and the process is being monitored by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The bean sprouts come in packages of various weights and may be packaged under various store names or without the Sun Wah label. The product is distributed throughout Ontario. The Health Unit advises people to check with their place of purchase if they are not sure of the manufacturer of the bean sprouts. If uncertain, the product should be discarded.

The Health Unit is currently investigating a small cluster of cases of salmonella affecting residents from across the North Bay Parry Sound district. Several area food premises have been identified as local suppliers of the implicated bean sprouts and have initiated voluntary withdrawal of the product from store shelves or from public sale. People who have purchased bean sprouts should not eat them. People who have eaten bean sprouts at home or in a restaurant and who are experiencing diarrheal illness should contact their health care provider immediately. Food contaminated with salmonella bacteria may not look, smell or taste spoiled.

Salmonella bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a food-borne illness. In healthy people, this may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Among young children, elderly people and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis can cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

For more information on this food recall, call the Health Unit at (705) 474-1400 or 1-800-563-2808 to speak to a public health inspector. For information on illness, call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000.