3 Popular Types of Fish Recalled “Nationwide”—Here Are the States with Heightened Risk

Salmon, sea bass, and catfish—especially if it’s catfish from the South—are three of the most-loved kinds of fish in the country, whether on restaurant menus or in grocery carts.

Note that across a number of states, shoppers and restaurants who purchased these same fish are being advised to check their supplies. On September 17 the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Haifa Smoked Fish, a seafood wholesaler and kosher smokehouse facility headquartered in Queens, NY, recalled two products after state testing detected Listeria monocytogenes.

On a recent TikTok, Dr. Jessica Kiss, DO—a family doctor who goes by @askDrMom—explained that Listeria “is an interesting bacteria because it actually grows in colder environments, particularly at the temperature of slightly frozen food or low-freezing temperatures, so we find it in places associated with that, or cold foods.” [sic] The USDA confirms this point, explaining that freezer temperatures of zero degrees Fahrenheit or below will stop Listeria from multiplying (though may not be guaranteed to kill them off). 

It’s reported that the affected salmon and seabass products were distributed nationwide in vacuum-sealed packages with paper board bases. Those items, said to have been sold nationwide via retail stores and distributors, were:

• “Cold Smoked Salmon,” eight ounces (8 oz.), lot #219
• “Cold Smoked Seabass,” eight ounces (8 oz.), lot #212 

The FDA’s notice states Listeria can cause “serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.” They say no illnesses related to the recalled fish have been reported to date, and that the contamination was discovered after sampling and testing by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors.

Separately, a lack of inspection is said to have prompted another recall announced this week by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). On Monday, Quality Poultry & Seafood, Inc. of Biloxi, MS was named in a recall of approximately 98,916 pounds of catfish fillet products. The FSIS notice notes, “These items were shipped to restaurants and retail locations in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and from the establishment’s retail store.”

Though there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions related to the recall, the FSIS warns that “food produced without inspection may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria, or other contaminants that put consumer health and safety at risk.”

Reportedly packaged in translucent plastic bags, some bundled into three-packs and distributed in cardboard boxes, the agency lists these products as:

• “Varied Catfish Miscut Fillets, Farmed Raised Catfish Product Of USA”, Net Wt. 5 Lbs.
• “Varied Catfish Miscut Fillets, Farmed Raised Catfish Product Of USA”, Net Wt. 15 Lbs.
• “Irregular Catfish Shank Fillet, Farmed Raised Catfish Product Of USA”, Net Wt. 5 Lbs.
• “Irregular Catfish Random Fillet, Farmed Raised Catfish Product Of USA”, Net Wt. 5 Lbs.
• “Irregular Catfish Random Fillet, Farmed Raised Catfish Product Of USA”, Net Wt. 15 Lbs.
• “Catfish Fillet Stuft W/ Crabmeat Dressing”, Net Wt. 9oz.
• “Stuffed Catfish” Net Wt. not disclosed

Both health authorities urge that customers who have purchased any of the products listed here should not consume them or serve them to others. Refunds may be possible by reaching places of purchase or the company contacts in the original recall links above.

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