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Investigation of a Multistate Outbreak of Multiple Salmonella Serotypes Linked to Organic Sprouted Chia Seed Powder: A U.S. Regulatory Perspective

Monday, June 15, 2015: 4:36 PM
Back Bay B, Sheraton Hotel
Allison Wellman , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Angela Fields , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Haryean Lambert , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Stelios Viazis , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Thomas Kuntz , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Tami Cloyd , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Kari Irvin , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Mickey Parish , Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
Laura Gieraltowski , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Katherine Heiman , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Reid Harvey , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Patrick Kennelly , California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA
Brian Sauders , New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, Albany, NY
Audio File Recorded Presentation

BACKGROUND:   In May through August 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Canadian health and regulatory authorities, and state and local partners investigated an outbreak of Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Hartford and SalmonellaOranienburg illnesses linked to products containing organic sprouted chia seed powder.  

METHODS:   A case was defined as an infection with an outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Hartford, or SalmonellaOranienburg occurring between January 1, 2014 and July 22, 2014. Case-patients were interviewed to identify common food exposures. FDA and state partners conducted an informational traceback investigation to identify common manufacturers of chia seed powder and sources of chia seeds. A total of 216 samples were collected by state and federal partners including retail product samples, consumer samples, and investigational samples consisting of environmental swabs and product samples collected at firms.

RESULTS:   A total of 31 U.S. cases from 16 states were identified. Nineteen of 21 (90%) cases with available information reported exposure to a chia seed product, with 15 of 19 persons (79%) reporting consumption of chia seed powder specifically. Traceback analysis identified a Canadian firm as the manufacturer of the sprouted chia seed powder, produced from one of two suspect lots of raw chia seeds from Argentina. Thirty-four samples from multiple lots of sprouted chia seed powder products yielded multiple serotypes of Salmonella matching the outbreak strains; all raw chia seed tested negative for Salmonella. The investigation resulted in voluntary recalls of chia seed powder-containing products by multiple firms.   The Canadian manufacturer of the chia seed powder was placed on Import Alert, and increased surveillance screening was conducted for imported chia seed products. The recalled products were distributed to numerous countries and as a result, an International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) alert was issued by the World Health Organization.

CONCLUSIONS:   Investigations conducted by FDA and the Canadian authorities were not able to determine whether the source of the Salmonella contamination originated with the imported chia seeds or at the manufacturing facility. This outbreak involved a novel, raw food product that has a small but growing population of consumers.  Additional efforts are ongoing to gather information on chia manufacturing processes and to develop a risk profile for chia seed products.

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