Los Angeles food-borne illness attorneys have received word of an alfalfa recall. A Los Angeles County based company has recalled alfalfa sprouts that are believed to be contaminated with salmonella. Los Angeles Calco, Inc, based in Arcadia, announced that it is recalling 4-ounce containers of sprouts that it distributed to three wholesalers in Los Angeles and Costa Mesa. The containers have “sell-by” dates of April 23 and May 2. A Company official has apparently said that the sprouts were sold to local restaurants, but has not yet hit retail markets. Calco officials said that they detected the salmonella contamination in the sprouts during routine testing. No Salmonella illnesses have been reported so far.

Salmonella infection could cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps between 12 and 72 hours after the person has been infected. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, salmonella infection could last four to seven days. In some patients, hospitalization may be necessary and if left untreated the infection could become fatal. The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to contract this fatal salmonella infection.

I’m glad that this local food distributor has issued a product recall and that they test their products for contamination on a routine basis. However, contaminated food once distributed, could cause a lot of damage. Salmonella usually spreads through raw food or food that is not completely cooked. Bisnar | Chase once represented a client who got a severe salmonella infection after eating raw quail egg at an Orange County sushi restaurant.

Recent peanut butter and pistachio recalls involving salmonella contamination show us that this is something that is happening more often in our food producing and food processing plants. Lack of frequent inspections by federal and local health agencies and their lack of resources have also contributed to the food safety issue.

If you or a loved one has beeninfected with salmonella and if you believe it is a result of eating these contaminated alfalfa sprouts, please file a complaint with your local health care agency. If you would like to find out about your legal rights and options, please contact an experienced Orange County or Los Angeles County food-borne illnesses lawyer.