Salmonella - Vietnam pepper firms deny allegations of sickness in US

Vietnamese pepper producers and exporters have rejected US allegations that their black pepper may have caused Americans to become sick, saying the product is safe for users worldwide.

The move followed American newspaper reports that contaminated pepper imported from Vietnam may have been the source of an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo that had sickened more than 200 Americans recently.

Do Ha Nam, chairman of the Vietnam Pepper Association, denied the allegation. “There were probably mistakes in the process by food producers,” Nam told Thanh Nien Weekly.

Nam said the US market imported only high-quality pepper from Vietnam and accounted for 50 percent of the country’s total pepper export last year.

Vietnam, the world’s largest pepper supplier, exported 135,000 tons of pepper last year, a 150 percent increase year-on-year, according to the association.

According to the media reports, the outbreak was associated with brands of salami made by Rhode Island’s Daniele Inc.

Rhode Island's Department of Health last week found an opened container of black pepper used in the manufacturing of at least some of the Daniele products that tested positive for the Salmonella Montevideo strain with a DNA "fingerprint" that matched the outbreak strain.

Brooklyn's Wholesome Spice, which until recently had Rhode Island's Daniele Inc. as a client, got its black pepper from a supplier in Vietnam.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12–72 hours after infection, according to the center.

The US Food and Drug Administration, which regulates pepper, is investigating the supply chain. The FDA has been collecting samples of black pepper, but so far all have come up negative.

From The Thanhnien News