Golden Dragon Fish Recall: Frozen Mackerel Fish Could Cause Botulism

The FDA has posted notice of a Golden Dragon Fish recall for frozen, cooked mackerel fish sold in New York and New Jersey, as the fish may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can result in a serious and potentially fatal form of food poisoning known as Botulism.

K-Fat, Inc., located in Brooklyn, NY, issued the recall on January 16, 2009 for their Golden Dragon brand Frozen Cooked Mackerel. The fish, which is a product of Vietnam, is packaged in uncoded 250G plastic bags and baskets for sale.

The fish has been found to be uneviscerated, with the internal organs still intact within the fish.

Uneviscerated fish has been linked to prior botulism food poisoning outbreaks, as Clostridium Botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the internal organs of fish.

Botulism poisoning can surface from six hours to ten days after consuming contaminated foods, resulting in serious and potentially fatal illness.

Symptoms of botulism can include double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness that begins at the shoulders and moves down the body. In some cases, botulism poisoning can cause paralysis of the breathing muscles, which can lead to death if it is not treated.

There are approximately 110 cases of botulism in the US each year, with roughly 4% of these cases resulting in death. 72% of cases occur in infants less than one year old because infants’ intestines do not contain enough normal bacteria to prevent infection by Clostridium Botulinum.