Sevan has recalled all of its all spice mixes sold since October 2014 today (see below) after health officials in Sweden’s Public Health Agency suggested that the product may be linked to the outbreak, according to the Folkhälsomyndigheten – Public Health Agency of Sweden today (computer translated). It must be pointed out that health authorities had yet to definitively prove a link.

Sevan Allkrydda
Sevan Allkrydda

Since December last year, there has been a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis, phage type 13a. It is a relatively rare type where 3-5 cases are reported each year. So far, these are about 140 cases suspected to belong to the outbreak.

The ongoing investigation has been having difficulty in determining the source of the outbreak. Since the outbreak has lasted a long time and has been seen in many places in the country, officials suspected the source of infection is a food with a long shelf life and relatively large spread.

In June, an outbreak at a restaurant/tavern in Öland which sickened some 80 people was considered a breakthrough. Several people have been seriously ill and hospitalized. Since the pub closed, the number of new infections halted, although it in parallel has been isolated cases in the national outbreak from elsewhere in the country. The number of infected connected right to the tavern is now up to 82, of the then 140 total in the country.

It is unusual for it at all possible to find the source of infection in a salmonella outbreak, but after the outbreak of Oland took intensive efforts sampling and typing in cooperation with the Communicable Diseases Unit of the County Council of Kalmar and Borgholm municipality. A large number of food from the restaurant was sampled to find a common denominator.

Salmonella has now been confirmed in the seasoning from the restaurant and isolates compared now to the Public Health Agency. Shortly notified of the case of the same type as in the national outbreak, phage type 13a.

The recalled spice products are:

Sevan Allkrydda 900g (serial number 7221217881469)

Sevan Allkrydda 450g (serial number 7331217881452)

Sevan Allkrydda Hink 5kg (serial number 7331217010708)