The Bellingham Herald reported this evening that consumers shouldn’t eat smoked salmon that comes in 7-ounce jars or jams made by local business Sug Chee Smoked Salmon because they were made in an unlicensed food processing plant, the Whatcom County Health Department warned Wednesday, January 6.
No illnesses have been reported from people eating food made by the business at 2707 Lummi Shore Road, said Tom Kunesh, supervisor for Environmental Health, which is the health department’s food-safety program.
The warning was issued because inspectors don’t know if the food was properly processed to destroy pathogens like Clostridium botulinum – a bacterium that can cause botulism and can be deadly.
Health officials focused specifically on Sug Chee Native American Wild Smoked King Salmon in 7-ounce glass jars, with or without jalapenos.
Warnings also were issued for huckleberry, elderberry and blackberry jam made by Sug Chee, although they posed less of a health risk than the jarred salmon, the health department said.