Nearly 60,000 lbs of Raw Yellowfin Tuna Recalled by Moon Marine USA Corp.

Moon Marine USA Corporation (also known as MMI) of Cupertino, Calif., in cooperation with the FDA, is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA. Nakaochi Scrape is tuna backmeat, which is specifically scraped off from the bones, and looks like a ground product.

What is the Problem?

The Nakaochi Scrape is associated with an outbreak of 116 cases of Salmonella Bareilly in multiple states: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (5), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Illinois (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (11), Massachusetts (8), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (7), New York (24), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (12).

The raw yellowfin tuna product may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market, and may not be marked with lot information. Distributors and end users should consult their suppliers to determine the origin of any Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA in their possession.

Fast Facts

• Moon Marine USA Corporation (also known as MMI) of Cupertino, Calif. is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA. Nakaochi Scrape is tuna backmeat, which is specifically scraped off from the bones, and looks like a ground product.
• The product is not available for sale to individual consumers, but may have been used to make sushi, sashimi, ceviche and similar dishes available in restaurants and grocery stores.
• The company name and Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA were printed on boxes of the product when it was initially sold to distributors. However, the boxes may have been broken into smaller lots for further sale and may not be available to the end retailer or consumer. Therefore, the tuna may not be readily identifiable by retail outlets or by consumers as being from the implicated lots.
• The Nakaochi Scrape AA and AAA from MMI was sold through distributors to restaurants and grocery stores that make sushi, and has been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly, which has caused 116 illnesses in 20 states and the District of Columbia to date. Of the reported illnesses, there have been 12 hospitalizations, and no deaths.
• Many of the people who became ill reported eating raw tuna in sushi as “spicy tuna.”
• If you purchase “spicy tuna” or other sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or similar dishes that might contain Nakaochi Scrape from a restaurant or grocery store, check with the establishment to make sure that it does not contain raw recalled product from Moon Marine USA Corporation, also known as MMI. When in doubt, don’t eat it.
• Consumers who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated raw Nakaochi Scrape should consult their health care providers.

What are the Symptoms of Illness/Injury?

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in certain cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless these patients are treated promptly with antibiotics.

Who is at Risk?

Infants, older adults, pregnant women, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. If you are unsure of your risk, ask your healthcare provider.

What Do Consumers Need To Do?

Because raw seafood is not fully cooked to assure that pathogens are destroyed, it is not considered as “safe” as cooked seafood. The handling of raw seafood can also affect the safety of the product. Because the tuna may have been broken into unmarked sublots and may not be readily identifiable, consumers should take precautions in choosing to eat raw Nakaochi Scrape and be sure that it is not from the implicated lots.

Consumers should take precautions when choosing to eat raw seafood and be sure that the Nakaochi Scrape is not from the implicated lots. When in doubt, don’t eat it.

Consumers who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated raw Nakaochi Scrape should consult their health care providers. Many of the people who became ill reported eating raw tuna in sushi as “spicy tuna.”

To report problems, including adverse reactions, related to any food except meat and poultry, contact the FDA district office consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area.

What Do Product Sellers Need To Do?

Product sellers, including distributors and restaurants, should consult their suppliers to determine whether the Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA in their possession originated from Moon Marine USA Corporation (also known as MMI). The product may not be accompanied by lot numbers or labeling information.

What Does the Product Look Like?

MMI distributed the Nakaochi Scrape AA and AAA to several distributors that may have broken the shipments into smaller lots for further distribution. The frozen raw yellowfin tuna product was originally packaged in white boxes with black writing naming the importer as Moon Marine USA Corporation (also known as MMI) and identifying the contents as either Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA. The boxes contain several vacuum-wrapped packages with no further labeling.

What is Being Done about the Problem?
The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local partners to investigate the outbreak.The FDA is working closely with MMI to identify the implicated product and assist with its removal from the market.

The information in this press release reflects the FDA’s best efforts to communicate what it has learned from the manufacturer and the state and local public health agencies involved in the investigation. The agency will update this page as more information becomes available.

For more information:

• CDC: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly Infections
• FoodSafety.gov on Salmonella