CLOVIS (AP) — A California food company has issued a warning against eating or buying containers of its sesame paste because they could be contaminated with salmonella.
Tony’s Imports and Exports of Clovis says 141 pails of its Al-Rabih Tahineh were stolen from its warehouse where they were waiting to be destroyed due to salmonella contamination.
The company says the theft occurred in June but was not discovered until a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official came to the warehouse to witness the products’ destruction.
The warning to consumers, food distributors and food processors was sent to the media Friday through the FDA office in San Francisco.
Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause severe and sometimes fatal infections, leading to symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea.