Story highlights
- Tuna came from distributors in Vietnam and the Philippines
- No known related illnesses have been reported to the CDC
(CNN)Frozen yellowfin tuna is being recalled due to hepatitis A contamination, and the US Food and Drug Administration is investigating.
Restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma and California received shipments of potentially contaminated tuna, and have been notified, according to the FDA. Shipments were sent to distributors in New York as well, but the New York State Health Department verified it hadn't been sold to the public there yet, the announcement said.
The recalled products are 8-ounce tuna steaks with an expiration date of October 1, 2018, and individual vacuum packed 15-pound frozen tuna cubes dated April 1, 2019. Case codes are available on FDA website.
The FDA is working with other health agencies to continue investigating the hepatitis A-infected frozen tuna from Hilo Fish Company, a Hawaii-based importer. The contaminated fish were sourced from Sustainable Seafood Company in Vietnam and Santa Cruz Seafood Inc. in the Philippines. CNN reached out to Hilo Fish Company for comment and has not heard back.
No illness reported
There have been no reports of illness from the frozen tuna, acording to the FDA.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that can be caught from another person or from consuming contaminated food or water, according to the CDC. Symptoms may not be evident for 15 to 50 days after a person is infected. Infected individuals may not experience symptoms at all. When individuals do experience symptoms, they may come on abruptly and include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain and jaundice.
For unvaccinated people who ate the recalled raw or undercooked tuna in the last two weeks, the CDC recommends getting the hepatitis A vaccine if they're ages 1 to 40, or hepatitis A virus-specific immunoglobulin for people outside the age range.
Screening measures continue
The Hawaii Department of Health first recalled some frozen tuna products May 1 when samples from a local tuna canning company came back positive for the virus. The product shipments were then recalled from a few Hawaii retailers.
Hilo Fish Company reported additional cases of hepatitis A found in product samples it independently tested in mid-May.
The FDA is still taking samples and increasing screening measures on imported seafood from the companies.
Any company with questions about the recall or that has affected product and did not receive notice can contact the FDA at 1-800-SAFEFOOD.
