Big Island Company Recalls More Imported Ahi Tainted With Hepatitis A
It was distributed on the mainland but not in Hawaii. Last month, another subsidiary of the company distributed tainted tuna on Oahu.
The announced Thursday that frozen ahi products imported by a Hawaii seafood company and distributed to dozens of mainland establishments have tested positive for .
According to the FDA, , a subsidiary of CMU and Associates on the Big Island, is voluntarily recalling ahi cubes imported from Santa Cruz Seafood in the Philippines and 8-ounce ahi steaks imported from Sustainable Seafood Company in Vietnam.
The FDA said the products have been distributed to California, New York, Oklahoma and Texas — but not Hawaii. At least in California, Oklahoma and Texas — but none in New York — have sold the tainted ahi.
Hilo Fish began the recall May 18 — nearly three weeks after the announced that frozen ahi cubes imported from Indonesia by , another subsidiary of CMU and Associates, and distributed to a dozen Oahu establishments tested positive for hepatitis A.
The FDA said no reported cases of hepatitis A, which has an incubation period of two to six weeks, have so far been linked to the tainted ahi.
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Kerry Umemoto, president and chief operating officer聽of Hilo Fish, said the company’s safety protocols, which were established following last year’s hepatitis A outbreak, detected the tainted ahi.
“Based on last year’s (outbreak), we started taking it upon ourselves to start doing our own testing,” Umemoto said, noting that random testing is done on imported ahi products. “We are one of the very few companies that actually do the testing that is not required. We go above and beyond to ensure that products are safe for our customers.”
Umemoto said the company still works with its contractors in the Philippines and Vietnam, even though it has yet to figure out where the contamination took place.
“This hepatitis thing — as everyone knows, it’s a very spotty occurrence,” Umemoto said, noting that an additional testing has come out negative. “I have a full-time (quality control) staff working for me in Asia to travel all over and inspect the products we purchase. And the factories — they have necessary precautions to try to avoid all this stuff.”
