The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat, sell or serve any cold smoked sprats sold by Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc. due to potential Clostridium botulinum contamination.

The warning covers all lots of cold smoked sprats sold by D&M Smoked Fish Inc., doing business as Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc. of Jamaica, New York. The product is sold in bulk cardboard boxes and shipped refrigerated, and may be frozen for up to one year. The FDA said it may have been sold at restaurants and grocery store seafood counters with or without a label.

The sprats were sold to retailers, restaurants, wholesalers and food service customers in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and may have been distributed further. According to the FDA, an inspection found the company was producing the sprats without the required food safety controls to prevent botulism growth and toxin formation. The agency recommended the company recall all cold smoked sprats currently on the market, but the company has declined.

The warning is of particular relevance to kosher consumers. Haifa Smoked Fish is a kosher smoked fish producer which states its products are under the supervision of the Orthodox Union. Because the product may have been sold loose at fish counters with no label, consumers who recently purchased cold smoked sprats may have no packaging to identify its origin.

The FDA advises consumers who are unsure whether their cold smoked sprats are from Haifa Smoked Fish to throw them away or contact their place of purchase, and to carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers the product touched.

Symptoms of botulism include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, blurred or double vision, difficulty speaking or swallowing, and descending paralysis. Botulism is a medical emergency, and anyone experiencing symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.