A public health alert was yesterday issued over salame sticks that may have been contaminated with salmonella.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service warned that salmonella outbreaks across eight states had been linked to ready-to-eat salame sticks produced by Citterio.

A recall, on the packs, which were also exported to Bermuda, was not issued because a specific batch had not identified and the potentially affected products were no longer available to retail customers.

The 2oz. packages, labelled as “Premium Italian-style Salame Sticks ALL NATURAL”, were produced before October 25 and had “best by” dates as late as January 23, 2022.

The FSIS appealed to anyone who still had packs of the sausages to throw them away or return them to the store where they were bought.

Salmonella, a form of bacteria, can cause a food-borne illness called salmonellosis, which leads to diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and a fever, between six hours and six days after infection.

The illness lasts four to seven days and usually passes without need for treatment.

But salmonellosis can lead to hospitalisation in some cases and is likely to be more severe in older people, infants and people with weakened immune systems.