Pass on the pepper, please. Daniele International, a Rhode Island firm, has voluntarily recalled 1.24 million pounds of sausage products, including salami, which may be contaminated with salmonella. The company believes black pepper may be the culprit, but that’s not definite, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is still trying to find the cause and whether there’s more than one source.

As of Friday, January 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reports of 184 people from 38 states who had been infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Montevideo since July 1. No deaths have been reported so far, but at least 35 people have ended up in the hospital.
 
The investigation is proving to be a page-turner. Through interviews, CDC and public-health officials found that 11 of the sick people had bought the same type of sliced-salami variety pack from different retailers. A sample of a Daniele product sent to an independent lab also tested positive for Montevideo salmonella. But it doesn’t appear to be the same strain that the CDC has been tracking, nor is it the same product that the sick people bought.

(If this brings back memories of the Great Salsa Mystery in the summer of 2008, there’s good reason. For weeks, the government couldn’t pin down what was causing an outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. After tomatoes were given a reprieve, jalepeno peppers were fingered.)

Meanwhile, here’s advice about the suspect salami from the CDC:

• Recalled products may still be in grocery stores and in consumers’ homes including in the freezer. Recalled products should not be consumed. Consumers are advised to review the list of recalled products
• Consumer with questions regarding the recall should contact the Daniele International Hotline at (888) 345-4160 or its PR contact, Levick at (202) 973-1335.
• If you have a recalled product, do not eat it; return it to the place of purchase or dispose of in a closed plastic bag and placed in a sealed trash can to prevent people or animals, including wild animals, from eating it.
• No illness has been linked to salami products produced by other companies and labels.

And remember that infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are especially likely to develop severe illness. Call your doctor and notify state health officials immediately if you believe any food has made you sick.