DRY SAUSAGE RECALLED FROM NORTHEASTERN STATES FOR UNDERPROCESSING 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 1998 --Ideal Sausage Co., a South Hackensack, N.J., food processing firm, is voluntarily recalling about 30,000 pounds of its dry fermented sausage products distributed mainly to New York City and northeastern states because some of the product was underprocessed and may have the potential of causing serious illness if eaten, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today. 

The following brand names are being recalled: Ideal Sausage Co. Inc., Corrado's, Salmartino, Calabria, Prestia, Piedmont Provision Co. Inc., Liguria, Savona, and Maglio. All packages with these brand names and with no code date on the label are being recalled. "Est. 7543" appears inside the USDA inspection seal on the product label. Any package with a code date of January 6 and later is not included in the recall. The products were distributed primarily to retail food stores in New York City, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and to other northeastern states. 

"Because of the potential hazard, we urge consumers to avoid eating the recalled products," said Thomas J. Billy, administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "We urge consumers who may have purchased suspect product to return it to the place of purchase," Billy said. 

USDA learned of the problem after laboratory tests requested by a distributor indicated that some of the product already shipped to stores may have been underprocessed. 

Common symptoms of foodborne illness include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea; and, in some cases, flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, and headache. 

Consumers with questions about the recall may phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The Hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. 

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