The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is alerting consumers to not eat fresh cilantro that was sold at certain stores after routine testing by the Department found a sample of the product to be contaminated with Salmonella. MDA is working with the FDA and the State of California regulatory agencies to determine the source of this product.

The fresh cilantro was sold in bunches that were shipped to retail stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan between July 26 and August 6, 2012. A list of stores where the product was sold is available on the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us. All retail stores that received this cilantro have been notified to remove this product from store shelves. This advisory applies only to cilantro shipped to the stores within the July 26-August 6 time frame.

MNcilantro.jpgMDA advises consumers who have purchased the cilantro bunches to not consume them and to throw them out or return them to the store where purchased for a refund. No confirmed illnesses have been reported in association with this cilantro.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in very young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. Anyone who believes they may have become ill with Salmonella should contact their health care provider.