Salmonella Scare Prompts Recall

A cajun dressing mix distributed in nine states has been recalled because of possible salmonella contamination after 62 people fell ill at a Louisiana wedding, according to an Associated Press report. Savoie's Sausage & Food Products Inc., Opelousas, LA., is voluntarily recalling about 500,000 pounds of frozen Savoie's Dressing Mix, officials at USDA said.

The problem was discovered after the product was served at an Aug. 15, 1998 wedding in Louisiana and linked to 62 illnesses, including nine people admitted to a hospital for fever and diarrhea. Product samples tested positive for salmonella, officials said.

Real Cajun! Savoie's Dressing Mix is a regional ground pork and chicken product in gravy that is usually prepared with rice. The recall encompasses all one-pound uncoded packages of the product and affects no other products. The product was distributed to retail food stores in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.