Salmonella prompts bell pepper recall in California

WASHINGTON

Orange County Produce LLC is recalling fresh red and green bell peppers in Southern California because they may be contaminated with Salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.

The recall involves Lot # SB 7 920, 923 and 924 containing 1,208 25-pound cartons of peppers that were distributed to wholesale foodservice establishments and farmers markets in Southern California between Sept. 21 and Sept. 24, 2013. The product was shipped in cases under the OC Harvest (25-pound cartons) labels. The product is typically sold to retail, foodservice and farmer's market level in bulk weight and has no retail packaging associated with it.

The recall was the result of a random sampling on Sept. 25, 2013 by the USDA revealed the presence of Salmonella on some of the product. OC Produce's recall and traceability program enabled the company to quickly identify the company field and harvest dates of the affected product, which originated in Southern California. OC Produce has ceased the distribution and harvest of product from the implicated field while the FDA, the California Department of Public Health and the company continue their investigation into the source of the contamination.