Alert: Tuna sold at Kroger in Centerville, Austin Landing linked to scrombroid poisoning

The Ohio Department of Agriculture issued a public health alert Friday after Kroger stores at Austin Landing and Cornerstone sold fresh yellowfin tuna steaks linked to four scrombroid poisoning cases in Montgomery and Franklin counties.

The fish labeled “Tuna Yellowfin Steak Fresh Wild Caught” with sell by dates of Sept. 3 and Sept. 5 was purchased from two local Kroger stores: 5400 Cornerstone North Blvd. in Centerville and at 10101 Landing Way in Austin Landing, Miami Twp.

Scrombroid fish poisoning, also called histamine poisoning, can happen during processing from when the fish is caught to right before it ends up in the store. Symptoms resemble an allergic reaction and begin within two minutes to several hours after eating the fish.

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“Some of the symptoms would be a rash, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, so it can be uncomfortable for a period of time but it is treatable,” Dan Suffoletto of Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County said.

Unfortunately, the histamines are heat-resistant, so there’s nothing to prevent them, including cooking.

However, the health department does have one piece of advice to help protect you from this incident and future alerts.

“One of the best ways to heed warnings on a food recall is to make sure your shopper card is updated because once a store determines that a certain product is on a recall they can contact you through that information on the shopper’s card,” Suffoletto said.

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Anyone who has the tuna steaks from the Cornerstone or Austin Landing Kroger are urged to throw them out or return them.

Those with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness are urged to contact a physician immediately. While symptoms are mild for most people, the effects could last for several days.

Consumers with questions about food safety can contact ODA’s Division of Food Safety at 614-728-6250.