Salmonella Suspicion Once Again Strikes Telma

Once again, cereal maker Telma has a salmonella problem to cope with. After discovering the food-borne bacteria in boxes of corn flakes last month, the company is investigating the presence of salmonella in over 50,000 boxes of its Cariot cereal, a favorite among young children. The cereal was produced on the same production line as the corn flakes, TheMarker reported.

First signs of a problem emerged on Tuesday, when routine lab tests showed that the bacteria was present in some boxes of cereal. More extensive tests were conducted Thursday and the results are set to come in on Friday.

The cereal is still in warehouses, the company said; none have made it to supermarket shelves and are likely to be destroyed. “After an examination of the factory, we have tracked all the suspect boxes and they have been placed in isolation,” the company said in a statement. “If tests return positive for salmonella, a program for destruction of the cereal will be implemented. We wish to clarify that all products currently on supermarket shelves are perfectly safe.”

Meanwhile, Globes reported that the Sabra salad company may have accidentally released infected product to markets. An examination of its production lines Wednesday indicated that there was the possibility of salmonella poisoning in numerous areas of its factory, although salads that were sent for examination came up negative for contamination.

The company informed the Health Ministry that it needed to undertake several actions in order to ensure that the production facilities were completely free of salmonella. However, according to Globes, the company distributed salads made in the facility this week before those steps were undertaken. Osem-Nestlé, the owner of the Sabra brand in Israel, refused to inform Globes which salads were distributed after the suspicion of salmonella was detected, saying only that “a small number of tehina and hummus salads were affected,” and that they had been tracked down and recalled.

Earlier in the week, the Health Ministry ordered Sabra to stop distributing salads from the factory in question. Wholesalers told Globes that despite those orders, company representatives approached them about making and delivering orders.