Contaminated Mousse Recall

What should have been the best business quarter in its 15-year history was a disaster for D’Artagnan Inc., New Jersey-based purveyors of specialty foods.

On Dec. 17, Maryland state health officials discovered Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in some of the company’s truffle mousse, necessitating a series of recalls that began with two batches of that mousse but eventually included 26 lines of delicacy pa^tes, mousses, terrines and confits. At least 11 cases of listeria poisoning have been reported in connection with the recall.

The bacterium is widely distributed, found in humans, livestock, wildlife and vegetation. It rarely causes illness in healthy adults but can be lethal for those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, fetuses and newborns. Symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. In some cases, it has caused spontaneous abortions.

“It is a very serious sickness, especially for people who are fragile to begin with,” says Ariane Daguin, D’Artagnan’s co-founder.

Over the holidays, the company received test results showing that listeria had been detected in the packaging room. “As soon as we learned that, my partner and I sat down and decided to recall everything,” Daguin says.

D’Artagnan has grown from modest beginnings to a work force of 112 and has annual sales of $22 million. Its products are sold through specialty shops and catalogs across the U.S. and Canada.

Augmenting three Department of Agriculture press releases issued on Dec. 17, 23 and 28, the company phoned 3,576 customers, sending written warnings by Federal Express where they found no answer or voice mail.

As New Year’s Eve approached, a hoarse and exhausted Daguin was still by the phone. “Hopefully, now everybody knows,” she said.

The reason for the contamination is unknown. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta had reported 11 cases in Connecticut, New York and Maryland.

Two days before the D’Artagnan incident, another New Jersey company, Foodarama Supermarkets Inc., based in Linden, recalled 900 pounds of assorted delicatessen products, also because of suspected listeria contamination.

USDA officials confirm that D’Artagnan’s was a voluntary recall. Daguin has yet to reckon the damages. “Just the cost of the Fed Ex alone is mind-boggling,” she says. “We don’t have recall insurance. I didn’t even know it existed. I also thought I had the cleanest premises going.”