Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin announced today that Georgia Department of Agriculture food scientists have found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Bright Water Smoked Salmon & Cheese Spread.

The contamination was found in a seven-ounce package marked BEST BY 060608. The UPC code is 1971100073. The spread is manufactured by Bright Water Seafoods, LLC, of Charlotte, N.C. 28217.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially serious disease. The most common manifestation of listeriosis is meningitis, which has symptoms of high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections to infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems such as persons with chronic diseases or taking chemotherapy for cancer.

“We have notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of today’s lab findings, and we are warning the public about the contamination,” said Commissioner Irvin. “We discovered this contamination as part of our sampling program. Sampling on a regular basis with a scientific protocol is a very important part of our food safety program.”