SANTA ANA, CALIF. – The parents of a toddler filed a lawsuit against Euro Foods Inc., doing business as Citterio USA, on behalf of their son who became ill after eating Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salami Sticks. In November, Freeland, Pa.-based Euro Foods launched a recall of approximately 119,091 lbs of salame stick products.

Marler Clark, a law firm specializing in food safety related litigation, said Michelle Wernli and Evan Aldrich’s 2 ½-year-old son consumed at least one Citterio salami stick that was part of the recall.

The law firm said, “The toddler woke up during the night with a fever and later developed diarrhea, which eventually turned bloody. When he began experiencing severe stomach cramping his parents sought medical care. Following a telemedicine appointment, a stool culture was ordered and came back positive for Salmonella. L.A. [the toddler] has been confirmed as being part of the Citterio brand salami stick outbreak and is home now recovering from his illness.”

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture along with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and state public health departments were investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella infections in 10 states.

FSIS previously issued a public health alert for the salami stick products on Oct. 29, 2021, believing that the snack sticks were no longer in commerce. However, after issuing the alert, FSIS observed product available at one retail location and two Citterio salami stick samples previously collected by the California Department of Public Health have tested positive for Salmonella, the agency said.

“This is an unusual outbreak,” said William Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark. “Over the last several years outbreaks linked to cured meats have been rare. This fecal bacterial contamination likely occurred due to a failure in curing or cross-contamination after processing.”

The plaintiffs are seeking no less than $300,000 for incurred costs, and any other relief to which they may be entitled.