Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc. recalled Starfish-brand cold-smoked salmon, halibut, and trout sold in eight-ounce vacuum packs after New York State agriculture inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes in product samples, the Food and Drug Administration said in an October 9 notice.
The Brooklyn importer’s voluntary recall covers lot number D139149161-153 with a labeled expiration date of December 1, 2027. Packages were imported from Latvia and sold under the Starfish Seafood Trio label. No illnesses had been reported to the company as of the FDA posting.
Who faces the highest risk
Listeria can cause serious infections in young children, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with weakened immune systems. Healthy adults may experience fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea, but the bacteria can also trigger miscarriages or stillbirths when pregnant people are exposed. Because the product is ready-to-eat smoked fish, there is no cooking step to kill the pathogen—discarding or returning the package is the safe move.
What to check in your kitchen
Look in refrigerator and freezer drawers for the Starfish logo on a clear vacuum bag. The FDA lists net weight as 8 oz (227 g). If your lot and expiration match, do not taste for spoilage; Listeria does not change smell or appearance. Retailers in the six affected states should pull remaining inventory, but home freezers may still hold purchases from earlier this fall.
Consumers can contact Krasnyi Oktyabr through the phone number listed on the FDA notice for refund instructions. Keep the packaging until store staff confirm lot codes—you will need the numbers printed on the back label.
When to call a doctor
Seek medical care if anyone who ate the fish develops high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, or loss of balance within two months of exposure; Listeria incubation can be long. Mention the recall and lot number to clinicians so public health labs can link cases if they appear.
October has brought a cluster of seed and seafood recalls tied to shared suppliers; this seafood case is unrelated to broccoli seed outbreaks but shares the same lesson: frozen and smoked foods are not automatically safe. When federal notices name a lot, believe the lot—not the sell-by date on your meal plan.
For retailers and caterers
Delis that repackage smoked fish should verify distributor invoices against lot D139149161-153 and pull any remaining inventory from display cases. Hot holding does not neutralize Listeria in ready-to-eat seafood; discard and sanitize surfaces that touched the packages.