FDA Warns Against Haifa Cold Smoked Sprats Over Botulism

Most recalls end with a company pulling product off shelves. This one didn’t, and that’s exactly why it’s worth your attention.

The FDA asked for a recall. The company said no.

On October 23, 2026, the FDA issued a public safety alert about cold smoked sprats sold by D&M Smoked Fish Inc., doing business as Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc., out of Jamaica, New York. During an inspection, the FDA found the company wasn’t using the controls required to prevent Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria behind botulism, from growing and producing toxin in the product.

Normally, this is the point where a company issues a voluntary recall. Here, the FDA says it recommended exactly that, and Haifa Smoked Fish declined. So instead of a recall notice, we got a public warning telling retailers, restaurants, and wholesalers not to sell or serve the product at all.

Where the sprats went

The cold smoked sprats were sold in bulk cardboard boxes, shipped refrigerated, and the FDA notes they can be frozen for up to a year, which matters, because it means product from months back could still be sitting in a freezer somewhere. Confirmed distribution covers Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, with the FDA cautioning that it may have reached further. Some of it was reportedly sold at restaurants and seafood counters without clear labeling, which makes “check the package” harder advice to follow than usual.

What to actually do

• Don’t eat, sell, or serve cold smoked sprats from Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc., in any lot.
• If you bought smoked fish from a counter and aren’t sure of the source, don’t eat it: throw it away or contact the place you bought it.
• Clean and sanitize any surface, cutting board, or container that touched the product.
• Botulism symptoms can take anywhere from 6 hours to 10 days to show up: blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, muscle weakness. If any of that happens after eating smoked fish, get medical help immediately. It’s not something to wait out at home.

If you want fish without the guessing game

I’d rather know exactly where my fish came from, especially with something cold-smoked and unpasteurized. If you’re craving fish tonight, my lemon garlic butter salmon with asparagus is cooked through in the pan, not cold-smoked, and it’s on the table faster than a trip to a seafood counter anyway.

Sources

• FDA: FDA Advises Not to Eat, Sell, or Serve Cold Smoked Sprats Sold by Haifa Smoked Fish, Inc. (October 23, 2026)
• Food Safety News: FDA issues warning about cold smoked fish because of botulism risk; company refuses to recall product