Disneyland Paris Visitors At Risk Of Listeria monocytogenes

Smoked salmon and salmon carpaccio served in three park restaurants recalled

Whenever I get frustrated over inadequate food safety recall or outbreak disclosures in the US or Canada, I am reminded of how much worse the situation is in France.

The following post appeared on a Disney forum on October 8th:

Just got this email regarding my recent stay. Anyone else get this email or know what happened? Luckily we didn't have the Salmon!

"Dear Sir / Madame,

From our most recent record we know that you have been staying at Disneyland Paris from September 25th until October 4th.

During the length of your stay, if you have eaten smoked or marinated salmon in one of the following restaurants please contact Disneyland Paris on +33160301091 or at dlp.guest.communication@disney.com.

* Café Mickey at Disney Village from Sept 29th until October 4th
* Inventions at the Disneyland Hotel on October 1st
* Chicago Steakhouse at Disney Village on September 26th Brunch


Thank you for your understanding,

Best regards

Disneyland Paris"

The explanation for this warning is contained in a notice to health care professionals released by France's Ministry of Health and Sports (Directorate of Health). According to the government notice – released earlier today (October 18th) – a "significant concentration" of Listeria monocytogenes was detected during the course of an official visit to a producer of salmon carpaccio, smoked salmon and marinated salmon.

The affected products – bearing expiration dates up to October 13, 2010 – were sold in retail stores throughout France and were served in restaurants, notably the Léon de Bruxelles chain, at Disneyland Paris and in Pino pizza restaurants as early as September 20th. The implicated production lots were withdrawn from distribution and recalled from the market; in addition, consumers were notified by posters beginning October 5th.

The government notice continues by reminding health care professionals that consumers may not be aware of the recall, or may not remember to avoid consuming the recalled product.

May I presume to point out that a recall, which is not posted on any government site, is not publicized in the media, and does not identify the producer or the brand name(s) of the recalled products, is very unlikely to catch the attention of consumers?

Today's RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Foods and Feeds) Portal contained a notification (#2010.1402) of "Listeria monocytogenes in smoked salmon and salmon carpaccio from France." The products were distributed to both France and Luxembourg. Consumers in both countries should beware of consuming any smoked salmon, marinated salmon or salmon carpaccio until it is clear that the recalled items are no longer available for sale or being served in restaurants.

Anyone with information on this recall, or who has seen one of the recall notification posters and can provide me with a legible scanned or photographed copy of the poster, please contact me by email so that I can publicize the information more widely.

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