Salmon sold at BJ's recalled over listeria
Slade Gorton & Co., Inc. has recalled one lot of Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The affected products were sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club locations. The recall has renewed calls for stricter oversight in food supply chains.
The recalled 2-pound bags of Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon are marked with lot number 3896 and UPC code 888670025963. The affected salmon was sold between January 31 and February 7, 2026, in BJ's locations across seven states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The contamination was discovered after a random sample collected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tested positive for the bacteria. *Listeria monocytogenes* can survive and grow even in refrigerated conditions. For healthy individuals, symptoms are often short-term and include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, and diarrhea. However, the infection can be particularly dangerous for pregnant women, potentially leading to miscarriages and stillbirths. To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with this specific recall. This is not the first time Slade Gorton & Co. has issued a recall due to potential contamination. In 2008, the company voluntarily recalled its Icybay brand of frozen langostinos after a sample tested positive for *Listeria monocytogenes*. In 2017, Slade Gorton also recalled several tilapia products because they contained undeclared milk, an allergen. BJ's Wholesale Club has also seen recalls of its store-brand products. In 2020, its Wellsley Farms frozen shrimp was part of a larger recall by manufacturer Kader Exports due to potential *Salmonella* contamination. Other recalls at the wholesale club in recent years have involved products like mini quiches, granola bars, and various deli meats for issues ranging from foreign material contamination to undeclared allergens. Seafood is a frequent subject of food safety recalls. A 2023 analysis of FDA data from 2002 to 2022 found that *Listeria monocytogenes* accounted for 30% of all seafood recalls, and salmon was the single most recalled species. Undeclared allergens are another common reason for seafood recalls. The incident highlights the importance of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which aims to prevent foodborne illnesses rather than just respond to them. A key part of this is the Food Traceability Rule, also known as FSMA Section 204, which mandates more detailed record-keeping for high-risk foods to enable rapid tracking during outbreaks. Companies subject to this rule must be able to provide traceability data to the FDA within 24 hours of a request. The compliance deadline for this rule has been extended to 2028.
