China suspends imports of nuts from US Sunland

BEIJING -- China on Friday said it will suspend import of nuts produced by US Sunland Inc over Salmonella outbreaks.

Quarantine branches will step up checks on nuts or nut products from the United States, as well as postal goods and luggage carried by passengers, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Parts of nuts and nut products from Sunland Inc have been linked with Salmonella outbreaks. Forty-one people have fallen ill in 20 US states with ten of them being hospitalized, according to the World Health Organization international food safety network.

The company has been recalling products in 200-plus production batches, including those sold through the Internet. The shelf life of the products vary with the longest being October 2013, according to the administration.

The original recall initiated by the company on September 24, included peanut butter and other nut butter products. They were produced in a separate building from where raw and roasted peanuts are processed, according to the company in a statement issued by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The company on October 12 extended its ongoing voluntary recall to include raw and roasted shelled and in-shell peanuts processed in its processing plant. This was because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, the statement said.

The symptoms of Salmonella infection usually appear 12-72 hours after infection, and include fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. The illness usually lasts between four and seven days, and most people recover without treatment, according to the WHO.