Protecting families from contaminated food and water
All fields are required
Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls,Salmonella on July 21, 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Dubai chocolate spread outbreak announcement in response to a Salmonella outbreak linked to the product.
But this situation dates back even further. In June, Make Food Safe reported an earlier version of this outbreak and recall. Which, at the time, was associated with a bulk pistachio cream product produced by the company and a particular Minnesota restaurant.
Here’s what we know about the current Dubai chocolate spread outbreak and related recall.
On July 16, 2025, the FDA announced a joint investigation between their organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with state and local partners.
This multistate outbreak investigation follows a Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to a pistachio cream product.
Emek Dogal Saglik Urunleri Iklim Gida Insaat San Tic Ltd Sti in Turkey is the established manufacturer.
Initially, the outbreak was attributed to bulk containers of pistachio cream. This product was sold in 5-kilogram tubs and generally used in food service and restaurants.
Additional testing of retail product samples indicate smaller packages sold primarily at World Market retail locations was a food source.
So far, there have been at least four illnesses associated with the Dubai chocolate spread outbreak. At least one patient required hospitalization. No deaths have been reported.
Three cases were reported in Minnesota. One case has been reported in New Jersey.
The last date of illness onset was May 19, 2025. However, a product like Dubai chocolate spread has a fairly long shelf life. Additional cases are likely.
The Dubai chocolate spread outbreak was discovered when the Minnesota Department of Health received reports of a cluster of Salmonella illnesses in May. Four people were sick with the same strain of Salmonella Oranienburg bacteria.
During the interview process, all outbreak patients indicated that they consumed pistachio cream. All but one said they ate pistachio cream from the same restaurant.
The Minnesota Department of Health collected samples from the imported pistachio cream product.
Not only did those product samples test positive for Salmonella bacteria. But they were also a genetic match to outbreak patient samples.
Emerk-brand Pistachio Cream products were determined as the source.
As more information has become available, the details of the Dubai chocolate spread outbreak investigation have developed.
The Maryland Department of Health collected additional samples of Emek-brand products containing pistachio cream on World Market retail location shelves.
Samples of now recalled Emek Spread Pistachio Cacao Cream with Kadayif tested positive for Salmonella bacteria. Additional testing to determine if this strain of Salmonella is a genetic match to sick patient samples is currently in progress.
In response, World Market has issued a recall of potentially implicated products.
Affected World Market products include a single batch number of Dubai chocolate spread products.
Emek Spread Pistachio Cacao Cream with Kadayif details:
Affected products were distributed between June 11, 2025 and July 9, 2025 and were primarily sold in World Market retail stores.
Product was distributed to 32 states, but only 2 of those states have confirmed cases. Minnesota with three cases and New Jersey with one case.
Distribution included Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The FDA is continuing to work on identifying if additional product recalls are necessary.
At first, the implicated product was food-service sized 5-kilogram containers of Emek pistachio cream. However, additional testing has connected Emek’s “Spread Pistachio Cacao Cream with Kadayif” to outbreak patients.
The latter, likely containing the manufacturer’s pistachio cream.
Is this a huge batch contamination event with the two contaminated products derived from a single tainted batch source? Or is this evidence of an ongoing issue at the pistachio cream plant?
This information is likely to surface as the Dubai chocolate spread outbreak investigation unfolds.
Salmonella is a microscopic germ responsible for salmonellosis illness.
The CDC estimates that Salmonella bacteria are responsible for around 1.35 million infections in the United States each year. Of those, around 26,500 people experience severe illnesses serious enough to require hospitalization. About 420 of those patients die from infection.
Many illnesses are mild enough that they go unreported. Most of the time people do not seek medical treatment and are therefore never tested for the bacterial infection.
Food is the most common source of these salmonellosis illnesses.
Salmonella bacteria are responsible for the intestinal illness, salmonellosis.
Common symptoms include:
Most people experience symptoms in as little as six hours and up to six days after exposure. In some cases, illness onset could be much longer.
Severity and length of illness often varies from person to person. Most people experience mild illnesses that passes quickly. Others may experience severe illness lasting weeks or even months after initial symptoms.
Most people, however, feel better within a week (four to seven days).
Certain groups of people have conditions or susceptibilities that make them more likely to become sick if exposed, and experience more severe symptoms if infected.
Those more vulnerable to Salmonella infection include:
Those more likely to experience sever symptoms include:
While most people do not need medical intervention and are not prescribed antibiotic treatment, those in the higher risk group are more likely to receive treatment.
In some cases, complications may arise from infection.
Most of the time Salmonella bacteria are limited to the intestinal tract. However, in some cases, the bacteria can breach the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream capillaries and veins found there. When this happens, bacteria may infect the urinary tract, blood, bones, joints, and even the nervous system.
Contributing to conditions like reactive arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and bacteremia that can affect other parts of the body.
If you have become sick with Salmonella illness after consuming Emk Dubai chocolate spread, The Lange Law Firm Can Help!
If you have been impacted by this outbreak and wish to make a legal claim, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Salmonella lawyer that can help. The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has successfully represented cases just like yours and won millions of dollars in food poisoning and products liabilities lawsuits.
Reach out by calling (833) 330-3663 or send us an email for a free, no obligation consultation.
Don’t wait. Call today to get the justice you deserve!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)