The California Department of Public Health announced today that Olivier brand Parmesan & Asiago Dip with Garlic & Basil was being recalled by Olivier Olive Oil Products, Inc. of Saint Helena, California, due to potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism.  The dip was distributed to Williams-Sonoma retail stores nationwide and to Olivier Napa Valley retail stores in Truckee and St. Helena, California. 

The product was distributed to William-Sonoma retail stores nationwide and to Olivier Napa Valley retail stores located in Truckee and St. Helena, California.

Dip recalled for BotulismThe lot codes on the jars of dip being recalled include:

• OPA 34171
• OPA 23471
• OAP 17271
• OAP 17671
• OAP 36061
• OAP 36161
• OPA 33961

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly found in soil. The bacteria are anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming rods that produce a potent neurotoxin. These rod-shaped organisms grow best in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria form spores that allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support their growth. The organism and its spores are widely distributed in nature. They occur in both cultivated and forest soils, bottom sediment of streams, lakes, and coastal waters, in the intestinal tracts of fish and mammals, and in the gills and viscera of crabs and other shellfish.

Foodborne botulism is a severe type of food poisoning caused by the ingestion of foods containing the potent neurotoxin formed during growth of the organism. The incidence of the disease is low, but the disease is of considerable concern because of its high mortality rate if not treated immediately and properly. Most of the 10 to 30 outbreaks that are reported annually in the United States are associated with inadequately processed, home-canned foods, but occasionally commercially produced foods are implicated as the source of outbreaks. Sausages, meat products, canned vegetables, and seafood products have been the most frequent vehicles for foodborne botulism.