Meat recall prompts changes at Daniele

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) - A Burrillville food company that recalled salami in the wake of a nationwide salmonella outbreak said Sunday it has made changes to prevent it from happening again.

Daniele, Inc. recalled 1.2 million pounds of its pepper-coated salami last month, after nearly 200 people nationwide got sick after eating it.

Investigators with the Rhode Island Department of Health announced last week that black pepper used to make the salami had tested positive for salmonella bacteria . The pepper came from an open container at the plant. Health officials were still waiting Sunday for test results on closed containers of pepper, to conclusively determine if the spice was the source of the contamination.

In a statement posted on the company's website Sunday , Daniele , Inc. said it had already changed to a new supplier for its spices. It also said it would only used irradiated pepper from now on, and enforced stricter specifications for all the spices it uses.