Short answer: a 2018 Salmonella Concord outbreak linked to tahini caused eight confirmed illnesses in four US states. FDA's 2025 retrospective identifies a November 23, 2018 recall by Israeli producer Achudt Ltd. as one of the product actions associated with the investigation.
This article summarizes public FDA outbreak data. The company named in the report is not identified as an FDABridge client. FDA reported no hospitalizations or deaths in the 2018 outbreak.
What happened in the Israeli tahini case?
Tahini is a ready-to-eat paste made from sesame seeds, so a consumer normally does not apply a kill step before eating it. In the October 2018 outbreak reviewed by FDA, Salmonella Concord illnesses were confirmed in four states. The agency's recall table associates the outbreak with tahini products recalled by Achudt Ltd. on November 23, 2018.
FDA placed that episode in a larger pattern. Between 2011 and August 2025, the agency reviewed four US outbreaks linked to the tahini-and-Salmonella food-pathogen pair. Together they accounted for 61 confirmed illnesses across 22 states, with ready-to-eat tahini or hummus containing tahini confirmed as the linked food.
Why can Salmonella persist in a low-moisture food?
Low water activity may prevent Salmonella from multiplying, but it does not guarantee that the organism is absent or quickly dies. A contaminated seed lot, an inadequate lethality step, dust movement, equipment design, poor separation after roasting, or environmental recontamination can carry the pathogen into finished tahini.
FDA's aggregated review of firms connected to the four outbreaks found recurring deficiency categories involving sanitary operations, cooking or holding temperature, facility maintenance and design, sanitary facilities and controls, and pest or animal intrusion. Those findings describe the group of inspected firms, not a finding that every deficiency occurred at Achudt Ltd.
What controls should tahini and sesame processors strengthen?
- Approve sesame suppliers using risk-based history, specifications, audits, and verification rather than a purchase certificate alone.
- Validate the lethality process for the actual seed, equipment, load, time, and temperature conditions used commercially.
- Physically and operationally separate raw-seed handling from post-kill processing and packing areas.
- Use an environmental monitoring program designed for a dry or low-moisture facility and investigate positive findings to their root cause.
- Maintain lot-level traceability from incoming sesame through finished tahini, customer shipment, and recall communication.
Quick answers for tahini exporters
Does low water activity eliminate Salmonella risk?
No. Salmonella may survive for long periods in low-moisture foods, so prevention, a validated kill step where applicable, and protection against recontamination remain essential.
Did the four tahini outbreaks come from one Israeli company?
No. FDA's 61-illness total combines four outbreaks from 2011 through 2019 and multiple product actions. The Israeli recall discussed here was associated with the 2018 outbreak of eight confirmed illnesses.
Verified public sources
- FDA Foodborne Outbreak Overview of Data report on Salmonella in tahini, September 2025: https://www.fda.gov/media/188919/download
- FDA Import Alert 99-19 for foods containing Salmonella: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_263.html
FDABridge helps sesame and ready-to-eat food manufacturers align registration, hazard analysis, supplier controls, labels, and import readiness. Visit fdabridge.com/food or fdabridge.com/contact.
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