Answers
08/23/1993

<TITLE>UNREFRIGERATED GARLIC-, SPICE-IN-OIL MIXES POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS</TITLE>
<PRE>

T93-39                                       Emil Corwin
Aug. 23, 1993                                (202) 205-4144

UNREFRIGERATED GARLIC-, SPICE-IN-OIL MIXES POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS

     FDA has been receiving inquiries about proper storage of
homemade and commercially prepared chopped garlic-in-oil, garlic-
in-butter and garlic-in-margarine mixes.  FDA is warning
consumers that such mixes, especially those prepared fresh at
home, should be kept refrigerated.  Left at room temperature, the
mixes may cause potentially fatal botulism food poisoning.  
     FDA also is cautioning dietitians and food service workers
who plan or prepare meals at hospitals, nursing homes and other
institutions about this matter.
     The following may be used to answer questions.
     Botulism is characterized by blurred or double vision,
speech and breathing difficulty and progressive paralysis.
     FDA's warning is an alert to consumers and food service
workers who may not know that garlic-in-oil and similar herb
mixes should be kept refrigerated.
     FDA issued a similar warning in March 1989, when three
persons were hospitalized in New York with botulism poisoning
after consuming a commercially prepared garlic-in-oil mix that
had been stored at room temperature despite a "Keep Refrigerated"
statement on the label. 
                           -MORE-     


                                         Page 2, T93-39, Garlic
     As a result of that incident, FDA ordered manufacturers to
stop making garlic-in-oil mixes that rely solely upon
refrigeration for safety.  FDA now requires that commercial mixes
contain specific levels of microbial inhibitors, usually
acidifying agents such as phosphoric or citric acid.  The
presence of these additives in commercially prepared garlic
products is disclosed on their labels.
     FDA recommends that consumers not prepare any homemade
spice-in-oil, -margarine or -butter recipes for extended storage
because the protective additives used in commercial mixes are not
generally available for homemade products.  Consumers are urged
to refrigerate all such products and to dispose immediately of
any products suspected to be spoiled or to have been stored
unrefrigerated.
     Clostridium botulinum bacteria are widespread in the
environment and may be found on various kinds of produce,
including garlic, but their spores are harmless in an oxygen
environment.  However, in an anaerobic (oxygen-free), low-acid
environment, the spores can proliferate and produce the toxin
that causes botulism.  FDA studies have shown that garlic-in-oil
mixtures can support Clostridium bacterial growth and toxin
production even when very few spores are present.
                              ####
                                
</PRE>