North Carolina Producer Sued Over Salmonella Outbreak

A Florida woman is suing a western North Carolina company, saying she suffered in the recent salmonella outbreak because of the tempeh maker.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported a nurse, Mary Ann Hurtado of Jacksonville, Fla., said she suffered shaking, headache, vomiting and diarrhea after eating the food in March.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Asheville against Smiling Hara LLC of Mars Hill as well as a Maryland company that makes the culture used to make the bean product.

No one at Smiling Hara returned a phone message Wednesday morning. The voice mailbox for the Maryland company, Tempeh Onlline, was full.

Nearly 90 North Carolina residents said they were ill after the outbreak that started this spring. The most recent case was reported May 23.