Pouches of Dehydrated Sliced Fruit Recalled Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination

Oregon Freeze Dry in cooperation with Costco is recalling pouches of dehydrated sliced fruit due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.  The product, packed exclusively for Costco under the Kirkland brand, was shipped to over 35 states.  While the potentially contaminated product had been removed from Costco, there is the possibility that consumers may still have suspect product.  There have been no reported illnesses.


FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm389177.htm
Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit Recalled Due to Possible Health Risk

Contact:Consumer:
1-888-641-2933
E-mail: recall@ofd.com
Media:
Pat Walsh
1-541-513-1236

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 13, 2014 – ALBANY, OR. – Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. of Albany, OR has voluntarily recalled 59,780 cases of Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit, produced exclusively for Costco Wholesale Stores. In cooperation with Costco, the company issued the recall after determining the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Precautionary recall measures began on Saturday, March 8, 2014. Consumers who may have purchased the product were contacted by phone and US. Mail, and a letter regarding the voluntary recall was posted on the Costco website. Furthermore, the affected product was removed from Costco floors. No confirmed cases of Salmonella poisoning from consumption of this product have been reported at this time, Any Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit that is currently available for purchase has been rigorously tested and is safe for consumption. No other products made by Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. are affected.

Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit is sold in a red and white case containing 20 pouches of freeze-dried snacks. Consumers who have purchased Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit with the following “Best Before Dates,” listed on the upper left corner of the front panel of the case, are urged to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Best Before Date: FEB 14 2015 - MAR 11 2015 (which reads FEB142015 - MAR112015)

Customers with questions may contact the company at recall@ofd.com. or 1-888-641-2933 (this line is staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time).

Cases of the potentially contaminated Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit were distributed to Costco Wholesale stores in the following locations: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico.

Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. is issuing the recall as a proactive safety precaution. Salmonella, is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Based in Albany, OR, Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. is the largest diversified food freeze dryer in the world, with the ability to freeze dry over 400 different food and pharmaceutical products. With over 50 years of experience, Oregon Freeze Dry has served the US military in every theater of combat since 1967, had its food on every Apollo mission, and fed explorers and adventurers in the most demanding environments in the world. Oregon Freeze Dry is committed to strict quality control, with experience processing under SQF (Level 2) and a variety of regulatory requirements, including USDA and FDA.