Thursday, August 21, 2014

Natural Almond Butter and Peanut Butter Recalled Due to Salmonella

 nSPIRED Natural Foods is recalling various brands of nut butter due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.  The contamination was discovered through FDA testing.  FDA reports that there may be 4 illnesses related to this product.

This comes one year after another nut butter - Salmonella contamination issue.  In 2013, Sunland Foods recalled, nut butter products due to Salmonella contamination.  It is interesting that some of the same brands recalled in that case were also recalled in this latest outbreak - Trader Joe's and Arrowhead Mills.  Is it bad luck or the lack of supplier control?

Salmonella has been a historical issue in nut products.  For one, Salmonella is much more heat resistant in dry products compared to moist products.  Cooking chicken to 165F will eliminate Salmonella, but in nut products, such as Almonds, 260F for 1.6 minutes is needed to achieve a 4 log reduction (GMA Industry Guideline for Safe Processing of Nuts).  Second, Salmonella can survive in the dry processing environment for years.  So the keys - process them correctly and put in measures to prevent cross contamination.


FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm410533.htm
nSPIRED Natural Foods, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Certain Retail Lots Of Arrowhead Mills® Peanut Butters, Maranatha® Almond Butters And Peanut Butters And Specific Private Label Nut Butters Because Of Possible Health Risk

Contact:   Consumer:  1-800-937-7008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 19, 2014 - nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling certain retail lots of Arrowhead Mills® Peanut Butters, MaraNatha® Almond Butters and Peanut Butters and specific private label nut butters (listed below) packaged in glass and plastic jars because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The potential risk was brought to the Company’s attention by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration following routine testing. The Company has received reports of four illnesses that may be associated with these specific products.

For specific lots and brands - http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm410533.htm

Brands include Arrowhead Mills, MaraNatha, Kroger No Stir Creamy Almond Butter 12 oz. Safeway Open Nature Almond Butter 12 oz. Trader Joe's Crunchy Raw Almond Butter 16 oz. and  Creamy Raw Almond Butter 16 oz. Whole Foods 365 Creamy Roasted Almond Butter 16 oz, 365 Crunchy Roasted Almond Butter 16 oz. and 365 Organic Creamy Roasted Almond Butter 16 oz.


nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. is committed to producing the highest quality products and our top priority is the safety of our consumers. For this reason we are initiating this voluntary recall of the products below as a precautionary measure.

The use-by date can be found on the top of the jar lid. The Company is currently working with customers and retailers to remove and destroy products with the above use-by dates from store shelves and warehouses.

Products were distributed across the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, and Dominican Republic. The products also were available for purchase on the internet.

The recall is being made with the knowledge of the FDA.

Consumers do not need to return the product to the store where it was purchased. Instead, consumers are urged to dispose of the recalled product and its container. Please contact the Company at 1-800-937-7008 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM CST for a replacement or refund, and with general inquiries.


CBS/AP
August 20, 2014, 1:49 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/peanut-almond-butters-recalled-due-to-salmonella-risk/

Peanut, almond butters recalled due to salmonella risk

NEW YORK -- nSPIRED Natural Foods is recalling some peanut and almond butter because of possible salmonella contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The company, a unit of Hain Celestial Group, said Tuesday there have been reports of four illnesses that may be related to the nut butters.

They were sold in glass and plastic jars under the brand names Arrowhead Mills peanut butters and MaraNatha almond butters and peanut butters. Also being recalled were some lots of private label almond butter from grocers Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Kroger and Safeway. A total of 45 production lots are affected.

They were sold in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates as well as the U.S.

nSPIRED said it learned of the contamination risk after routine FDA testing.

The FDA said it did not know how many jars of nut butters were recalled. The company would not comment.

Typical symptoms of salmonella infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. These symptoms generally develop within one to three days of exposure to the bacterium and may last for up to a week. While anyone can become ill from exposure to salmonella, health officials say the risk of infection is particularly high for children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

There have been several major salmonella outbreaks in recent years, including infected peanuts that sickened more than 700 people in 2008 and 2009 and Foster Farms chicken that is linked to a strain of salmonella that has made more than 500 people sick over the last year and a half.


Company Description (From Bloomburg Businessweek )http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=31102
nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. produces all-natural chocolate products. It offers baking chocolates, such as chocolate chips, carob chips, specialty chips, and bars and cocoa powders; bulk chocolate products, including chocolate almonds, chocolate covered fruit products, and baking chips; chocolate candies, which include candy bars and others; and dairy free and gluten free products, such as baking chips and candy bars. nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. offers its products online, and through natural and organic food stores in the United States. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in San Leandro, California. As of March 6, 2008, nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.

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