At least two Santa Paulans possibly
sickened by recalled almond butter
August 27, 2014
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
At least two Santa Paulans have reported becoming sick after eating a house-labeled almond butter recalled by the manufacturer due to a potential risk of salmonella, which can be fatal.
“It was awful,” said a Santa Paula woman who didn’t want to give her name. “I got terribly sick a few hours after eating almond butter but didn’t go to the doctor, I could barely move! I can’t say for sure it was, but I got sick in a way I’ve never been before.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated they were notified this week of the voluntary recall of several types of peanut butter and almond butter including some from popular boutique supermarkets Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
All the jars were produced by NSpired Natural Foods and sold under the brand names Arrowhead Mills and MaraNatha. The firm also makes peanut butter and almond butter sold under private labels for Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Kroger and Safeway.
According to the FDA the potential risk was discovered during routine product testing; its public notice also noted that there had been a handful of complaints of illnesses associated with peanut and almond butters.
Salmonella, states the FDA, 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.”
Potentially contaminated jars have “sell by” dates ranging from December 2014 to July 2015; the FDA notes such information appears on the top of the lid.
Possibly contaminated 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.
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.
In total more than 40 different types of peanut and almond butters are on the recall list, which can be viewed in full on the FDA website,
www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm410533.htm
