-- Lost Hills, CA -- May 18, 2004 --
Paramount Farms today announced that it is voluntarily recalling from distribution whole natural raw almonds sold under the Kirkland Signature, Trader Joe’s and Sunkist brands. The almonds sold under the Kirkland Signature brand, available exclusively at Costco Wholesale Inc., were marked “raw almonds” and were packaged in three-pound, lay-flat plastic bags stamped with a “best before” date from 8/21/04 through 2/8/05.
For Trader Joe’s and Sunkist, the packages bear the “best before” dates of 8/21/04 through 3/15/05. The almonds sold by Trader Joe’s are in a one-pound lay-flat plastic bag marked “nonpareil variety raw almonds” and the almonds sold by Sunkist are in a 10-ounce lay-flat plastic bag marked “raw natural whole almonds.”
Paramount is taking this precautionary action after learning from the Food and Drug Administration that there are seven cases of illnesses from Salmonella Enteritidis in Alaska, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Utah. In all of these cases, the individuals who consumed California whole natural raw almonds recovered, and, in five of these cases, the individuals purchased the almonds from Costco Wholesale Inc. in Oregon.
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. 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.
“While no salmonella has been found in Paramount products, we have taken this aggressive step out of an abundance of caution and to assure our customers and consumers of the quality and safety of our products,” said David Szeflin, vice president, Operations. “We’re working diligently with the FDA and state health officials to make sure that any product that has not yet been consumed is returned.”
This is the first ever almond recall for Paramount Farms and there have never been any incidences of salmonellosis in the company’s history. Committed to quality product and customer safety, Paramount Farms employs state-of-the-industry equipment, procedures and sanitation methods that it believes comply with guidelines and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration, the California Department of Health Services and other appropriate state and federal regulatory bodies. The company is cooperating fully with the investigation.
“We’ve worked hard for more than 20 years to gain the loyalty and confidence of our customers,” Szeflin added, “and we intend to safeguard that trust.”
Consumers who purchased products with these best buy dates should return them to their local point of purchase for a full refund. Beginning Wednesday, May 19 at approximately noon PDT, consumers who have questions about the recall may call Paramount Farms
FDA Issues Alert on Additional Recalled Stocks of Paramount Farms
Raw Almonds
The Food and Drug Administration is advising distributors, wholesalers and consumers that a recall of raw almonds due to reports of Salmonella Enteriditis that was announced by Paramount Farms, Lost Hills, CA, on 5/18/04 has expanded. Before eating any raw almonds having a "best before" date of 8/21/04 or later, consumers are advised to check with the store where they purchased the product to see if the almonds came from Paramount Farms. FDA has learned that Paramount Farms distributed the recalled almonds in bulk or packaged nationwide to brokers, distributors and grocery store chains which in turn sold the almonds to consumers in a variety of package sizes with a variety brand names. The almonds were also distributed to Mexico, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, France, England and Italy.
The almonds have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella Enteriditis, an organism that 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. 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. Consumers who are experiencing symptoms that could be salmonellosis should consult their health care providers or their local health department.
Paramount Farms announced a limited recall on 5/18/04 of whole natural raw almonds sold under the Kirkland Signature, Trader Joe's and Sunkist brands. FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state health and agriculture departments are aware of approximately 18 reports of Salmonella Enteriditis possibly related to the consumption of the almonds now under recall. FDA continues to work with CDC and state and local agencies to investigate the source of this outbreak. Individuals who have purchased the recalled raw almonds should not consume them but instead return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
The almonds may be sold under other unknown brand names.
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http://www.fda.gov and look for the almond recall story the link will take you to the first half i posted above. look for fda phone number to find more info on it or click the link in that story to the press release, on that page on the bottom is the phone number to the farm's hotline call that and ask if your brand was included in the recall.
stay safe dont get
Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:2337, old post ID:19782
