It's nuts. Actually, it's nut butter. The Hain Celestial Group is recalling some of its nut butters because of salmonella contamination.
Its company, nSpired Natural Foods, Inc., said it received reports of four illnesses potentially related to the peanut and almond butters it manufactured. The brand names were Arrowhead Mills peanut butters, MaraNatha almond and peanut butter and some almond butters from grocers at Whole Foods, Trader Joes's, Kroger and Safeway.
The recalled butters were sold in the US as well as Canada, Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic and the United Arab Emirates. The butters were also sold online.
The company realized the contamination risk after routine FDA testing. The FDA said it did not know how many jars were recalled, and the company would not comment.
The CDC estimates salmonella to be the cause of 1.2 million illnesses in the US. It is estimated to be responsible for 450 deaths. Symptoms for people with Salmonella are diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after consuming the contaminated food.
The illness may last between four to seven days, some patients manage to recover without treatment, but sometimes, the diarrhea is so severe that the patient has to be hospitalized.
The company says that it is also working with customers and retailers to remove and destroy all of the contaminated products.
According to the FDA's press release, rare circumstances of salmonella can result in arterial infection, endocarditis and arthiritis.
The risk for infection is particularly high for young children and elderly adults and those with compromised immune systems.
Recent years have seen several outbreaks of salmonella, including one such incidence of infected peanuts affecting more than 700 people in 2008 and 2009. Foster Farms chicken also had a strain of salmonella that made more than 500 people sick in the last year and a half.
Consumers who have bought the contaminated products should dispose of it or contact the Company at 1-800-937-7008 for a replacement or refund. A full list of the recalled peanut butters and almond butters can be found on the FDA website.
