A company that produces walnuts and trail mixes containing walnuts has agreed to a voluntary recall of its products due to possible contamination with Salmonella, the U.S. food and Drug Administration has announced.
Aurora Products Inc. is recalling the products sold at Giant food stores and Stop & Shop stores and some other retail outlets.
Aurora Products, based in Orange, Conn., is recalling the products distributed through retail stores in the U.S., Canada and in Bermuda.
The products have the potential of being contaminated with Salmonella, which can lead to serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly or frail, and in others with weakened or compromised immune systems, such as people with an HIV infection or who are undergoing chemotherapy, the FDA says.
Symptoms of Salmonella include abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever, which can develop within 8 to 72 hours of consuming a contaminated product.
Other symptoms include headache, chills, nausea and vomiting, with these symptoms lasting as long as a week.
In rare instances more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, arthritis and endocarditis can result from the Salmonella bacteria getting into the bloodstream, the FDA says.
Consumers who have purchased the identified products "are urged to not eat it and destroy the product or return it to the point of purchase," the agency said in a release.
At Giant stores, the affected products are Giant Walnuts, Cranberry Health Mix, Roasted Salt Mixed Nuts, Aurora Forest Bounty Trail Mix and Aurora No Salt Mixed Nuts.
In Stop & Shop stores, the products are sold under the same names but carry the Stop & Shop logo.
Aurora has instructed the retail chains to stop distribution of the identified products and remove them from store shelves.
The potential contamination was discovered during routine testing by an outside company, which contacted the FDA after finding the presence of Salmonella in a container of natural walnut products, the agency reported.
There have been no cases of illnesses reported to date, it said.
Consumers wishing more information can call Aurora Products at (800) 898-1048 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST from Monday through Friday, the FDA says.
They can also call Giant Food Customer service at (888) 469-4426 or Stop & Shop's Customer Service at (800) 767-7772.
Photo: Moyan Brenn | Flickr
