Salmonella Blog - Surveillance & analysis on salmonella news & outbreaks

John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. of Elk Grove Village, Illinois has announced a voluntary recall Tuesday of products containing raw whole and diced almonds because of possible salmonella contamination.

The company is recalling its California Mix products under the Evon's brand in 11-ounce packages and in 1-pound, 5-ounce unbranded packages showing a "Distributed by John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc." sticker on the back.

The company said the recalled nuts were distributed in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan.
 

In the wake of a salmonella outbreak that may be linked to raw almonds, the Almond Board of California has called for pasteurization of the nut.

A nationwide recall last month followed the salmonella outbreak.

"By March 2005, we expect to have 100% industry compliance with a pasteurization step for raw almonds," aid Richard Waycott, president and chief executive officer of the industry's grower-funded marketing system that sells more than 1 billion pounds of almonds every year. He noted that the step will be voluntary at first. Industry officials will ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make the step mandatory, and Waycott said he expects that could happen sooner than March.

Some who sell raw almonds -- many of them organic -- expressed concern about how pasteurization could affect their sales. Marcie Baugher, owner of Baugher Ranch Organics in Orland who sells some raw almonds, is among those concerned about the possibility of losing customers.

"Are we going to steer away from every form of raw food available?" she asked. "Some people do not want processed foods, they want living foods."

Ninety-five percent of almonds already undergo processing that leaves them dry- or oil-roasted, slivered, blanched, flavored or used in processed foods.
 

The El Paso Grande grocery store in Aurora, Illinois is reopening after being closed for about two weeks because of a salmonella outbreak linked to the store. Fred Carlson, environmental health director for the Kane County Health Department, said Tuesday afternoon tests cleared enough store employees so the store could reopen.

The Health Department confirmed 20 cases of salmonella, 19 of them to county residents, and a total of 33 probable cases.

While the source was linked to the deli section of the store where food was prepared and sold, Gross said officials needed to find out if the contamination came into the store from the food or if it was improper food handling that caused the poisoning.
 

Researchers may never know exactly how salmonella tainted 13 million pounds of California almonds this year, but they are learning more about the organism that can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, infections.

The fact that salmonella enteritidis was recently found in almonds, while rare, may not be altogether surprising since almonds are shaken to the ground, and inevitably mix with dust during the harvesting process.

Ali Bay California reports that to date, 29 patients in 12 states and Canada have reported cases of the food-borne illness that has been traced back to raw almonds shipped from Los Angeles-based Paramount Farms Inc. Millions of packages of natural, raw almonds have been recalled internationally as state and federal regulatory agencies continue to investigate how the almonds became contaminated.
 

Bucks County Distributors is conducting a voluntary recall on its distribution of California Dyno Trail Mix that contains raw whole almonds due to the possibility of contamination with salmonella enteritidis. The recalled trail mix are packed in 4 ounce clear plastic containers, 1 gallon Ziploc bags, and 12 pound clear plastic counter dispenser.

This recall is in follow-up to a voluntary recall announced in mid-May by Paramount Farms of California of whole and diced raw almonds based on over 20 possible cases of illnesses associated with almonds.

Bucks County Distributors distributes the product to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
 

Penzeys Spices has expanded its recall of Hungarian Sweet Paprika, sold nationwide, because of possible salmonella contamination.

The expanded recall comes weeks after Penzeys recalled packages of another paprika version, Hungarian Half-Sharp, and some of its Hungarian Sweet Paprika, because of possible salmonella contamination.

The product comes in 1.2-ounce plastic jars, 2.5-ounce glass jars and in 4-, 8- and 16-ounce bags.
 

Seattle food-safety attorney Bill Marler, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of a Kennewick, Wash., family who fell ill after eating Paramount-produced almonds, said there could be more lawsuits to come against Paramount.

Marler said his firm, Marler Clark, which specializes in foodborne illness litigation, is currently investigating 250 claims "directly connected" to almonds.

The almond giant voluntarily recalled 13 million pounds of raw almonds after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported 25 cases of salmonella linked to the product, but the number of consumers who say they were sickened by salmonella-tainted almonds has risen to 29.

 

Fort Fudge Shop Inc. has joined at least 13 other Michigan companies in a voluntary recall because of possible salmonella contamination in almonds, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The recall covers 6-ounce packages of vanilla nut fudge sold under the Fort Fudge Shop Inc. label between August 2003 and June 2. The fudge should be returned to the store where it was bought for a full refund, company spokeswoman Traci Barrette said.

The almonds were purchased from Paramount Farms of California, which is recalling 13 million pounds of almonds after more than two dozen cases of salmonella were reported in 10 states, including Michigan.

The vanilla nut fudge is the only one of Fort Fudge's 22 flavors that contains almonds, Barrette said.

Apple Valley Natural Foods said it was also voluntarily recalling its raw whole almonds packaged as Almonds-Whole Raw Natural and distributed in Michigan and Illinois. The one-pound packages were sold under the Apple Valley Vegetarian Foods Emporium label.
 

Raw poultry and meat are still the biggest culprits in the thousands of salmonella infections annually, but inspectors are finding more outbreaks blamed on contaminated produce and dry goods.

A farmer in Kent recalled alfalfa sprouts sold to food institutions in Washington and Oregon because of their recent link to 12 cases of salmonellosis. A grower in California recalled 13 million pounds of raw almonds because of outbreaks in Western states. Lettuce, orange juice, cheese and melon are other foods that have been found in the past year to cause salmonella infections.

Janet Anderberg, with the food safety program at the state Department of Health, said accidentally ingesting salmonella is fairly easy. One big cause of infection is melon, particularly cantaloupe.

"Imagine what a cantaloupe looks like," Anderberg said. The rough rind can trap dirt and "other stuff" in its crevices. Now, how do you eat cantaloupe? You take a big knife and slice through down the middle," Anderberg said. "When you do that, you drag everything from the skin down over the smooth, sweet, juicy part."

Another way to spread the bacteria is at the grocery store. Not only can salmonella spread in the juices that drip from packages of raw meat, but because the bacteria can survive for weeks, salmonella could be on the shopping cart.

But a lot of risk can be avoided by exercising good hygiene.

"When you're handling food, wash your hands," Anderberg said. "Don't just rinse them off, wash them, scrub them."
 

A cluster of Salmonella Enteritidis cases marked by a distinctive pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern has been identified in the United States and traced to consumption of natural raw almonds.

To date, 32 cases have been identified with onsets between March 2003 and April 2004. The almonds, from Paramount Farms, California, were sold across the United States under several brands and exported to China, Province of Taiwan, Democratic Republic of Korea, France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has recalled the product and notified those countries who received the almonds, according to the World Health Organization.
 

Oak Park Penzeys Spices have pulled Hungarian Half-Sharp Paprika from shelves of their 17 retail stores last week fearing possible salmonella contamination. The recall began Thursday after routine testing by the state of Florida revealed the presence of salmonella in some 2.5-ounce jars of the paprika.

The paprika is sold in 2.5-ounce glass jars, 1.3-ounce plastic jars and 4-, 8- and 16-ounce bags.

John Tillison, operations manager at Penzeys Spices based in Brookfield, Wisconsin, hopes to have paprika back in the stores and for mail order by the end of this week. "What we have here is fine. It's been tested," Tillison said, referring to bulk paprika the company had on hand in Wisconsin.
 

Federal regulators have received reports of 25 people falling ill and recalled 13 million pounds of raw almonds supplied by Paramount Farms in California.

The size of the recall announced this past week is likely to grow as federal investigators continue to identify distributors and repackagers of almonds that originated from Paramount, which grows its almonds in the heart of California's Central Valley.

The recall covers millions of packages sold under a variety of brand names across the country as well as almonds shipped to eight countries. The FDA has received reports of salmonella enteritidis, a type of food poisoning, in at least six states so far.

No fatalities have been reported.

The industry has spent about $4 million to improve manufacturing and agricultural practices and has been examining technologies, including pasteurizing the almonds with low heat or gas, to prevent salmonella contamination.

Heat, which can come from any kind of cooking, roasting or commercial processing of almonds, is usually sufficient to kill bacteria, experts said. Blue Diamond, a cooperative that represents about two-thirds of California's almond growers, began pasteurizing their almonds three years ago after the last outbreak.

Paramount Farms has not pasteurized raw almonds in the past, but two weeks ago it began to use a gas method of pasteurization for all of its raw almonds.

California accounts for 100 percent of U.S. almond production and expects production to grow by at least 50 percent over the next five years. California also produces about 80 percent of the world's almonds.

Scientifically, it is possible to treat the almonds, then return them to the marketplace. That was done after the 2001 outbreak, although in that case, most of the almonds had been shipped in bulk and had not yet made it to smaller packages.

It is not known yet if the recalled almonds will be treated and returned to store shelves.