Kilwin’s Quality Confections, Inc. of Petoskey, MI, on Sept. 10 recalled all of our seven ounce packages of chocolate-covered peanuts, and bulk chocolate-covered peanuts, sold in our retail stores prior to April 1, 2009.

These package may be contaminated with Salmonella, 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.

Sometimes, an 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.

The recalled chocolate-covered peanuts were sold in Kilwin’s retail stores located in Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, Rhode Island, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

The product comes in a seven ounce, gold foiled plastic package with a clear center section, and is labeled "Milk Chocolate Peanuts" and "Fresh dry roasted peanuts covered in creamy milk chocolate", Kilwin’s Quality Confections, Petosky, MI 49770.

The barcode on the package is 001615. Additionally, the product was sold in bulk bins, by weight, at Kilwin’s retail stores.

No illnesses are yet associated with the recall.

The potential for contamination was noted after our peanuts supplier voluntarily recalled their product because these peanuts originally came from the Peanut Corporation of America’s now closed facility in Plainview, TX.

Kilwin’s products purchased at our stores on or after April 1, 2009 are not subject to this recall.