When it learned that one of its suppliers had equipment contaminated with salmonella, Dunkin’ Donuts removed hot chocolate and its Dunkaccino beverages from its menu.

 

Behind that action was the decision by Minnesota’s Plainview Milk Products Cooperative to recall all the instant nonfat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers and gums or thickening agents that it has manufactured over the past two years because of possible Salmonella contamination.

 

“Product safety is our first priority and none of the Plainview products that were tested by government agencies and our independent labs found any signs of product contamination," Dallas Moe, coop general manager says. " After the product cleared quality testing and left our facility it was blended with other ingredients and that’s when contamination was found, but in situations like this it’s in the public’s best interest to be overly cautious.”

 

Further, according to the coop:

 

Plainview sells its products to other customers who may then incorporate them into their own products. Testing by the USDA of a product produced by one of Plainview’s customers found Salmonella. The product that was produced, a dairy shake powder, contained Plainview product that had been dry blended with a number of other ingredients not manufactured by Plainview.

As part of an investigation by the FDA prior to the recall, environmental and product testing was conducted at the Plainview facility. Product testing found no contamination. Environmental testing (swab samples from walls, ceilings, floors, and equipment) found some positive test results for Salmonella. Plainview is presently in the process of disassembling all equipment in question for cleaning and is taking other precautionary measures such as the use of anti-microbial surface coatings in order to ensure environmental safety.

 

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued this press release on the coop’s recall.