Almond butters packaged for Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Kroger and Safeway stores make up a sizable portion of a Salmonella recall that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have highlighted since August 19. Officials are concerned that the recalled products could sit for months in home pantries, possibly expanding an outbreak of salmonellosis that has sickened people in Texas, Iowa, Connecticut and Tennessee. Peanut butter made by the same manufacturer, nSpired Natural Foods Inc., also was recalled due to the Salmonella outbreak, but the vast majority of labels involved in this recall are for almond butter, including various types packaged under the brand name MaraNatha.
“This product has a long shelf life, and it may still be in people’s homes,” the CDC said in a detailed statement on the outbreak. A total of 45 production lots are affected. “Even if some of the almond or peanut butter has been eaten without anyone becoming ill, you still need to throw away the rest of the product.”
The FDA has released photos of the affected product labels and it has published a listing of retail lots, including UPC codes and “Best By” dates, of the recalled almond butters and nut butters. “They have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella,” the recall notice states. The almond butter and peanut butter was packaged by nSpired in plastic and glass jars. CDC’s advice to consumers is to call the company for a refund and throw away the container. “When you throw away the product, put it in a closed plastic bag and place the bag in a sealed trash can. This will prevent people or animals from eating it,” the agency said.
In California, where most of the world’s almonds are grown, pasteurization is a routine safe-food processing step. In 2013, according to the Almond Board of California, the state produced 588 million pounds of the tree nuts. The 2014 harvest is currently under way. Almond butter has become more popular among natural food enthusiasts because it is rich in heart-healthy fats and contains more fiber than peanut butter. It also is a significant source of vitamin E.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) isolated the same strain of Salmonella Braenderup that has made people sick from environmental samples collected from an nSpired Natural Foods facility during routine inspections in January and July 2014. Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that almond and peanut butter manufactured by nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. is the likely source of this outbreak, according to the CDC.
