The SoyNut Butter Company of Illinois is recalling all varieties of I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butters and all varieties of I.M. Healthy granola products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. A multistate outbreak linked to those products has sickened at least 12 people, most of them children.
These products were distributed in multiple states and may have been purchased in retail stores or through mail order. They were also distributed to childcare centers and schools.
All Best Buy dates of all varieties are being recalled. I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter is available in 15 ounce plastic jars, individual portion cups, 4 pound plastic tubs, or 45 pound pails. SoyNut Butter is available in Original Creamy, Chunky, Honey Creamy, Unsweetened and Chocolate. The granola has been packaged in individual serving packages, 12 ounce bags, 50 ounce bags, and 25 pound bulk bags. I.M. Healthy Granola is available in Original, Apple, Blueberry, and Raisin and Cranberry varieties. Best Buy dates can be seen on the labels of the containers stamped in silver or black. You can see pictures of the recalled products at the FDA web site.
Nine of nine people sickened in this outbreak reported eating I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter at home or at a childcare center the week before they got sick. That epidemiological evidence links the product to the ill persons.
If you purchased any of these products, do not eat them. Throw them away in a sealed or double packaged container so other people and animals can’t eat them, or take them back to the place of purchase for a refund.
If you ate one of these products and have experienced the symptoms of an E. coli infection or HUS, see your doctor immediately. Those symptoms include severe abdominal and stomach pain, diarrhea that can be bloody and/or watery, and a mild fever. If this infection is improperly treated with antibiotics or if the patient is under the age of five, it can develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The symptoms of HUS include little or no urine output, pale skin, a skin rash, easy bruising, lethargy, and bleeding from the nose or mouth.
