The MaraNatha almond butter plant linked to a national outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup was observed to have food safety flaws ranging from hard-to-clean floors, imperfect almond-moving equipment, a hand-washing issue and a dirty food-contact surface, according to FDA inspection documents obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin. The observations of five FDA inspectors cover visits they made to the plant in Ashland, Oregon, from July 15 through August 29. The top finding was a positive result from floor swabs that found Salmonella bacteria under two different cooling towers. The towers handle pasteurized almonds. A variety of MaraNatha brand almond butters were recalled by the inspired Natural Foods plant on August 19 because of potential contamination with Salmonella. Also recalled by … [Read more...]
Almond Butter Salmonella Outbreak Includes High Risk Ages: 3, 83
The Salmonella outbreak linked to almond butter and peanut butter sold at Tradee Joe's, Whole Foods, Safeway, Kroger and other stores includes cases from high risk groups: small children and the elderly. One of the four reported cases is a 3-year-old, another is 83. Children under 5, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems- including pregnant women are all at high risk for Salmonella poisoning which sickens 1.2 million Americans each year and kills 400. Of all the high risk groups, children under 5 account for the largest percentage of cases. The peanut butter, produced by nSpired Natural Foods, Inc., was sold under a variety of brand names including: Arrowhead Mills, MaraNatha, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, and Kroger. It has been recalled but because it has a long … [Read more...]
