Another recall tied to potential contamination of dry milk powder has been announced, raising concerns that more products could be tainted with a deadly bacteria. John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. declared it was voluntarily recalling snack mix products flavored with a seasoning manufactured by an unspecified third-party supplier that contained dry milk powder possibly contaminated with salmonella.
The dry milk powder has been involved in several other product recalls, including Ghirardelli chocolates and Utz's Zapp's and Dirty potato chips. The dry milk powder, now recalled itself, was sourced from California Dairies, Inc. and supplied by an unspecified third-party vendor.
While the affected seasoning batches tested negative for the bacteria prior to use, the recall notice stated that 'out of an abundance of caution,' John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc was initiating the recall. The products included in the most recent recall include items distributed under the Fisher, Squirrel Brand and Southern Style Nuts brands in retail stores, online and via QVC.
Items include Fisher's Tex Mex Trail Mix; Southern Style Nuts's Gourmet Hunter Mix and Hunter Mix; and Squirrel Brand's Travelers Mix and Town & Country Mix. One item under Target's Good & Gather brand, Mexican Street Corn Trail Mix, was also distributed in Target stores. Best-by dates on all of the products range from January 2027 to August 2027. No illnesses have been reported in connection to the recall.
The FDA is urging customers who have purchased the items to not consume them and return them to the place of purchase for a refund or replacement. Salmonella is among the leading causes of foodborne illness in the US, infecting about 1.35 million people every year, the CDC estimates, and leads to 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths.
Symptoms appear within eight to 72 hours of an infection, and include diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting. In some cases, however, no symptoms appear at all. Doctors say that warning signs of the infection generally last a few days to a week and that most patients do not need to see a doctor. However, they warn that infants, young children, pregnant women and older adults are particularly at risk from salmonella because they have a weaker immune system.
Most people infected with Salmonella recover within a week without treatment, but severe cases may require hospitalization. In serious cases, the bacteria can spread from the intestines into the blood and infect other organs, such as the brain, heart or lungs, which can trigger the potentially fatal complication sepsis. Doctors may attempt to treat the infection in these cases using antibiotics.
The recalled dry milk powder has affected multiple products. Earlier this week, Utz Quality Foods, LLC issued a recall of certain varieties of Zapp's and Dirty potato chips because a seasoning in the products used the recalled dry milk powder. No illnesses were reported in relation to that recall.
Last week, confectionary-giant Ghirardelli recalled certain batches of its powdered chocolate beverage mixes that also used the dry milk powder. Neither Ghirardelli nor the manufacturer had received reports of illnesses in connection to that recall. Additionally, testing by Ghirardelli had 'not identified any impacted powdered beverage mixes,' the company said in the recall notice. 'Nothing is more important to us than the safety and quality of our products, and we’re taking this step out of an abundance of caution,' it added.
