Oregon nut butter recalled amid Salmonella outbreak

An Oregon company JEM Raw Chocolate LLC announced a voluntary recall of its nut butter spreads as the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and health authorities investigate 11 Salmonella-related illnesses in nine states that may be linked to the nut butter spreads.

Salmonella infection symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever that begins about 12 to 72 hours after a person is exposed to the bacteria. It can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) press release, the U.S. health authorities including the FDA, Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), and  Center for Disease Control (CDC) have linked the salmonella illnesses to persons who have consumed nut spreads, including JEM Raw products.

The outbreak's investigation reported on the CDC formal announcement mentioned that the Salmonella-related illnesses started on dates between July 18 and October 15.

The illnesses occurred in nine states including Oregon, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, and New Jersey. Ill people range in age between 1 to 79 with 64 percent of them are male. There have been no deaths or hospitalizations reported.

In its investigation, the CDC interviewed ill people about foods consumed and other exposures in the week before they became ill. All interviewed people answered an exposure to a nut butter or nut butter spread in the week before the illness occurred.

An overwhelming majority (75%) of interviewed ill people specifically reported exposure to a JEM Raw brand sprouted nut spread.

JEM Raw's Co-founder and CEO Jen Moore said that this is the company's first Salmonella outbreak, according to Reuters.

Moore said that the outbreak is baffling to the company as the testing had not yet revealed the source of the contamination in a nut spread.

Jen Moore said that the company is recalling the nut spreads products to ensure the consumer safety, although no JEM Raw products have tested positive for Salmonella. The CEO added that JEM Raw is working closely with the U.S. health authorities to determine the root cause of the outbreak.

JEM Raw's recalled products including all flavor of sprouted nut spreads made with cashew, almond, and hazelnut. The products are distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail order between June and November.

Consumers are encouraged to discard the products and its container. JEM Raw will manage the replacement of the consumer's product. The CDC and health officials are continuing the outbreak's investigation.