Salmonella outbreak linked to nut butter spreads
In collaboration with public health officials and FDA, CDC is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections it has traced back to sprouted nut butter spreads.
As of Thursday, 11 people with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L tartrate—known as Salmonella Java—have been reported from nine states across the US.
According to CDC, evidence available at this time indicates the likely source of the outbreak stems from JEM Raw brand sprouted nut butter spreads. All eight infected people interviewed by health officials reported exposure to nut butter or a nut butter spread in the week before the illness and six people specifically reported exposure to a JEM product.
As a result of the investigation, Oregon-based JEM Raw Chocolate, LLC issued a voluntary recall of its entire line of sprouted nut butter spreads because of a potential Salmonella contamination. These products—which include sprouted almond, cashew and hazelnut spreads—were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail order between June and November.
“We are taking these steps because consumer safety is our top priority,” says Jen Moore, co-founder and CEO of JEM. “As a health food company, our customer’s health is our number one priority. Although no JEM Raw products have tested positive for Salmonella, we feel strongly that issuing a voluntary recall is the right thing to do. JEM is working closely with the FDA, ODA and OHA to determine the root cause of the outbreak.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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