If you recently bought candy at Walmart, Target, Dollar General or other groceries, then you may want to check your bag. A candy company is recalling several of its products due to potential salmonella poisoning.
"Palmer Candy Company, Sioux City, Iowa, is recalling its 'White Coated Confectionary Items,' because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems," said the FDA via Fox News.
"Palmer Candy was notified by its liquid coating supplier that there was a potential for contamination with salmonella from an ingredient that was potentially contaminated from one of their suppliers," they said.
On August 6, the FDA classified the recall as a Class I. A Class I is the highest risk level possible. According to the FDA's website, it is "a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of. Or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."
Candy Recall
However, there haven't been any injuries so far from the product. Of that affected, candies include pretzels, snack mixes and also cookies. Several groceries such as Walmart, Target, and Dollar General sold these products. Additionally, they were sold in Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Following the discovery, Palmer Candy Company suspended its production of the candy affected by possible salmonella. Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause food poison. While it lives in the intestinal tracks of humans, there's also a risk for food poisoning if encountered in food.
Not everyone shows symptoms after ingesting salmonella bacteria. However, others experience gastrointestinal issues as well as diarrhea. Most will recover in a few days, but some are at a high risk for complications. As such it's very important to take a recall like this seriously. You don't want to make yourself accidentally sick by eating the candy.
If you have affected candy, either throw it away or return it to the store for a refund.