Veggie Booty - Salmonella-tainted Snacks Recalled

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All lots and sizes of Veggie Booty snack foods sold nationwide are being recalled because of concerns over salmonella poisoning, according to an article posted on the MSNBC Web site. So far 51 cases of the food-borne illness have been detected across 17 states, directly associated with this popular puffed-rice snack that comes in a blend of spinach, kale, broccoli and carrot flavors.unhygienic conditions in restaurants and food service areas and improper handling of food.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, salmonella, a type of bacteria, can cause serious infections, which may sometimes be fatal. It particularly affects young children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. Most common symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain and cramps.

Officials at Robert's American Gourmet in Sea Cliff, N. Y., which distributes the product, say the snacks have not tested positive for salmonella, but that the company is taking a precaution after the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC reported that the one thing many of the infected people had in common was eating this snack.

Veggie Booty Snack Food is sold in many supermarkets, health food stores, vending machines and online in the United States and Canada. The snack is also usually sold in flexible plastic foil bags in 4-ounce, 1-ounce and half-ounce portions. Company officials ask that all consumers who purchased Veggie Booty and still have the product in their homes should throw away the contents immediately and call the company at 1-800-626-7557 for a refund. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.robscape.com/files/veggie-booty-recall.php. The company's Web site says they will stop making the snack until they identify the source of the bacteria that is making all these people sick.

According to several news articles, Veggie Booty has become the favorite of numerous small children, especially toddlers whose mothers believe that this is a good way for them to eat vegetables. Knowing the physical and emotional pain salmonella poisoning can cause, I worry about those little kids who would balk at anything containing spinach, kale, broccoli or carrots after this traumatizing experience.

At Bisnar|Chase, we've represented numerous clients who have suffered from food-borne illnesses such as E. Coli and salmonella poisoning. This occurs not only through tainted snacks and meat, but also because of unhygienic conditions in restaurants and food service areas and improper handling of food.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.