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Salmonella Scare Prompts Dairy Recall

Impact potentially far-reaching

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

June 29, 2009

The company sells these products to other industry customers, including distributors and manufacturers, who may have incorporated them into their own products. None of Plainview's products were sold directly to the public.

Plainview has stopped production of these products and has notified its customers of the recall. Currently, the Plainview recall is limited to industry customers who received suspect product.

This is a continuing investigation, and the FDA will update the public as new information emerges. At this time, the agency says it is not aware of products being recalled at the consumer level.

"This recall is an appropriate precaution to protect public health," said David W.K. Acheson, M.D., associate commissioner for foods in the Food and Drug Administration. "It reflects the concerted efforts of numerous partners at the local, state, and federal levels."

During an investigation of the Plainview facility, FDA found that some of the equipment was contaminated with Salmonella. At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not linked any human illnesses to potentially contaminated products from the Plainview facility.

The FDA became aware of this problem through the U. S. Department of Agriculture. USDA found Salmonella in Dairyshake powder, in 100-gram pouches that were not for retail sale. The FDA began an investigation as to the source of the contamination.

In the course of that investigation, Plainview Milk Products was identified as a supplier of a key ingredient in the Dairyshake powder. Inspection of the firm uncovered conditions that resulted in the broader recall.

The FDA is conducting this investigation in collaboration with USDA, CDC, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and state and local health departments.

The FDA, which is conducting this investigation in collaboration with USDA, CDC, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and state and local health departments, is working to track the distribution of the Plainview ingredients to identify additional products that contain the recalled ingredients.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weak immune systems. Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Most healthy people recover from Salmonella infections without treatment.

In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses, such as arterial infections (infected aneurysms), infection of the lining of the heart, and arthritis.

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