Best Brands Corp. Expands Voluntary Recall of Peanut Butter Frozen Cookie Dough

CONTACT: PAUL SUPPLEE 800-866-3300

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA — JANUARY 30, 2009 – BEST BRANDS CORP. TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS EXPANDING ITS VOLUNTARILY RECALL OF PEANUT BUTTER FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH AS A PRECAUTION BECAUSE THE DOUGH CONTAINS PEANUT PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED BY PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA (PCA).  PCA IS THE FOCUS OF AN INVESTIGATION BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) CONCERNING A RECENT SALMONELLA OUTBREAK.  IN RESPONSE TO PCA’S RECENTLY EXPANDED RECALL, BEST BRANDS CORP. IS EXPANDING ITS PEANUT BUTTER FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH RECALL TO INCLUDE ALL PRODUCT MANUFACTURED SINCE JANUARY 1, 2007. 

SALMONELLA IS AN ORGANISM WHICH CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL INFECTIONS IN YOUNG CHILDREN, FRAIL OR ELDERLY PEOPLE, AND OTHERS WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS.  HEALTHY PERSONS INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA OFTEN EXPERIENCE FEVER, DIARRHEA (WHICH MAY BE BLOODY), NAUSEA, VOMITING AND ABDOMINAL PAIN.  IN RARE CASES, INFECTION WITH SALMONELLA CAN RESULT IN THE ORGANISM GETTING INTO THE BLOODSTREAM AND PRODUCING MORE SEVERE ILLNESSES, SUCH AS ARTERIAL INFECTIONS (I.E. INFECTED ANEURYSMS), ENDOCARDITIS AND ARTHRITIS.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SALMONELLA, PLEASE VISIT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION’S WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV.

THE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH WAS SOLD TO RETAIL AND GROCERY STORE BAKERIES AND OTHER FOODSERVICE OUTLETS.  CONSUMERS MAY HAVE PURCHASED THE PRODUCT AS BAKED COOKIES OF VARIOUS SIZES.  COOKIES MAY HAVE BEEN SOLD FROM TRAYS IN THE BAKERY COUNTER OR IN INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES WITH GROCERY STORE LABELS.  THE NAME “BEST BRANDS CORP.” WOULD NOT APPEAR ON THE CONSUMER PACKAGE.  THE COOKIE DOUGH WAS DISTRIBUTED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES:  ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TEXAS AND WISCONSIN.  THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE EXPANDED RECALL: 

BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.25 OZ PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 22.5 LB CASE, 288 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1003-01, CASE UPC CODE 10035074100315) BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.5 OZ CUSTOM PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 20.25 LB CASE, 216 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1046-01, CASE UPC CODE 10035074104610) BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.25 OZ CUSTOM PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 18.75 LB CASE, 240 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1046-02, CASE UPC CODE 10035074104627) BEST BRANDS CORP. 2 OZ CUSTOM PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 25 LB CASE, 200 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1046-05, CASE UPC CODE 10035074104658) BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.5 OZ CUSTOM PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 20.25 LB CASE, 216 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1047-01, CASE UPC CODE 10035074104719) BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.5 OZ CUSTOM REESE’S® PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 20.25 LB CASE, 216 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1048-01, CASE UPC CODE 10035074104818) BEST BRANDS CORP. 3 OZ ORIGINAL PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 21 LB CASE, 112 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #1610-12, CASE UPC CODE 10035074161026) BEST BRANDS CORP. GOURMET PEANUT BUTTER FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 18 LB PAIL (ITEM #1659-66, CASE UPC CODE 10098086165963) BEST BRANDS CORP. GOURMET PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHUNK FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 18 LB PAIL (ITEM #1665-98, CASE UPC CODE 10098086166595) BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.5 OZ ZT CUSTOM PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 20.25 LB CASE, 216 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #4367-01, CASE UPC CODE 10035074436711) BEST BRANDS CORP. 1.5 OZ ZT CUSTOM REESE’S® PEANUT BUTTER PRECUT FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 20.25 LB CASE, 216 COOKIES PER CASE (ITEM #4369-01, CASE UPC CODE 10035074436919) BEST BRANDS CORP. PEANUT BUTTER FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH, 18 LB PAIL (ITEM #5201-67, CASE UPC CODE 10035074520175)

NO OTHER FLAVOR OR VARIETY OF BEST BRANDS COOKIE DOUGH IS IMPACTED BY THIS RECALL.  THE PACKAGES OF COOKIE DOUGH IN THE EXPANDED RECALL CONTAIN LOT CODES BETWEEN 0017-1 AND 0139-1.  THE LOT CODE IS DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:  DDDY-B WHERE DDD = JULIAN DATE, Y= YEAR AND B= BATCH. FOR EXAMPLE, A LOT CODE OF 0017-1 WOULD REPRESENT THE FIRST BATCH PRODUCED ON JANUARY 1, 2007.

BEST BRANDS CORP. HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY CUSTOMER OR CONSUMER ILLNESS COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE COOKIE DOUGH.  BEST BRANDS CORP. IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE U.S. FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN THIS PRECAUTIONARY RECALL.

BEST BRANDS CORP. PRIDES ITSELF IN PROVIDING THE SPECIALTY BAKING INDUSTRY WITH HIGH QUALITY, SAFE PRODUCTS.  WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS PRECAUTIONARY RECALL MAY CAUSE.