Natural Organics Recalls Several Lots of Nature's Plus Nutritional Bars

CONTACT: CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-645-9500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — FEBRUARY 3, 2009 — NATURAL ORGANICS, INC., ONE OF THE NATION’S LEADING MANUFACTURERS OF VITAMINS AND NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE IS VOLUNTARILY RECALLING SEVERAL OF ITS NUTRITIONAL BAR PRODUCTS LISTED BELOW THAT CONTAIN PEANUT BASED INGREDIENTS MANUFACTURED BY THE PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA (PCA).  PCA IS THE FOCUS OF A SALMONELLA INVESTIGATION BY THE UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) AND RECENTLY EXPANDED ITS RECALL OF PEANUT BUTTER AND PEANUT PRODUCTS. THIS PRECAUTIONARY RECALL ACTION WAS INITIATED AFTER PCA ISSUED A SECOND RECALL EXPANSION TO INCLUDE ALL ITS PEANUT BASED PRODUCTS THAT WERE DISTRIBUTED 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, 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 LISTED PRODUCTS WERE DISTRIBUTED NATIONWIDE TO RETAIL STORES AND TO THE FOLLOWING FOREIGN COUNTRIES: ARUBA, BELGIUM, GERMANY, GREECE, ICELAND, ITALY, MEXICO, NORWAY, PHILIPPINES, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TAIWAN, TRINIDAD, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE), UNITED KINGDOM, NORTHERN IRELAND, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND.

THE NUTRITIONAL BARS ARE CONTAINED IN FILM WRAP LABELING BEARING THE PRODUCT CODES AND LOT NUMBERS PRINTED ON THE BACK OF THE LABEL.  THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS AND LOTS ARE AFFECTED:

NATURE’S PLUS SKINNY MINI DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE CRUNCH BAR, 50G, PRODUCT NO. 44331, UPC CODE 097467443310, LOTS  1153613, 1173186, 1181441; NATURE’S PLUS SKINNY MINI CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY BAR, 50G, PRODUCT NO. 44332, UPC CODE 097467443327, LOTS 1174713, 1186210;     NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN BANANA ALL NATURAL YOGURT COATED BAR, 39G, PRODUCT NO. 45596, UPC CODE 097467455962, LOTS 1163899, 1185078; NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN CHOCOLATE ALL NATURAL CAROB COATED BAR, 39G, PRODUCT NO. 45592, UPC CODE 097467455924, LOT 1169403; NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN DOUBLE FUDGE CRUNCH ALL NATURAL CAROB COATED BAR, 40G, PRODUCT NO. 5609, UPC CODE 097467056091, LOT 1171851; NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL ALL NATURAL CAROB COATED BAR, 39G, PRODUCT NO. 45601, UPC CODE 097467456013, LOTS 1163903, 1179590; NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN ORIGINAL ALL NATURAL CAROB COATED BAR, 39G, PRODUCT NO. 4559, UPC CODE 097467045590, LOTS 1157500, 1174141, 1180219, 1186714; NATURE’S PLUS ULTRA ENERGY BAR EXOTIC BERRY CRUNCH, 60G, PRODUCT NO. 99617, UPC CODE 097467996175, LOTS 1161548, 1169238, 1175266, 1178705, 1181440, 1185253, 1188985; NATURE’S PLUS ULTRA ENERGY BAR CHOCOLATE PEANUT CRUNCH, 60G, PRODUCT NO. 99616;UPC CODE 097467996168, LOTS 1158975, 1165915, 1171808, 1175540, 1178890, 1181156, 1184525, 1186211. NATURE’S PLUS SKINNY MINI 20OZ POWER SHAKER CUP – PROMOTIONAL ITEM #U94330 (UK VERSION ONLY) UPC CODE 097467943308, LOT NUMBER 1175221, CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING BAR AND LOT NUMBER: NATURE’S PLUS SKINNY MINI DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE CRUNCH BAR, 50G, CONSUMER PRODUCT NO. 44331, UPC CODE 097467443310, LOT NUMBER 1173186. NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN 20OZ POWER SHAKER CUP – PROMOTIONAL ITEM #U99309 (UK VERSION ONLY), UPC CODE 097467993099, LOT NUMBERS  1188890, 1186842, 1186142, 1185568, 1183710, 1188448, 1180098, 1178506, 1177186, 1175761, 1173581, 1172813, 1167405, 1164323, CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING RESPECTIVE BAR AND LOT NUMBERS: NATURE’S PLUS SPIRU-TEIN ORIGINAL ALL NATURAL CAROB COATED BAR, 39G, CONSUMER PRODUCT NO. 4559, UPC CODE 097467045590, LOT NUMBERS 1186714, 1180219, 1180219, 1180219, 1180219, 1174141, 1174141, 1174141, 1174141, 1157500, 1157500, 1157500, 1157500.

THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTED INCIDENTS OF ILLNESS OR ADVERSE EFFECTS IN CONNECTION WITH THESE PRODUCTS. NO OTHER NATURAL ORGANICS PRODUCTS INCLUDING THOSE CONTAINING PEANUT BUTTER OR OTHER PEANUT INGREDIENTS, ARE AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL.

NATURAL ORGANICS, INC. TESTS EACH OF ITS FINISHED PRODUCT LOTS FOR SALMONELLA, AND NO SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THESE PRODUCTS.  NATURAL ORGANICS, INC. HAS REMOVED ALL AFFECTED PRODUCTS WITHIN EXISTING INVENTORY. THIS VOLUNTARY RECALL IS ANNOUNCED IN ACCORD WITH FDA GUIDELINES.

WE ARE INITIATING RECALL NOTICES TO OUR ACCOUNTS WHO RECEIVED ANY INVENTORY OF THE RECALLED PRODUCTS WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR RETURNING THE RECALLED PRODUCTS AND FOR NOTIFYING THEIR CUSTOMERS OF THE RECALL.

CONSUMERS WHO MAY HAVE PURCHASED AFFECTED NATURE’S PLUS BARS ARE ADVISED TO RETURN THEM TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE.  CONSUMERS WITH QUESTIONS MAY CONTACT THE COMPANY AT 1-800-645-9500.