Madelaine Chocolate Novelties Recalls All Panned Chocolate Items Containing Whole Peanuts

CONTACT: SCOTT WRIGHT 1-800-322-1505; SWRIGHT@MADELAINECHOCOLATE.COM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — ROCKAWAY BEACH, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 5, 2009 — ON JANUARY 28, 2009, THE PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA (PCA), WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF AN INVESTIGATION BY THE FDA INTO A SALMONELLA OUTBREAK AT ITS BLAKELY, GEORGIA FACILITY, EXPANDED ITS INITIAL VOLUNTARY RECALL TO INCLUDE WHOLE, DRY ROASTED PEANUTS PURCHASED FROM PCA FROM JANUARY 1, 2007 THROUGH THE DATE OF THE PCA RECALL IN 2009.  IN THE WAKE OF PCA’S EXPANDED RECALL, MADELAINE CHOCOLATE NOVELTIES, INC. OFROCKAWAY BEACH, NEW YORK IS VOLUNTARILY RECALLING ALL LOTS OF ALL PANNED CHOCOLATE ITEMS CONTAINING WHOLE PEANUTS PURCHASED FROM PCA SINCE JANUARY 1, 2007 BECAUSE THE PRODUCTS HAVE A POTENTIAL TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH SALMONELLA.

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 CIRCUMSTANCES, 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.

THE ITEMS SUBJECT TO THIS RECALL ALL CONTAIN WHOLE, ROASTED PEANUTS COVERED IN CHOCOLATE, INCLUDING BRIDGE MIX CONTAINING CHOCOLATE COVERED PEANUTS.  THE CHOCOLATE MAY BE MILK, DARK, MILK NO SUGAR ADDED OR DARK NO SUGAR ADDED.  THE ITEMS CAN BE IN ANY PACKAGING CONFIGURATION FROM BULK TO RETAIL PACKAGES.  IN SOME CASES, CONSUMERS MAY HAVE PURCHASED RECALLED ITEMS FROM A RETAILER SELLING THOSE ITEMS UNDER A PRIVATE LABEL.

MADELAINE DISTRIBUTES ITS PRODUCTS PRIMARILY THROUGH WHOLESALERS AND DISTRIBUTORS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND IN FOREIGN MARKETS INCLUDING MEXICO, CANADA, EUROPE, AND ASIA UNDER THE MADELAINE BRAND AS WELL AS UNDER A NUMBER OF PRIVATE LABELS. 

THE SPECIFIC ITEMS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL, ALL OF WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2007 AND FEBRUARY 3, 2009, ARE AS FOLLOWS:

THIS RECALL DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY MADELAINE ITEMS FILLED WITH PEANUT BUTTER AS WE RECEIVE OUR PEANUT BUTTER FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN PCA NOR DOES IT INCLUDE ANY OTHER OF MADELAINE’S PRODUCTS. 

NEW PRODUCT MANUFACTURED FROM PEANUTS FROM A NEW VENDOR WILL CARRY A KEY DATE THAT WILL BE AFTER 069C, WHICH REPRESENTS FEBRUARY
4, 2009, THE SIXTH WEEK OF THE YEAR 2009, THE THIRD DAY OF THE WEEK. 

MADELAINE TESTS LOT SAMPLES OF ALL ITS PRODUCTS FOR SALMONELLA, INCLUDING ALL ITS PEANUT PRODUCTS, AND NONE OF THE PEANUT PRODUCTS AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR SALMONELLA.  NO ILLNESSES HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO DATE.

MADELAINE IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE NATIONAL CONFECTIONERS’ ASSOCIATION TO RESPOND TO DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WAKE OF PCA’S EXPANDED RECALL.

CONSUMERS WHO HAVE PURCHASED THE RECALLED PRODUCTS ARE URGED TO DESTROY THEM. CONSUMERS WITH QUESTIONS MAY CONTACT MADELAINE AT 1-800-322-1505 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 AM AND 5:00 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME.