Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Recalls Four Atkins Products as Part of the PCA Salmonella Recall

CONTACT: ATKINS NUTRITIONALS, INC. (888) 828-5467

ATKINS NUTRITIONALS, INC. (ATKINS) ANNOUNCED THAT NONE OF ITS PRODUCTS WERE AFFECTED BY THE WIDELY PUBLICIZED RECALL OF PEANUT BUTTER AND PEANUT PASTE PROCESSED AT THE BLAKELY, GEORGIA FACILITY OF PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA (PCA), AND LINKED TO AN OUTBREAK OF SALMONELLA RELATED COMPLAINTS AND ILLNESSES. ON JANUARY 28, 2009, PCA UNEXPECTEDLY EXPANDED ITS VOLUNTARY RECALL TO INCLUDE ALL PEANUTS AND PEANUT PRODUCTS PROCESSED AT ITS GEORGIA FACILITY. ALTHOUGH ATKINS PRODUCTS CONTAIN NO PEANUT BUTTER OR PEANUT PASTE SOURCED FROM PCA, FOUR ATKINS PRODUCTS DO CONTAIN GRANULATED PEANUTS, OR PEANUT PIECES, SOURCED FROM PCA’S GEORGIA FACILITY. AS A RESULT OF PCA’S EXPANDED RECALL, ATKINS HAS DETERMINED TO VOLUNTARILY RECALL THESE FOUR ATKINS PRODUCTS OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN GRANULATED PEANUTS RECALLED BY PCA. WHILE ATKINS HAS DETERMINED TO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATE IN THIS RECALL, PURELY AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, OUT OF CONCERN FOR OUR CONSUMERS AND RETAIL CUSTOMERS, WE ARE CONFIDENT ALL OUR PRODUCTS ARE SAFE. ATKINS REQUIRES EXTENSIVE LABORATORY TESTING OF ALL INGREDIENTS USED IN EVERY ATKINS PRODUCT, AND OUR FINISHED PRODUCTS ARE ALSO RIGOROUSLY TESTED. AS A RESULT OF ATKINS’ FOOD SAFETY PROTOCOLS, AND THE EXTENSIVE LABORATORY TESTING ON ALL ATKINS PRODUCTS, NO SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION HAS BEEN FOUND IN ANY OF THE ATKINS PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO THIS RECALL, BUT THE COMPANY IS TAKING THIS STEP TO ASSURE OUR CONSUMERS THAT FOOD SAFETY IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY.

ONLY THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE SUBJECT TO THIS VOLUNTARY RECALL:

ADVANTAGE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ADVANTAGE PEANUT FUDGE GRANOLA DAY BREAK PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE CRISP ENDULGE PEANUT CARAMEL CLUSTER

FOR ADVANTAGE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS, ONLY PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED AFTER APRIL 2008 ARE SUBJECT TO THE RECALL AND DETAILED INFORMATION PERTAINING TO AFFECTED LOT NUMBERS ARE AVAILABLE BELOW.

NO OTHER ATKINS PRODUCTS ARE AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. ATKINS APOLOGIZES TO CONSUMERS AND RETAIL CUSTOMERS FOR THE INCONVENIENCE RESULTING FROM THIS RECALL. IF CONSUMERS FIND THAT THEY HAVE ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS IN THEIR POSSESSION, THEY ARE ASKED NOT TO CONSUME THE PRODUCTS.

IF YOU PURCHASED THE RECALLED BARS, PLEASE DISCARD THEM BUT RETAIN THE BEST BY, SELL BY OR EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION CODE FOUND ON THE BACK OF THE PACKAGE.

FOR CONSUMER INQUIRIES, PLEASE CALL OUR PEANUT BUTTER RECALL INFORMATION LINE (888) 828-5467 OR CONTACT US ONLINE. PLEASE NOTE, WE’RE EXPERIENCING A HIGH CALL AND EMAIL VOLUME, AND ARE WORKING TO RESPOND TO ALL INQUIRIES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

REST ASSURED, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ADDRESS THIS SITUATION. CONSUMER SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

PEOPLE INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA CAN HAVE SOME OR ALL OF NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA OR BLOODY DIARRHEA, ABDOMINAL CRAMPING AND FEVER. RARELY, SALMONELLA CAN RESULT IN MORE SERIOUS DISEASE, INCLUDING HEADACHE, JOINT PAIN, MUSCLE PAIN, EYE IRRITATION, AND URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS. CONSUMERS EXHIBITING THESE SIGNS AFTER HAVING CONTACT WITH THIS PRODUCT SHOULD CONTACT THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.

IN THE U.S., THE FOLLOWING 4 PRODUCTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. ONLY BARS WITH WRAPPERS THAT HAVE THE FOLLOWING BEST BY DATE* ON THEM, IN ALL SIZES AND PACKAGES, ARE BEING RECALLED:

ADVANTAGE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BAR

ADVANTAGE PEANUT FUDGE GRANOLA BAR

DAY BREAK PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE CRISP BAR

ENDULGE PEANUT CARAMEL CLUSTER BAR APRIL 01 2009 – JANUARY 20 2010 CANADIAN VOLUNTARY RECALL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -JANUARY 30, 2009- ATKINS NUTRITIONALS, INC. (ATKINS) ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL VOLUNTARILY RECALL FROM DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA TWO ATKINS NUTRITION BARS THAT CONTAIN GRANULATED PEANUTS SOURCED FROM THE BLAKELY, GEORGIA PROCESSING FACILITY OF PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA (PCA). IN RECENT WEEKS AN OUTBREAK OF SALMONELLA RELATED COMPLAINTS AND ILLNESSES IN THE USA HAVE BEEN LINKED TO PEANUT BUTTER AND PEANUT PASTE PROCESSED BY PCA AT ITS GEORGIA FACILITY. IN RESPONSE TO AN INVESTIGATION BY THE US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA), PCA ANNOUNCED A VOLUNTARY RECALL OF ALL PEANUT BUTTER AND PEANUT PASTE PROCESSED AT ITS GEORGIA FACILITY. NO ATKINS PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA CONTAIN PEANUT BUTTER OR PEANUT PASTE PROCESSED BY PCA AND WERE NOT AFFECTED BY THE RECALL. HOWEVER, ON JANUARY 28, 2009, PCA UNEXPECTEDLY EXPANDED ITS VOLUNTARY RECALL TO INCLUDE ALL PEANUTS AND PEANUT PRODUCTS PROCESSED AT ITS GEORGIA FACILITY. ALTHOUGH ATKINS PRODUCTS CONTAIN NO PEANUT BUTTER OR PEANUT PASTE SOURCED FROM PCA, TWO ATKINS PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA DO CONTAIN GRANULATED PEANUTS, OR PEANUT PIECES, SOURCED FROM PCA’S GEORGIA FACILITY. AS A RESULT OF PCA’S EXPANDED RECALL, ATKINS HAS DETERMINED TO VOLUNTARILY RECALL THESE TWO ATKINS PRODUCTS OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN GRANULATED PEANUTS RECALLED BY PCA. WHILE ATKINS HAS DETERMINED TO COOPERATE WITH THE CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY, AND VOLUNTARILY RECALL THESE TWO PRODUCTS, THE RECALL IS PURELY A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, OUT OF CONCERN FOR OUR CONSUMERS AND RETAIL CUSTOMERS. ATKINS IS CONFIDENT THAT THESE TWO PRODUCTS AND ALL ATKINS PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA ARE SAFE. ATKINS REQUIRES EXTENSIVE LABORATORY TESTING OF ALL INGREDIENTS USED IN EVERY ATKINS PRODUCT, AND OUR FINISHED PRODUCTS ARE ALSO RIGOROUSLY TESTED. AS A RESULT OF ATKINS’ FOOD SAFETY PROTOCOLS, AND THE EXTENSIVE LABORATORY TESTING ON ALL ATKINS PRODUCTS, NO SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION HAS BEEN FOUND IN ANY OF THE ATKINS PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO THIS RECALL, BUT THE COMPANY IS TAKING THIS STEP TO ASSURE OUR CONSUMERS THAT FOOD SAFETY IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY.

ONLY THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE SUBJECT TO THIS VOLUNTARY RECALL:

ADVANTAGE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ADVANTAGE PEANUT FUDGE GRANOLA

FOR ADV
ANTAGE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS, ONLY PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED AFTER APRIL 2008 ARE SUBJECT TO THE RECALL AND DETAILED INFORMATION PERTAINING TO AFFECTED LOT NUMBERS ARE AVAILABLE AT BELOW.

NO OTHER ATKINS PRODUCTS ARE AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. ATKINS APOLOGIZES TO CONSUMERS AND RETAIL CUSTOMERS FOR THE INCONVENIENCE RESULTING FROM THIS RECALL. IF CONSUMERS FIND THAT THEY HAVE ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS IN THEIR POSSESSION, THEY ARE ASKED NOT TO CONSUME THE PRODUCTS.

IF YOU PURCHASED THE RECALLED BARS, PLEASE DISCARD THEM BUT RETAIN THE BEST BY, SELL BY OR EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION CODE FOUND ON THE BACK OF THE PACKAGE.

FOR CONSUMER INQUIRIES, PLEASE CALL OUR PEANUT BUTTER RECALL INFORMATION LINE (888) 828-5467 OR CONTACT US ONLINE. PLEASE NOTE, WE’RE EXPERIENCING A HIGH CALL AND EMAIL VOLUME, AND ARE WORKING TO RESPOND TO ALL INQUIRIES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

REST ASSURED, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ADDRESS THIS SITUATION. CONSUMER SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

PEOPLE INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA CAN HAVE SOME OR ALL OF NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA OR BLOODY DIARRHEA, ABDOMINAL CRAMPING AND FEVER. RARELY, SALMONELLA CAN RESULT IN MORE SERIOUS DISEASE, INCLUDING HEADACHE, JOINT PAIN, MUSCLE PAIN, EYE IRRITATION, AND URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS. CONSUMERS EXHIBITING THESE SIGNS AFTER HAVING CONTACT WITH THIS PRODUCT SHOULD CONTACT THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.

IN CANADA, THE FOLLOWING 2 PRODUCTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. ONLY BARS WITH WRAPPERS THAT HAVE THE FOLLOWING BEST BY DATE ON THEM, IN ALL SIZES AND PACKAGES, ARE BEING RECALLED:

ADVANTAGE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BAR

2009 SE 15 2009 OC 22 NOV 20 2009 2010 JA 16

ADVANTAGE PEANUT FUDGE GRANOLA BAR 2009 SE 12 NOV 03 2009

NO OTHER ATKINS PRODUCTS OR FLAVORS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. ATKINS HIGHEST PRIORITY IS THE SAFETY OF OUR CONSUMERS.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE PCA SITUATION, YOUR BEST SOURCE IS THE FDA WEBSITE

CONSUMERS WISHING TO CONTACT ATKINS ON THIS ISSUE SHOULD CALL (888) 828-5467

* THE IMAGE BELOW SHOWS WHERE TO FIND THE BEST BY DATE CODE. THE CODE IS STAMPED UNDERNEATH THE FLAP ON THE BACK OF THE WRAPPER. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS ONLY ONE EXAMPLE OF A RECALLED PRODUCT.