CONTACT: ORGANIC TO GO 1-800-304-4550
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — SEATTLE, WASH, MARCH 25, 2009 – ORGANIC TO GO™ ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THE COMPANY IS PARTICIPATING IN THE VOLUNTARY RECALL OF COOKIES PRODUCED IN 2007 BY ITS PRIOR MANUFACTURER WHICH WERE DISTRIBUTED IN 2007 WITH THE BRAND NAME OF ORGANIC TO GO ALL NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES. THESE COOKIES WERE MANUFACTURED USING PEANUT PRODUCTS RECALLED BY PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA BECAUSE THEY MAY BE CONTAMINATED WITH SALMONELLA. ORGANIC TO GO HAS CHANGED ITS COOKIE SUPPLIER IN THE MEANTIME.
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 SEVER ILLNESSES SUCH AS ARTERIAL INFECTIONS (I.E., INFECTED ANEURYSMS), ENDOCARDITIS AND ARTHRITIS.
THE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES INVOLVED IN THIS RECALL WERE MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BETWEEN MAY 2007 AND SEPTEMBER 2007. THE COOKIES WERE INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED IN CLEAR PLASTIC WITH ORANGE AND GREEN LABELS PRINTED WITH THE BRAND “O TO GO” AND LABELED AS ALL NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE (NO UPC CODE). THE COOKIES WERE DISTRIBUTED DIRECTLY TO AND SOLD BY ORGANIC TO GO RETAIL CAFÉS AND CATERING CUSTOMERS IN ADDITION TO THIRD PARTY FOODSERVICE PROVIDERS IN CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON.
JASON R. BROWN, ORGANIC TO GO CEO, STATED, “IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO KNOWN ILLNESSES REPORTED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS 2007 PRODUCT AND THAT WE HAVE NOT SOLD COOKIES PRODUCED BY THE PRIOR MANUFACTURER SINCE SEPTEMBER 2007. WHILE IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT ANY OF THESE COOKIES ARE STILL IN EXISTENCE, WE ARE VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATING IN THIS RECALL IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MANUFACTURER OF THE COOKIE AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. OUR CURRENT MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PEANUT RECALL.”
IF CONSUMERS PURCHASED AND HAVE POSSESSION OF ANY ORGANIC TO GO ALL NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES DISTRIBUTED IN 2007, THEY ARE URGED TO RETURN THEM TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND. CONSUMERS WITH QUESTIONS MAY CONTACT THE COMPANY AT 1-800-304-4550 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5:00 AM AND 6:00 PM PACIFIC TIME, MONDAY-FRIDAY.
Leave a Reply