Two Supplements Recalled for Potential Salmonella Contamination

Most salmonella contamination comes from food, such as the now infamous year-long Foster Farms salmonella outbreak. However, the illness can contaminate many other types of foods, drugs, and supplements, including spinach, cantaloupe, chia seeds, peanuts, and most recently, raw parsley leaf powder and raw carob powder found in dietary supplements.

Sunburst Superfoods, based in Tuckahoe, NY, has issued a recall for their supplement powder Sunburst SUPERFOODS Organic Raw Carob Powder, which was sold between March 12, 2014 and July 28th, 2014. The product was sold in both one and five-pound bags, with no coding. The bags were all-natural brown paper, and were re-sealable. So far, no salmonella contaminations have been reported from eating the carob powder, but the company has issued a voluntary supplement recall to ensure consumer safety.

Another supplement recall also involved potential salmonella contamination: New England Greens, based in Canaan, CT, has issued a voluntary supplement recall for 10 lots of Green Vibrance, and one lot of Rainbow Vibrance, after receiving a notification from one of their raw food suppliers that Organic Parsley Leaf Powder used in both supplements could be contaminated with salmonella. No illnesses from salmonella have been reported from consumption of the parsley powder, but the recall was issued to ensure consumer safety.

Green Vibrance and Rainbow Vibrance were both distributed nationwide through storefronts as well as online retailers.

Salmonella is one of the most common food-borne illnesses, and in healthy adults can last between 4 and 7 days. Most cases clear up on their own without treatment, but salmonella infections can be serious or fatal in young children, elderly adults, or people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people infected with salmonella can experience symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Dehydration is a potentially fatal side effect, and in rare instances, salmonella can enter the blood steam and cause heart infection or arthritis.

Defective Products Can Lead to Health or Food Recalls

Every year, thousands of consumers sustain serious injuries from defective products, whether broken bones from a car accident, or a serious illness from a food-borne pathogen. Many of these injuries could be avoided if the manufacturers or distributors of these products took additional steps to ensure consumer safety. Defective products that commonly cause injuries include medical devices, pharmaceutical products, food recalls, and other defective products such as toys, cars and automotive parts.

There are a number of reasons that defective products make it to our shelves:

• Defective manufacturing
• Inadequate testing
• Food-borne pathogens
• Design defects
• Marketing Misrepresentation

Consumers that have been harmed by defective products such as drugs, medical devices, improperly-sealed food, or other products, may be eligible to receive legal remedies.

The Strom Law Firm Protects Citizens Harmed by Delayed Product or Food Recalls

The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm aim to protect our clients’ health and safety, and hold manufacturers to the highest possible standard of safety. Product recalls are especially important because defective drugs, medical devices, food, and toys can seriously injure or even kill consumers. If you or a loved one have experienced severe, life-limiting side effects from a defective food, product or drug, and believe that your pain stems from a product, drug, or food recall that came too late, you may be entitled to compensation. The Strom Law Firm can help. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so contact us today. 803.252.4800