“Consumers should not consume this product if it is from the lot codes listed in the previous recall announcements found on the FDA recall website. Contaminated product may still be for sale from eBay, Amazon and other internet retailers.”
Amazon officials referred Food Safety News to the company’s product safety page when asked for comment on the Garden of Life Raw Meal recall. The site did not include information on specific product recalls but provided links to recall roundup websites.
While FDA considers whether to develop recall protocols for foods sold online, CDC officials do not plan any follow-up action.
“As stated on our website, these products have a long shelf life. It is not unexpected to see additional illnesses reported after our investigation closes for outbreaks involving shelf-stable products,” according to the CDC spokeswoman. “The ill person in Wisconsin reported eating a product that has already been recalled.”
Neither federal nor state officials indicated whether the new Wisconsin victim knew about the recall of the Garden of Life Raw Meal before buying or consuming it. They also did not indicate whether the online retailer had notified the consumer of the recall.
“In determining whether a recall is sufficient, FDA does not have different standards for products sold online versus through traditional ‘brick and mortar’ retailers, though we recognize that the steps needed to ensure that product has been accounted for may differ. We are still working with Garden of Life to determine the effectiveness of their recall,” the FDA spokesperson said.
Neither CDC nor FDA had added information about the new Wisconsin victim to their outbreak pages, which were last updated April 21 and 22, respectively. Thursday afternoon, after responding to Food Safety News, FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition tweeted three reminder messages about the Raw Meal recall and Salmonella outbreak on the @FDAfood Twitter account.
Salmonella is a life-threatening infection caused by eating food contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria. It is particularly dangerous to children younger than 5, adults older than 65, and people with weakened immune systems.
Salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever between 12 and 72 hours after infection. Anyone who believes they may have become ill with Salmonella should contact their health care provider immediately.