Costco Fruit Recalled for Fear of Salminella

There has been a voluntary recall of freeze dried fruit at Costco Wholesale Stores for fear of salmonella infection, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The fruits in question, nearly 60,000 cases of Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit were recalled after randomized quality checks identifiedthe product for potential salmonella contamination.

According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety alert, On March 8, Oregon Freeze Dry Inc. of Albany, Oregon began voluntarily recalling the cases with the cooperation of Costco and the FDA in the interest of eliminating the risk of an outbreak of potentially harmful food poisoning among consumers.

According to the FDA, since then the affected product has been entirely removed from Costco floors, but consumers who may have purchased the product before that date are urged to discard it. They can identify the product by its "Best Before Date" which should fall between February 14 and March 11, 2015 (FEB142015 - MAR112015).

The freeze dried fruit cases in question were distributed to 35 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.

Salmonella is a bacterial infection contracted after eating contaminated foods, particularly raw eggs, under-cooked poultry, and some fruits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the illness usually lasts about four to seven days, and can include diarrhea and fever severe enough to warrant hospitalization.

Thankfully, no salmonella infections tied to the frozen fruits have been reported so far, but the FDA remains vigilant about potential outbreaks.

Oregon Freeze Dry Inc produces approximately 400 frozen food and dried food products. The FDA has assured consumers that any Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit that remains available for purchase in Costco Wholesale Stores has been "rigorously tested and safe for consumption." No other Oregon Freeze Dry Inc. product has been identified for potential salmonella contamination.

The FDA released a public health warning about this product on March 13.