Walmart, Dollar General Shoppers, Take Caution: Candy May Be Contaminated With Salmonella

A sweet treat after dinner, a little afternoon pick-me-up with coffee—having a bite of candy is one of life's simple pleasures. However, for some Walmart and Dollar General shoppers, this seemingly simple purchase may have serious consequences. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) just expanded a recall of white candy-coated pretzels, cookies, and snack mixes from Palmer Candy Company over potential Salmonella contamination. The food items were sold at the aforementioned stores, as well as Target and HyVee.

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Sioux City, Iowa-based Palmer Candy Company, a 145-year-old, family-owned business, first issued a voluntary recall of its products on May 5. This came after it learned from its liquid coating supplier that its "White Coated Confectionary Items" possibly contained Salmonella.

Then, on Aug. 12, the FDA reclassified the recall to Class I, its highest level, reports USA Today. This level is used for "a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death," explains the FDA.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Salmonella most commonly causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach pains. Though it's the most common type of bacterial food poisoning in the U.S., it typically resolves itself within a few days. However, in severe cases, it can lead to severe dehydration, bacteremia, osteomyelitis, and reactive arthritis. In rare cases, it can become fatal, mainly in those who have compromised immune systems or sickle cell disease.

As of the time of writing, no illnesses connected to the recall had been reported.

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The recall list now includes 29 items, most of which are candy-coated pretzels or cookies, as well as snack mixes that contain the coated pretzels or nuts. Expiration dates of the food products range from Nov. 2024 to April 2025. They were sold in stores throughout Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Palmer Candy CEO Marty Palmer told the Des Moines Register that the recall includes "thousands and thousands, many tons of products because we use a lot of white coatings." Production of the white coating has since been halted while the FDA completes its investigation to find the source of the contamination.

"While there is a very, very small chance [of contamination], when you are working with food and safety, 99.9% is not 100%. I only want my products to be 100% safe for our customers,” Palmer told the news outlet. "That’s why the U.S. food system is the best in the world."

You can view the FDA announcement for a full list of recalled items. If you find that you've purchased one of them, you can return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.