In response to a recent tea recall of thousands of pounds of Peppermint Organic Herbal Tea produced by Aromatics Inc., of Basin City, Washington, RemedyTeas just issued a recall of 20 pounds of tea, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.
Earlier this week, we wrote that Teavana Corporation issued a product recall of 2,659 pounds of the tea over concerns that the tea has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, a dangerous, potentially fatal, foodborne pathogen.
The recall was as the result of a batch sample testing program by RemedyTeas after it received a notification of possible contamination, which revealed that the finished products contained the Salmonella bacteria. RemedyTeas notes that it did not cause the Salmonella contamination and has ceased distribution of products affected by Aromatics Inc.’s recall.
The #137 Peppermint Organic Herbal Tea or #120 Tranquility Herbal Tea were distributed in the RemedyTeas retail store and through mail and Internet orders and are sold measured to customers orders in retail stores in two-ounce pre-packaged pouches. Retail stock of #137 Peppermint Organic Herbal Tea was sold between January 18, 2011 and March 4, 2011 and retail stock of #120 Tranquility Herbal Tea was sold between February 22, 2011 and March 4, 2011. Any purchases not within those dates are not affected by this recall.
No illness related to this recall has been reported; however, any potential health risk is significantly reduced when following the printed brewing instructions on the package or available online, such as using 205-degree Fahrenheit water. Also, symptoms of Salmonella poisoning do not always immediately manifest. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people infected with the Salmonella food poisoning pathogen usually experience symptoms beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage.
Consumers who have purchased #137 Peppermint Organic Herbal Tea or #120 Tranquility Herbal Tea are urged to return the recalled product to the place of purchase for a full refund and may also contact RemedyTeas Customer Service at 1.206.323.4832, Monday through Friday, from 7.00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time for instructions on how to return the recalled product.
Salmonella-contaminated food may not look or smell spoiled; however, consumption of food contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria may cause the foodborne illness known as Salmonellosis. Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea and usually last four to seven days.
Most persons recover without antibiotic treatment; however, the diarrhea can be severe, and hospitalization may be required. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems may develop more serious illness with the infection potentially spreading from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites; this can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
