FDA Says Don't Eat Veggie Booty Snack Food, It May Contain Salmonella

Featured Article
Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 29 Jun 2007 - 0:00 PDT


The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning yesterday telling consumers not to eat Robert's American Gourmet Veggie Booty snack food because it could contain Salmonella Wandsworth, a type of bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illness.

Veggie Booty is sold in four-ounce, one-ounce, and half-ounce plastic foil bags. If you have any of these products by Robert's American Gourmet you should throw them away said the FDA.

Veggie Booty is highly favoured by children and parents should keep a careful eye on their kids and get medical help if they show any signs of illness and also report any suspected illness linked with eating Veggie Booty recently to the local health authorities.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea (which can be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps with fever. The symptoms usually start one to four days after ingesting the bacteria. It is not usually life-threatening, except to small babies, frail and elderly people, and anyone whose immune system is weak or is already suffering ill health.

In very rare circumstances, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause severe infections in the arteries (eg infected aneurysms), endocarditis (inflammation of the inner layer of heart tissue or valves) and arthritis.

SInce March this year, 52 cases of illness due to salmonella contamination linked to the product have been reported to the FDA by 17 states. Nearly all cases are children under 10, and most of these are toddlers.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the cases to the FDA on Wednesday this week. Most of them showed symptoms of bloody diarrhea and four were admitted to hospital.

So far, cases of illness due to salmonella in Veggie Booty have been reported from: California (7 cases), Colorado (5), Connecticut (1), Georgia (1), Indiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Minnesota (2), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (2), New York (13), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (3), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Vermont (3), Washington (4), and Wisconsin (2 cases).

The FDA says that Robert's American Gourmet, of Sea Cliff, New York and the manufacturer contracted to make Veggie Booty have stopped making and distributing Veggie Booty, are recalling all potentially contaminated stock, and are cooperating fully with the investigation into the cause of the contamination.

Veggie Booty is sold in shops all 50 states of the US, in Canada and also over the Internet, by phone and mail order.

Robert's American Gourment said that anyone who still has the product at home should throw it away and can contact them on 1-800-626-7557 to get their money back or to ask any questions.

Every year about 40,000 cases of salmonella infection are reported to the authorities in the US but the CDC suspect the actual number is greater than this because many people don't go to the doctor or report milder symptoms.

Many cases of salmonella infection arise from poor hygiene or food handling or from eating raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat, or handling animals like pet snakes and turtles.

Click here for more information about Salmonella infection.

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

• Additional
• References
• Citations