Both the Food and Drug Administration and Robert's American Gourmet Thursday issued a recall for all types and sizes of Veggie Booty snack food due to possible contamination of Salmonella Wandsworth, a bacterium that causes gastrointestinal illness.

The FDA warned consumers not to eat Veggie Booty snack food, which is marketed by Robert's American Gourmet based in Sea Cliff, N.Y.   The product is sold in 50 states and Canada and over the internet in a flexible plastic foil bag in four ounce, one ounce, and one half ounce packages.

Veggie Booty, made in part from Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Carrots and Broccoli, according to Marlerblog.com, is consumed often by young children.   Parents whose children ate Veggie booty recently are urged to watch their children and seek medical care promptly if they see symptoms of illness.  

Any recent illness that might be caused by consuming Veggie Booty should be reported to state or local health authorities, the FDA said in its statement.

The recalls were issued after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention June 27 informed the FDA and Robert's American Gourmet of 55 reports of Salmonella illnesses across 17 states, beginning in March 2007, which were associated with consumption of Veggie Booty.

The affected states include California (seven cases), Colorado (five cases), Connecticut (one case), Georgia (one case), Indiana (one case), Massachusetts (three cases), Minnesota (two cases), New Hampshire (two cases), New Jersey (two cases), New York (13 cases), Oregon (one case), Pennsylvania (three cases), Tennessee (one), Texas (one), Vermont (three cases), Washington (four cases), and Wisconsin (two cases).

According to the FDA, almost all the illnesses occurred in children under 10 years old, with the most cases in toddlers, three years or under. Most persons had reported bloody diarrhea and four were hospitalized. The government investigation is ongoing.

The company said that the recall was issued as a precautionary measure only.    It said there were no confirmed positive results found in the finish product yet.

Bloody diarrhea, which can be accompanied by abdominal cramps and fever, is a common symptom with Salmonella illness.   It takes one to four days for a person to develop symptoms.  

Salmonella bacteria are particularly dangerous to infants, persons with underlying health problems or weakened immune systems.   In such cases, the pathogen can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections.

Salmonella is one of the most common enteric (intestinal) infections in the United States, the second most common form of bacterial foodborne illness, according to Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney who has helped thousands of victims of Salmonella poisonings in the last fifteen years.

An estimated 1.4 million cases of salmonella illnesses occur each year in the U.S. with 95% food-borne-related, resulting in about 500 to 1000 deaths.

Consumers who have any questions regarding the recall of Veggies Booty can call Robert's American Gourmet at 1-800-626-7557.

The company’s recall

http://www.robscape.com/press-release4.pdf

The FDA recall announcement

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/roberts06_07.html

What you need to know about Salmonella http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salmonellosis_g.htm