Trader Joe’s recently announced it was recalling certain lots of its “50% Less Sodium Roasted & Salted Whole Cashews,” because they may be contaminated with salmonella, reports USA Today. The products involved can be identified by their country of origin, India or Vietnam, and the lot number printed on the back of the plastic pouches. Here is a list of the lot numbers that could harbor the harmful organism.
The number of recalled products in the first months of 2024 is already growing by leaps and bounds in the U.S. Recalled products reached a five-year high last year with around 3,300 recalls reported across the automotive, consumer product, food and drink, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries.
According to NBC News, here are some of the recalls to watch for:
• Ground cinnamon. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that ground cinnamon sold by U.S. discount retailers is contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded. Federal health officials said that cinnamon sold in stores including the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar contains unsafe lead levels, particularly for children, with prolonged exposure to the spice. You’ll find a complete list of recalled products here.
• Trader Joe’s soup dumplings. A California manufacturer recalled nearly 62,000 pounds of frozen chicken soup dumplings after consumers reported finding hard pieces of plastic in the foods that may have come from a permanent marker pen.
• Cinnamon applesauce pouches. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received 469 reports of elevated blood lead levels linked to cinnamon applesauce pouches. There were 111 confirmed cases. Health experts believe that the source of the lead is likely from a processor in Ecuador. WanaBana pulled its children’s snack Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches in October and Weis and the Schnucks followed suit pulling their cinnamon applesauce products in November, says NBC News.
• Eye ointments. Four types of eye ointments were recalled on Feb. 26 due to unsanitary manufacturing concerns. The voluntary recalls involve products made by Brassica Pharma with expiration dates ranging from February 2024 to September 2025. According to The Washington Post, the brands include two eye ointments from Equate, a Walmart brand, and eye ointment brands from CVS Health and AACE Pharmaceuticals.
• Queso fresco and cotija cheese. Last year, the FDA warned people not to eat dairy products that were manufactured by Rizo López Foods, a food supplier in Modesto, California, due to reports of listeria infections. The CDC reopened the investigation in January when new illnesses were reported. Of the people who were infected by the tainted cheese, 23 were hospitalized and two died. So far, 115 products that contain dairy products made by this manufacturer have been recalled.
• Gas station heroin. Supplements that contain tianeptine, nicknamed “gas station heroin” that falsely claim to improve brain function and improve anxiety, depression, pain, and opioid use disorder, have been recalled by two distributors. The supplements are often sold at gas stations and vape or smoke shops. The FDA warned consumers not to buy any Neptune Fix products or any products containing tianeptine — a potentially dangerous substance that is not FDA-approved for any medical use.
• Garment steamers. A whopping two million handheld fabric steamers were recalled on Feb. 8 following reports of burn injuries from the hot water spraying out of the nozzle. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Vornado, Steamfast and Sharper Image brands pose a serious burn hazard to consumers.
• Quaker oats products. According to NBC News, more than 60 Quaker products have been recalled since Dec. 15 due to potential salmonella bacteria contamination. Quaker announced a full list of their recalls on January 11, 2024.
• Magnetic balls sets. Tiny, 5-millimeter magnetic ball sets like those sold exclusively on Walmart.com through Joybuy were recalled by the CPSC because they do not meet mandatory federal magnet regulation. They are stronger than permitted and when they are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract each other, or another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting or blockage of the intestines, infection blood poisoning and death. The CPSC recorded 2,400 emergency room visits for magnetic ingestions from 2017 through 2021, as well as seven deaths since 2005. The Joybuy magnets were recalled at the end of last year, while DailySale, the seller of a 216-piece magnet ball set, recalled their product on Feb. 1.
Lynn C. Allison ✉
Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.
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