Palmer Candy Has Been Recalled For A Major Salmonella Risk. Here's What You Need To Know

A major producer of retail snacks and confections is making headlines, and the news is not sweet. Palmer Candy Company is facing a recall for a salmonella risk that stems from an unspecified contaminated ingredient — one which unfortunately happens to be used in quite a lot of the company's candies. As of August 6, the Palmer recall has been elevated to a "Class I," the highest level of danger, for the candies' high potential for poisoning consumers if ingested. The FDA defines a Class I recall as "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." Due to the severe physical effects of food positioning, salmonella, E. coli, and botulism contamination can prompt Class I recalls.

This saga started back in May when Palmer Candy issued a voluntary recall of all of its "white coated confectionery items" for potential salmonella contamination in the liquid coating, per a company announcement published by the FDA. The recalled Palmer products have since been pulled from shelves at retailers across the country, such as Target, Walmart, HyVee, and Dollar General, among others. Distributors in more than 20 states had received the tainted products. Locations include Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Now, what previously seemed like a low-key recall has been elevated to a Class I, indicating a more dangerous threat than previously anticipated.

The brand names of the affected candies include Freshness Guaranteed, Palmer, Sweet Smiles, Snackin' With The Crew, Casey's, Sconza Chocolates, Favorite Day Bakery, Sunny Select, Urge!, Kwik Trip Inc. A full list of the specific affected candy names and lot expiration dates is included in the FDA report. The products come in different types of packaging, ranging from bags to pouches and tubes. Folks who purchased any of the contaminated items can return them to their place of purchase for a full refund.

Luckily, zero cases of illness have been reported in connection to Palmer Candy consumption. Still, the nature of candy and its famously young audience could pose an added element of danger in this outbreak, as salmonella can be most harmful or even fatal to children, as well as to elderly people and folks with immune system disorders. Salmonella poisoning symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. These physical responses could begin within six hours after ingesting the contaminated food but can appear as long as six days afterward. Symptoms frequently go away on their own but tend to last between four and seven days. According to the CDC, salmonella bacteria, primarily found in food, is responsible for an estimated 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the U.S. every single year.