Mondelēz Global is issuing a recall of 16 Ritz products, including Ritz crackers and Ritz bits sandwiches due to a potential risk of Salmonella outbreak, the company announced Saturday.
The products recalled contain whey powder that could have been contaminated, they report.
This is a precautionary recall to prevent a possible Salmonella outbreak and is “based on the ingredient supplier’s recall,” Mondelēz Global said in a news release, adding that no illnesses have been reported to the company.
Mondelēz Global also warned that Salmonella “is a microorganism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.”
If Salmonella enters your bloodstream, it could result in more severe illnesses “such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.”
The CDC estimates that Salmonella infections cause about 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths in the U.S. every year. The majority of these cases have been linked to Salmonella outbreak spread via food. (For more on why a Salmonella outbreak is so dangerous, click through to Metro’s guide.)
The see a full list of U.S. Salmonella outbreak occurrences this year (two or more reported illnesses linked to the same contaminated food), visit the CDC’s website.
List of Ritz crackers products recalled to prevent Salmonella outbreak
The products included in the Ritz crackers recall include:
Ritz Bits Cheese, Big Bag, 3 oz.
Ritz Bits Cheese, 1 oz.
Ritz Bits Cheese, 12 Pack Carton
Ritz Bits Cheese, 30 Pack Carton
Ritz Bits Cheese, 1.5 oz.
Ritz Bits Cheese, 3 oz. Go Packs
10.8 oz. Ritz Cheese Cracker Sandwiches
1.35 oz. Ritz Cheese Cracker Sandwiches
10.8 oz. Ritz Bacon Cracker Sandwiches with Cheese
1.35 oz. Ritz Bacon Cracker Sandwiches with Cheese
10.8 oz. Ritz Whole Wheat Cracker Sandwiches with White Cheddar Cheese
1.35 oz. Ritz Whole Wheat Cracker Sandwiches with White Cheddar Cheese
10.8 oz. Ritz Everything Cracker Sandwiches with Cream Cheese
1.35 oz. Ritz Everything Cracker Sandwiches with Cream Cheese
Mixed Cookie Cracker Variety, 20 Pack
Mixed Cookie Cracker Variety, 40 Pack
You can view the list of Ritz crackers products with their UPC numbers, “best when used by” dates and package details on the Mondelēz Global site. The company urges consumers to discard any products being recalled.
Despite the fact that a few people have issued complaints on Twitter in response to the potential Salmonella outbreak recall, Mondelēz Global told Metro, “To further clarify, we are not aware of any incidents of illness and we are taking this step as a voluntary, precautionary measure.”
