Scare prompts peanut recall

PONDERAY — A salmonella scare is forcing Yoke’s Fresh Market to recall raw Spanish peanuts from several of its stores, including Ponderay.

The peanuts were distributed to four Yoke’s stores in the Inland Northwest, but only Ponderay’s and Spokane Valley’s East Sprague locations had the product on their shelves at the time of the recall notification, according to a company press release.

Sold as bulk products in the produce department, the peanuts were not coded or labeled.

The peanuts were manufactured by Georgia-based Peanut Corporation of America, which was responsible for a nationwide recall of peanut products in January. The company has since shut its doors and filed for federal bankruptcy protection.

Products from PCA also triggered a statewide recall of peanut products in all Idaho schools in late January.

No known illnesses have been reported to date in connection with Spanish peanuts, but consumers who purchased the peanuts from July 18, 2008 to March 16, 2009 are urged to return them to the store for a full refund.

Salmonella is an organism which 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, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses, such as arterial infections.

Additional information can be found on the Food and Drug Administration’s website at www.fda.gov or by calling Yoke’s Fresh Markets at (509) 921-2292 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.