There has recently been another recall of granola bars due to potential Salmonella contamination. How does Salmonella get into granola bars, and why does this keep happening? Should you be concerned? Salmonella is the genus name for over 2,500 different bacteria. Salmonella are rod-shaped, flagellated, Gram-stain negative bacteria, and are known to cause illness in animals, birds (especially poultry), and humans.
There have been issues in the past with peanut processing plants not keeping the roasted peanuts separate from the raw peanuts. Peanut processing plants rely on the roasting process to kill Salmonella bacteria, but if the cooked nuts come into contact with raw, contaminated products or contaminated surfaces, the roasted product can be recontaminated. The peanut processing plant then send their roasted peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut oil to other companies to be used to make other product, like granola bars.
The latest recalls have been related to potentially Salmonella contaminated organic toasted soy grits. It is likely that the soy grit supplier had some bad practices that allowed for cross contamination of the toasted soy products, by coming into contact with the raw soy kernels or surfaces that were contaminated by the raw soy. It is also possible that there was a rodent problem at the factory, as the fecal matter from rodents is a common source of Salmonella bacteria.
The bottom line, do not eat potentially contaminated granola bars, if you can avoid it. Salmonella is a bacteria that is linked to serious food poisoning. The symptoms of Salmonella infection are: fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), and abdominal pain. A Salmonella infection can be very dangerous and even life threatening for frail or elderly individuals, young children, and people with weakened immune systems. Therefore, it is extremely important to seek medical attention if you believe that you have been infected with Salmonella. Your doctor will assess your situation and may choose to put you on antibiotics. However, the best plan is prevention, so pay attention to recalls of packaged products that have a concern for contamination, and either return the product for a refund or discard it immediately. It is definitely better to err in the favor of caution than it is to risk your health and the health of your family over a few dollars worth of food.
