More than 30 gift baskets and other gift snack collections sold by Sam’s Club, Costco and catalog-internet sales nationwide are under recall because they include Blue Cheese Savory Twists that could be contaminated with Salmonella because of an ingredient made with powdered milk.

To see all product photos provided and to review the entire list of recalled gift baskets, click on the image.
To see all product photos provided and to review the entire list of recalled gift baskets, click on the image.

The recall, posted with the Food and Drug Administration by Houdini Inc. of Fullerton, CA, does not name the powdered milk supplier whose product was used in the seasoning for the blue cheese snack crackers.

“Although no pathogenic bacteria have been found in the powdered products supplied to our Savory Twist supplier by the ingredient manufacturer, nor in any of the Blue Cheese Savory Twists themselves, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to recall products produced from the specific lots purchased from this ingredient supplier,” according to the recall notice.

The recalled blue cheese snacks are packaged in 7-ounce boxes in three colors — red, green and copper. Some of the recalled gift baskets were sold by Houdini Inc. direct to consumers through the company’s Wine Country Gift Baskets catalog and website. They were also sold through Houdini’s wholesale division.

Only the 7-ounce blue cheese twist boxes in gift baskets that were shipped or sold in stores from Sept. 1 through Dec. 12 are in eluded in the recall.

No other items in the gift baskets are subject to the recall.

“If you have any 7-ounce Blue Cheese Savory Twists remaining, please discard them; do not consume. If you gave the product to someone, please let them know to discard the product,” according to the recall notice. “If you have any questions concerning this recall, please contact Houdini Customer Care at 866-712-5910.”

Consumers should check the foil pouches in the blue cheese twists boxes for the following codes. Only products with these two codes are subject to the recall:

  • 1831602 XX with XX=last 2 digits refer to specific packaging machine; or
  • 2431602 XX with XX=last 2 digits refer to specific packaging machine.

Specific gift baskets and snack collections subject to the Houdini inc. recall are:

Gift Basket Name: Lot code number:
Wine Country Gift Baskets:
Wine Trio LC448865
Napa & Sonoma Valley Exclusive LC449695
Bodega de San Antonio Sangria Tradicional LC446420
California Cabernet and Chardonnay Gift LC451463
Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Duet LC450020
Placeholder Six Bottle WOM Wines Collection    LC448789
The Ultimate Wine and Champagne Collection  LC448866
Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Collection LC449703
The Classic LC444761, LC446625, LC446626, LC451389
Lasting Impression LC447394, LC452566
Wine Country Extravaganza LC445632
Grgich Hills Napa Valley Selection LC444483
Gift Basket Name: Lot code number:
Vintners Path Merlot Season’s Greetings LC444763
Stag’s Leap Winery Collection LC449624
Vintners Path Cabernet Season’s Greetings LC445181
Houdini Napa Valley Collection LC445631
Vintners Path Chardonnay  Season’s Greetings  LC444766
Alfasi Cabernet Kosher Selection LC444152
Alfasi Kosher Trio LC446250
Alfasi Chardonnay Kosher Selection LC444153
Napa and Sonoma Duet LC448370
California Wine Crate LC450022
The Classic LC451792, LC454676
TJX Companies:
Metal Basket with Handles LC449614
Metal Basket with Leather Handles LC446548, LC446549, LC446550
Sam’s Club:
The Executive LC442525, LC442751, LC443675
Costco Southeast Region:
Burgundy and Bronze Metal Basket LC448217, LC448218, LC448219, LC50256, LC52057, LC50258
Costco Northeast Region:
Houdini Fabric basket LC448981
Costco Midwest Region:
Wooden Centerpiece LC448210
Costco.com:
Tis The Season LC445630
Sweets For The Season LC446542

 

Although Houdini inc. did not name the powdered milk supplier in its recall notice, in recent days a number of other companies have recalled a wide variety of food products from macaroni and cheese to frozen cream puffs because of potentially contaminated powdered milk ingredients names Valley Milk Products LLC.

Anyone who has consumed any of the recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the pathogen.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections.

Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

Related recalls
The companies that named the powdered milk supplier said the potentially contaminated ingredients came from the Valley Milk Products production plant in Strasburg, VA. At the request of the FDA, armed U.S. Marshals raided the plant on Dec. 1 and seized 4 million pounds of powdered milk and powdered buttermilk.

On Dec. 9 Valley Milk Products recalled 3.1 million pounds of powdered milk products produced and sold in the period from Dec. 5, 2015, through July 10, 2016. While the FDA has access to company records showing who bought the recalled powdered milk, and when, it cannot publish those details because of a federal law protecting “confidential corporate information.”

In a document filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia the FDA reported environmental swabs collected at the production facility returned positive results for Salmonella. Inspectors also found internal records at Valley Milk that showed the company itself had found Salmonella in the facility and in finished products.

For additional details on other recalls related to the Valley Milk Products problems with Salmonella, please see:

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