Salmonella Threat Leads to Voluntary Candy Bar Recall

Nabisco Co. announced a voluntary recall Wednesday of all its Baby Ruth candy bars as a precaution against the threat of salmonella contamination.

The company recalled some of the candy bars Dec. 12 after salmonella bacteria were discovered in a small percentage of the bars made at Nabisco’s plant in Franklin Park, Ill.

Mel Grayson, a spokesman for East Hanover-based Nabisco, said Wednesday that the nationwide recall was issued as a precaution “to make sure that there is no possibility of any of these bars with salmonella getting to the public.”

Grayson said the company believes that there is no serious health threat to the public. But he said consumers with Baby Ruth candy bars should return them to the stores where they were purchased and obtain refunds.

State Official’s Warning

Bernard Turnock, director of the Illinois Public Health Department, said Tuesday that consumers should not eat the candy bars because of an increased threat of salmonella poisoning.

Earlier this month, the health department warned consumers not to eat Baby Ruth bars made on certain dates because, Turnock said, Nabisco officials had discovered salmonella organisms during a routine inspection of the plant in Franklin Park, a Chicago suburb.

Turnock said new tests show that there may be a risk of catching salmonella from bars made on other days.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fever.