Recall: Salmonella in Nesquik Chocolate Powder?

Nov. 9, 2012 -- Nestle USA has recalled some of its Nesquik chocolate powder, which may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

No illnesses have been reported so far. Nesquik contains calcium carbonate made by Omya Inc. Omya has recalled the calcium carbonate "due to possible presence of Salmonella," according to an FDA news release.

Nestle has limited the Nesquik recall to these specific products:

To find the production code, look at the bottom of the canister next to the expiration date. All of the recalled Nesquik products have an expiration date of "BEST BEFORE Oct 2014."

If you have one of the recalled canisters, do not use it. Customers may return the products to the place they bought them for a full refund, or call Nestle Consumer Services at 800-628-7679.

Omya is a major supplier of calcium carbonate worldwide. It has 12 plants in North America, seven of which are in the U.S. Its food-grade calcium carbonate is made at its FDA-regulated plant in Superior, Ariz.

Omya calcium carbonate is made from ground limestone. The company recall, issued on Nov. 6, includes seven lots of calcium carbonate sold to food producers in bags ranging in weight from 50 pounds to 2,500 pounds.

Calcium carbonate is used in a wide variety of foods, from chewing gum to nutritional supplements. It's not yet clear whether the Omya recall will result in the recall of other food products.

Salmonella Symptoms

A person who eats food contaminated with salmonella usually gets diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours later. Illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people get better without any treatment at all. But sometimes the diarrhea is so severe a person must be hospitalized.

In unusually severe cases, salmonella infection spreads from the gut into the blood, and then to other parts of the body. Such infections may be fatal without immediate antibiotic treatment. Older people, infants, and people with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to have severe illness after salmonella infection.