Salmonella Risk: Lakewood Grocery Chain Recalls Raw Coconut

LAKEWOOD, CO -- A Lakewood-based natural grocery chain is recalling packages of raw coconut slices because they have been linked to Salmonella. Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc. announced March 17 they were recalling Natural Grocers brand 10-ounce Coconut Smiles Organic because they had found some product that contained Salmonella organisms.

Six people were said to be sickened by Salmonella traced to the coconut product, the company said. The Food and Drug Administration also found evidence of Salmonella, the company said:

The recalled product is packaged in clear plastic bags weighing 10 ounces and bears the “Natural Grocers” label. All packages with packed-on dates prior to 18-075 are subject to recall. The packed-on date can be found in the bottom left-hand corner of the label.

The 10 oz. bags of Coconut Smiles Organic product were distributed to 145 Natural Grocers stores located in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Consumers can find the specific locations of the Natural Grocers stores in those states at: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/storelocations/store-directory/.

Consumers who may have purchased this product should return it to the store for credit or refund, the company said in a press release. Consumers with questions may contact the company by calling Customer Service at 303-986-4600, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (MST).

The company gave this warning regarding Salmonella:

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 (which may be bloody), 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 (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Image via Natural Grocers