Salmonella Alert: Blue Diamond Recalls Almonds Sold In Illinois

Not being the sharpest tool in the shed as a child, when I was younger I thought that the easiest and simplest way to avoid getting Salmonella was to just not eat salmon. Seemed easy enough to my 12 year old brain.

However, after being diagnosed with Salmonella infection upon being exposed to tainted lake water, and being so sick I thought I was going to die, it slowly dawned on me that I should give salmon a break and stop blaming them for Salmonella.

I haven't swam in a lake for many years, but I do consume almonds on a daily basis, so the announcement from the FDA a couple of days back about a recall on Blue Diamond almonds sold in Illinois really got my attention.

Thousands Of Pounds Of Almonds Are Being Recalled After Recent Internal Testing Found The Presence Of Salmonella

And when I say thousands of pounds, I mean it. Sacramento-based Blue Diamond Growers is recalling 347,650 pounds of Whole Brown Almonds (bulk). Doing the math, that's 173.5 tons of almonds! For perspective, a blue whale weights in at about 140 tons.

Luckily for the almond consumers out there, the recall is only for whole brown almonds that were sold in bulk. These almonds, unlike the almonds that are sold as snacks, were to be used as ingredients in food manufacturing and were not used in Blue Diamond branded consumer products. 

The recalled Blue Diamond almonds were distributed here in Illinois, along with Colorado and California. The recall began on August 5th, and is still continuing because of worries that some Illinois, Colorado, and California residents may still have the almonds in their home pantries.

Click here for more details from the FDA.