Fruiti Pops, Inc., based in Santa Fe Springs, California, is voluntarily recalling its 4-oz Mamey Paletas frozen fruit bars due to possible contamination with Salmonella typhi, the cause of typhoid fever. If that seems familiar to you, it should be. Goya Foods recalled its frozen mamey pulp earlier this month for the same reason.
Fruiti Pops has used Goya's frozen mamey pulp in the production of the frozen fruit bars since May 2009. That's correct, the possibly tainted fruit bars have been available to consumers for more than a year. The bars were shipped to retail outlets and distributors in California, Arizona and Texas. However, the manufacturer states no cases of S. typhi related to Fruiti Pops Mamey Paletas have been reported.
"There has been no proof of contamination in our product. We
voluntarily recalled the product out of an abundance of caution for
our customers," said Junior Aguado, VP of sales at Fruiti Pops.
City of Ate called some Dallas-area La Michoacana Meat Markets in
order to confirm the sale and/or the removal of the Fruiti Pops Mamey
Paletas. No one could tell us if they carried the product nor were
they aware of the recall. When we mentioned this to Aguado, he said,
"Unless there are holdouts in someone's freezer, there aren't
anymore of our fruit bars in Dallas. If there ever were." He noted
that as far as he knew, Fruiti Pops doesn't reach the as far east
as the metroplex. Aguado said the main Texas markets are West and
South Texas.
Individuals who bought Fruiti Pops' 4-oz mamey frozen fruit bars since May 2009 are urged to return the items to the point of purchase, which include retail outlets such as bodegas and supermarkets as well as mobile food vendors and vending machines, for a full refund. Those with questions about the recall should call Fruiti Pops, Inc., at 562-404-2568 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Anyone suffering from fever, severe abdominal pain and/or diarrhea after eating a Fruiti Pop Mamey Paleta should contact a health professional.