Aunt Jemima Pancake and Waffle Mix Recall

Do you have any Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix in your kitchen? If you and your children love the convenience of the ready made mixes from a company with a long standing reputation for both taste and quality, then you may have some of their products on your cupboard shelves. If so, a new recall makes it vital for parents and consumers to check the packages to make sure that the mix you plan to use to feed your family isn't part of this recent food recall for Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix.

Before consumers panic, rest assured that even though the recall - as are all food recalls - is serious business, the risk is small. The recalled products are a very small part of the consumer goods on shelves and many of the possibility tainted product never reached the supermarket.

Consumers need to know what is affected and what to look for to determine if any products in their kitchen could put their families at risk.

Of the product that may have been contaminated, Quaker has 98% of the product and they can track where the other 2% was shipped. Most of the product is not expected to have even reached supermarket shelves at this time. States that may have had product shipped to warehouses for distribution include Texas, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, New Mexico, Kansas, and Utah.

The products recalled by parent company Quaker Oats on March 4th include Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mixes in Original, Original Complete, and Buttermilk Complete flavors. No other Aunt Jemima or Quaker Oats products are affected by the possible contamination. The reason for this recall is because the product may have potential salmonella contamination. Even if consumers have used the product, as long as the prepared products were cooked to a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, the risks are very minimal.

If you have any Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix in your kitchen, here are the potentially contaminated product numbers:

Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix, 5 pound package, 3000 43272
Aunt Jemima Original Pancake & Waffle Mix, 2 pound box, 3000 05040
Aunt Jemima Original Complete, 2 pound box, 3000 05070
Aunt Jemima Butter Milk Complete, 2 pound size, 3000 05300

Best before dates on the affected products will read FEB 08 09 through FEB 16 09.

This information along with the lot numbers above can be found on the top panel of the boxes.

Consumers who find that they have this product at home can return it to the supermarket for a full refund. Questions can be answered by calling tollfree,
1-800-407-2247.

No illness have been reported from use of these Aunt Jemima products and the recall is a precaution to protect against possible illness.

Salmonella is a food borne illness. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain. Salmonella can be serious and even fatal, especially for young children and senior citizens or anyone with weakened immune systems.

As the daughter of a now retired United States Department of Agriculture food inspector, I am always horrified by food recalls of any kind. It seems that food recalls hit the news more often than in the past. Back in the late 1990's when a burger recall affected thousands of hamburger patties across the country, I was very upset because I had served patties from the affected lots to my toddler twins. Thankfully no one became ill but the potential scared me.

Last year's salad recalls were another area of concern since my husband and I eat salads every day. Beef recalls recently affected thousands of school lunches and these are just of a few of the ongoing food recalls. The big ones are all over the news but there are food recalls every single day.

To keep my family safe, I began checking the United States Department of Agriculture site several times a week to find out just what food products are recalled and what risks are associated with these recalls.

It's a wise thing to do and consumers are at the mercy of our food processors. When I go to the supermarket and buy groceries for my family, I expect to buy quality goods that will not make our family sick. As vigilant as I am, however, there are still recalls.

I often have used Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix to make pancakes for my kids but I am so glad I did not make any this morning. I have checked the two boxes on hand, though, and they are not part of this recall.

To protect yourself and your family, stay alert on food recalls such as this new recall of Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle mix!

More information: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-04-2008/0004767837&EDATE=