Bend nut butter maker: Tests haven’t found salmonella

Bend’s JEM Raw Co. recalled its full line of nut butter spreads after the Food and Drug Administration said 11 people became ill with salmonella.

The company was contacted by the FDA earlier this week. JEM Raw closed down it’s production site as health officials conduct their investigation.

The FDA has been at the warehouse and tested the products, and so far those results have showed no signs of salmonella, co-owner JEM Raw Organic Jennifer Moore said Thursday.

JEM Raw ships products to organic stores across the country. Whole Foods, Natural Grocers and Newport Avenue Market are a few of the local stores notified to stop selling the product.

People infected with salmonella often experience symptoms of fever, diarrhea and vomiting. So far, no deaths or hospitalizations have been reported.

“We are now going to be swabbing everything on a regular basis through an in-house testing that you can test right away,” Moore said.

This is the first time the product has been recalled, she added.

Moore said health officials tested all products from the warehouse to the store, with no signs of salmonella.

For the FDA news release and a link to the product codes, click here.