Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts and Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts recall: Potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

Planters Nuts & seeds — recalled nuts & seedsPlanters Nuts & seeds — recalled nuts & seeds (photo 2)
2 photos published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the recall notice.

The hazard: Listeria contamination

This is a Listeria recall, so the usual kitchen tests do not apply — the bacteria grow in a cold fridge and leave no smell, no cloudiness and no off taste.

What the notice says: Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Why it matters: Listeria monocytogenes is unusual among foodborne bacteria because it keeps growing at refrigerator temperature. A contaminated pack does not become safer for sitting in the cold, and it will look, smell and taste completely normal.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

Listeriosis is mild or silent in most healthy adults, but it is serious for pregnant people, newborns, adults over 65 and anyone whose immune system is suppressed. The CDC describes intestinal illness as diarrhoea and vomiting, and invasive illness as fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions. In pregnancy it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infection in the newborn even when the parent feels only mildly unwell. Symptoms can start within a day or not appear for weeks, so tell any doctor you see that you ate a recalled product and give them the date.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Published
May 3, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
Planters
Product type
Nuts & seeds
Distribution
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina
Sold at
Dollar Tree, Publix
Reports of harm
There have been no reports of illness related to this recall to date, and all retailers that received the affected product have been properly notified.

Products covered by this recall

Honey Roasted Peanuts and Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts

What the company announced

AUSTIN, Minn. (May 3, 2024) – Hormel Foods Sales, LLC is voluntarily recalling a limited number of two PLANTERS® products that were produced at one of its facilities in April. This recall only impacts two retailers in five states. These products are being recalled because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes .

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The products were shipped to Publix distribution warehouses in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina and to Dollar Tree distribution warehouses in South Carolina and Georgia.

The recalled product is limited to 4 oz. packages of PLANTERS® Honey Roasted Peanuts and 8.75 oz. cans of PLANTERS® Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts. The “Best if Used By Date” is located on the bottom of the Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts can and the UPC code is located on the side of the can.

  • Brand: PLANTERS® · Product Description: Honey Roasted Peanuts · UPC: 2900002097 · BIUB: 04 11 25
  • Brand: PLANTERS® · Product Description: Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts · UPC: 2900001621 · BIUB: 05APR26

No other sizes, varieties, or other packaging configurations of PLANTERS® brand products are included in this recall.

There have been no reports of illness related to this recall to date, and all retailers that received the affected product have been properly notified. This recall is being initiated with the knowledge of the US Food and Drug Administration.

If a consumer has this product, they can discard the product or return it to the store where purchased for an exchange or full refund. If consumers have questions, they may contact Hormel Foods Customer Relations via email here , via chat at https://www.planters.com/ or at 1-800-523-4635, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Central Time, excluding holidays.

Our commitment to food safety remains our utmost priority. A full investigation is currently under way to determine the potential source of the contamination.

Reproduced from the company announcement posted on fda.gov. Links and contact forms in the original are not repeated here; the official notice below has them.

Check your product

The notice names 2 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 4 oz
  • 8.75 oz

Codes are lifted verbatim from the FDA — Company recall announcements notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Listeria

Planters — This is a Listeria recall, so the usual kitchen tests do not apply — the bacteria grow in a cold fridge and leave no smell, no cloudiness and no off taste.

  1. Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.
  2. Wash and then sanitise anything the food touched: the fridge shelf and drawer, chopping boards, knives, counters and your hands. Listeria colonises cold surfaces and can survive there after the food is gone.
  3. If anyone in the household is pregnant, over 65 or immunocompromised, call a clinician for advice even if nobody feels ill. That conversation is quick and it is the whole point of a Listeria recall.
  4. Photograph the label, the lot code and the date mark before the pack leaves the house — that picture is what a refund claim runs on.

Getting a refund without the pack

The commonest reason people skip the refund is that they have already thrown the item away. That rarely matters.

  • A photo of the label and lot code is accepted by most grocers, and so is a card statement line showing the purchase.
  • Store credit is often offered first. You can ask for the original payment method instead, and it is normally granted.
  • No photo either? Ask anyway. Grocery chains settle recall refunds at the service desk because disputing them costs more than paying them.
  • For a multi-pack or a case, ask for the full purchase price rather than a per-unit figure — the recall covers what you paid.

Remedy named in the notice: If a consumer has this product, they can discard the product or return it to the store where purchased for an exchange or full refund.

Company contact: Hormel Foods Sales, LLC — Consumers: Hormel Foods Customer Relations, 1-800-523-4635 — Media: Media Relations Hormel Foods, [email protected]

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the FDA — Company recall announcements record U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was Planters nuts & seeds recalled?

Potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

The notice does not publish package codes for this recall. Compare the product name, size and the purchase window against the official FDA — Company recall announcements record, and contact the company if you are unsure.

What should I do with it right now?

Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: If a consumer has this product, they can discard the product or return it to the store where purchased for an exchange or full refund.

Which states were affected?

The notice lists Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina.

Related recalls