Twinkies, Palmer Candy join recall over salmonella concerns

Although Twinkies normally have a long shelf life, don’t hoard any boxes of limited-edition Holiday White Peppermint Hostess Twinkies for your post-holiday snacking or apocalypse preparation needs.

Hostess has recalled the multipack boxes, with nine cakes in each, in response to a recall by Blommer Chocolate Co., which produced the confectionery coating used on the holiday Twinkies. The coating contains milk powder ingredients produced by Valley Milk Products LLC, which may be contaminated with salmonella.

Salmonella was found at the company’s manufacturing facility, including in 50-pound bags of Valley Milk’s sweet cream buttermilk powder and high heat nonfat dry milk powder.

PHOTO: FDA

Consumers are urged to throw out recalled items or return them to the store for a refund.

However, all other Hostess products, including the beloved original Twinkies, are not being recalled.

Palmer Candy Co. has also issued a recall for a number of chocolate confections, including covered pretzels, almond and peppermint bark and candy party bowls.

“We are truly sorry for any distress this recall causes to our retail customers and to consumers,” said Marty Palmer, president and chief executive officer of Palmer Candy. “We remain committed to the highest standards in food quality and safety. We are taking this recall very seriously and truly appreciate the cooperation of our customers as we work to resolve this matter promptly.”

The recall is just one of many announced by the Food and Drug Administration in connection with an expanding recall of milk powder ingredients produced by Valley Milk Products. The recalled products have been shipped to dozens of states nationwide.

The full list of recalls:

“These products are not sold directly to consumers, but are used (as) ingredients in a number of foods such as bakery products and distributed by brokers,” said the recall statement from Valley Milk Products. No samples of milk powder have tested positive for the bacteria, according to the company.

No one has reported getting sick from these products, but exposure to salmonella can result in diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Most people who are exposed to the bacteria recover, even without treatment.

For those with compromised immune systems, for example due to chemotherapy, this kind of infection can be much more serious and require hospitalization. The elderly and infants can also have a hard time fighting off these infections.

CNN’s Jen Christensen and Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report.