After a massive Listeria recall of sunflower butter and nut butters sold under a variety of brand names including Thrive and Inspired Organics, Oskri Corp. has closed the Lake Mills, Wis. plant where they were produced. In January, the company ceased production at the facility while it worked with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on an investigation of how the contamination occurred. It is not clear if the company plans to continue manufacturing elsewhere.
Lake Mills City Manager Steve Wilke told the Lake Mills Leader that the company owns another facility in Ixonia, Wis. But one of Oskri’s bulk customers had to contact the Lake Mills Chamber of Commerce after it received a bill for an order it did not receive and was unable to reach anyone at the company, according to the article.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can cause serious illness and death. Although it can be found anywhere in nature, it grows best in cool, damp environments. It can be killed by cooking, or roasting in the case of nut butters. But, as a series or recent nut butter recalls shows, sometimes products can be contaminated after that step.
Symptoms of a Listeria infection include headache, high fever, muscle stiffness, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Among pregnant women, these infections can cause miscarriage and stillbirth even if the woman experiences only mild, flu-like symptoms.
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At the time that the recalls for these products were announced, no illnesses had been reported. However, nut butters have a long shelf life and symptoms of a Listeria infection can take as long as 70 days to develop. Consumers who buy sunflower butter, almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, coconut butter or tahini should check product recall information carefully.
Oskri, Thrive, Inspired Organics Recalls
December 20, 2018
Inspired Organics issued a recall of all lots and all dates of organic almond butter, organic peanut butter and tahini or sunflower butters for potential Listeria contamination. These products were produced by Oskri and sold to food service and retail locations in: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada.
January 2, 2019
A few weeks after the Inspired Organics recall, Oskri issued a recall for some lots of Oskri Organic Sunflower Butter, Oskri Tahini Butter, Thrive Sunflower Butter for possible contamination with Listeria. It was at this time that the company ceased production to cooperate with the FDA investigation.
January 24, 2019
Thrive Market Inc. issued a recall for all unexpired lots of 10 nut butter products. The recalled products include almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, coconut butter and sunflower butter. Thrive’s recall stated the company had been notified by on January 21, 2019 by one of its suppliers that some lots of these products had tested positive for Listeria.
January 29, 2019
Oskri issued a recall for all nut butters it manufactures. The recall was triggered by test results on multiple products that were positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria Lawyers
The Listeria lawyers at Pritzker Hageman represent clients nationwide who have been harmed by contaminated food. If you have been sickened by a food product contaminated with Listeria, you can request a free consultation with our Listeria Team. Call us toll-free at 1(888) 377-8900 or send us a text at 612-261-0856.