Every can of the diet drink Slim-Fast, estimated to be 10 million, has been recalled by Unilever because some may contain bacteria, according to the
Food and Drug Administration. The bacteria, bacillus cereus, is a micro-organism that may cause diarrhea, nausea and/or vomiting.
The products are packaged in cartons and contain four, six or 12 steel cans that are 11 ounces each. Some retail stores also sell the cans individually. The recall involves all Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products in cans, regardless of flavor, best-by date, lot code or UPC number. (Check
the full list.) Only canned drinks are included in the recall.
A Unilever spokeswoman, Anita Larsen, told the Web site
WalletPop that the suspected contamination took place at a plant in Covington, Tenn. All production and distribution of the ready-to-drink cans has been halted. "We are in the process of identifying and correcting the production issue, and will resume production and shipment of the product when the issue has been addressed and corrected," Larsen said.
This is Slim-Fast's second major recall this year. Unilever recalled three varieties of Slim-Fast snack bars because they contained peanuts provided by the
Peanut Corporation of America that may have been tainted with salmonella.
The FDA is urging consumers who purchased the Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products to discard them immediately and contact the company at 1-800-896-9479 for a full refund. The Consumer Services Center is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM ET. Although the call center is not open this weekend, callers can hear a recorded message for more information.
