McCormick recalls ground oregano

McCormick has issued a voluntary recall of ground oregano in 0.75 ounce bottles because it may be contaminated with salmonella. The oregano was shipped between April 4 and Aug. 5, 2014, to stores throughout the country.

The only product affected by the recall is McCormick ground oregano with a UPC code of 0-523561-6 and a best by date of Aug. 21 16 H and Aug. 22 16 H.

No other McCormick ground, whole or oregano leaves are affected.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

Salmonella symptoms in healthy people include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare cases, a salmonella infection can get into the blood stream and produce more severe illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

McCormick said in its recall notice that no illnesses had been reported as of Wednesday as a result of consumers eating the product.

â??Consumers do not need to return the product to the store where it was purchased. Instead, consumers are urged to dispose of the recalled product and its container,â? McCormick said in its recall notice.

Consumers can contact McCormick for a replacement or refund at (800) 632-5847 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time. Representatives on the hotline can also answer general questions.

The company found out about the potential risk through routine testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recall affects 1,032 cases of oregano.

McCormick said it has alerted customers and grocery outlets to remove the product with the affected codes from store shelves and distribution centers and destroy it.

The recalled oregano was shipped overseas and to Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Danoka, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.