Dunkin’ Donuts Temporarily Stops Hot Chocolate Due to Salmonella Fears

Fans of Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate and Dunkaccino drinks will have to go without for the time being since the products have been temporarily pulled from stores across the country due to concerns they might be tainted with salmonella.

Sales of the beverages were suspended two days after it was announced that the supplier of instant nonfat dried milk, whey protein, and other products used in them had issued a recall. Plainview Milk Products Cooperative of Plainview, Minn. said this week that some of its products sold to Dunkin’ Donuts and other retailers over the past two years might have been contaminated with salmonella during processing.

Salmonella contamination can cause severe food poisoning, with symptoms ranging from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and fever. While most healthy people recover from salmonella exposure in a few days without need for medical treatment, the elderly, young children, and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk of severe complications from salmonella poisoning.

In rare cases, a Salmonella infection may reach the bloodstream and produce arterial infections (also called infected aneurysms), infection of the lining of the heart, and arthritis, the FDA warns.

Drink Sales Suspended

While no cases of salmonella poisoning have been reported in people who consumed Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate or Dunkaccino beverages, the company suspended sales of the products “to ensure the safety of our customers,” the company said in a statement.

“We expect to have these products back in stores shortly, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused our customers,” the company said.

No other Dunkin’ Donuts products, including their popular coffees and donuts, are affected by the possible salmonella contamination.

None of Plainview’s products were sold directly to the public, officials said. The company has stopped making the products in question and notified commercial customers of the recall. The recalled Plainview products include instant nonfat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums used as thickening agents.

A Food and Drug Administration inspection of a Plainview facility detected machinery and equipment contaminated with salmonella. Dairyshake powder made by the company was found to be carrying salmonella, which touched off a larger inspection of the company’s products and facilities, officials said.

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