Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc., a Lakewood, Colorado-based natural grocery retailer, is voluntarily recalling Natural Grocers Brand 4-ounce Organic Whole Elderberries after being notified by its supplier of the potential presence of Salmonella. Salmonellais an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. If you are experiencing these symptoms, and believe you may have been exposed to Salmonella, please report to a medical provider.

To date, the company has received no reports of illness or injury but is acting out of an abundance of caution to voluntarily recall any of the potentially affected product in the marketplace.

After initially certifying that this product had tested negative for Salmonella and was fit for human consumption, our supplier subsequently notified the company of the potential presence of Salmonella in specific lots of organic elderberries.

Consumers who may have purchased this product are advised to discontinue use immediately and discard or return the product for credit or refund. The recalled product is packaged in clear plastic bags weighing 4-ounces and bearing the “Natural Grocers” label. Only packages bearing the following pack dates are being recalled at this time: 20-216, 20-225, 20-246, 20-265, & 20-281.

The product was distributed to 159 Natural Grocers stores located in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Consumers can find the specific locations of Natural Grocers’ stores in those states at: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-directory.

Consumers with questions may contact the company by calling Customer Service at 303-986-4600, ext. 80801, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (MST).