ITEM 8.01. Other Events.
On October 9, 2009 the Registrant issued a press release regarding its voluntary
recall of packaged items of (i) walnut halves and pieces and (ii) nut topping as
a precautionary measure because the product may be contaminated with Listeria
monocytogenes ("listeria"). Consumption of food contaminated with listeria can
cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially serious disease. The most common
manifestation of listeriosis is meningitis, which has symptoms of high fever,
severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause
miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections
to infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems such as persons
with chronic diseases or taking chemotherapy for cancer.
The listeria was detected through outside laboratory testing of finished
product. The Registrant determined that five lots of walnuts sourced from its
Gustine, California facility were combined to produce approximately 37, 000
pounds of finished product, approximately 3,000 pounds of which were shipped to
our retail and foodservice customers. The majority of the 3,000 pounds was not
sold to the end consumer and will be returned to the Registrant by our
customers. The remainder of the 3,000 pounds has been sold to end consumers who
should not consume the product and should return it for a full refund or
replacement. The dollar value of the product subject to the recall is not a
material amount; however, the Registrant is aggressively investigating the
incident to determine the source in order to confirm the scope of the
contaminated product and to help ensure the safety of our products going
forward.
The press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by
reference herein.
ITEM 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c) Exhibits
The exhibits furnished herewith are listed in the Exhibit Index which follows
the signature page of this Current Report on Form 8-K.
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