Holiday Twinkies, Palmer candy treats recalled on salmonella risk

Some holiday Twinkies and Palmer Candy treats have been recalled because they may contain a milk powder contaminated with salmonella.

Twinkies maker Hostess Brands said it is recalling Holiday White Peppermint Twinkies, sold in boxes of nine at retailers across the U.S. The recall doesn’t include any other Hostess products.

Palmer Candy is recalling a number of its products, including some varieties of candy bark and candy-covered pretzels. Most recalled candy was sold under the Palmer brand, but the company also is recalling some under the Public, Trail’s End and Bakery Delights brand names.

The milk powder contained in a candy coating used in both the Twinkies and the Palmer candy was recalled by supplier Valley Milk Products last month. In a recall announcement, Valley Milk said the powder itself didn’t test positive for salmonella but that the Food and Drug Administration did find salmonella during environmental testing.

Both Hostess and Palmer Candy have said that their own tests have not found salmonella, but that the recall was done out of an abundance of caution. No illnesses have yet been reported.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.