After tracing the source of the Salmonella outbreak, Oregon officials are warning consumers to check their homes for hazelnuts originating from the Schmidt Farm and Nursery farm stand and to immediately discard them.
The warning on Friday from the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division reported five people have been confirmed in the outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium. They were all infected with the same strain of the pathogen, which was also found in hazelnuts from the Schmidt Farm and Nursery farm stand on highway southwest of McMinnville, OR.
Although the majority of the Schmidt Farm hazelnut crop goes to wholesalers, a spokesman from the Oregon Department of Agriculture said, Friday afternoon, that the department estimates the farm stand sold 32,000 to 48,000 pounds of hazelnuts direct to consumers.
Their website and Facebook pages indicate the operation is closed for the season, with plans to reopen in the spring. The farm has about 80 acres of hazelnuts, according to information the owners provided to state officials.
“Wholesalers have put steps in place that kill any Salmonella on the hazelnuts they handle before the nuts reach consumers,” said Stephanie Page, the agriculture department’s director of food safety and animal services, in the public warning.
“To date, we have no indication there were any issues with this part of the process. The concern in this case is with hazelnuts bought at the farm stand.”
