Slim Fast is being recalled due to the risk of possible problems in its can and your can: there are fears that a possible bacteria infection could turn some cans of Slim Fast into Diarrhea-Abdominal Cramps-and-Vomiting Fast.
The maker of Slim-Fast has recalled all of its ready-to-drink canned beverages. All of them. Turns out, the stuff might be contaminated with the bacterium Bacillus cereus.
Here’s the notice, posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website and the Slim-Fast site.
It contains the usual “discard immediately,” “contact the company … for a full refund” advice. It also includes a list of the specific products being recalled, but there may be no need to check. The notice also says this:
“The recall involves all Slim-Fast RTD products in cans, regardless of flavor, Best-By date, lot code or UPC number.”
Don’t be too alarmed if you’ve already consumed such products, especially if it was more than a day ago. Food poisoning with Bacillus cereus hits fast, but is short-lived and relatively mild.
Unilever’s U.S. arm, based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., says the products were sold nationwide. They came in cartons of four, six or 12 steel cans, 11 ounces in size, and they were also sold individually. The recall covers all Slim-Fast products in cans, regardless of flavor, best-by date, lot code or UPC number. No other Slim Fast products are affected by this recall, including powdered shakes, meal bars or snack bars.
The company said it is working to determine the production issue that caused the contamination. It has halted production, and asked people to discard the drinks.
A word about Slim Fast. As someone who is on a perpetual diet, I’ve taken Slim Fast over the years. It’s an excellent product with a good taste. The company is smart to recall it now before it becomes the butt subject of a lot of inappropriate jokes.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.