On July 8, 2005 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a nationwide warning to consumers against drinking unpasteurized orange juice products distributed under a variety of brand names by Orchid Island Juice Company of Fort Pierce, Florida. The alert went on to say that the juice had the potential for being “contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium and had been associated with an outbreak of human disease caused by this organism.” Fifteen ill cases had been directly linked to the product and at least 16 states had reported cases of Salmonella Typhimurium infection that matched the outbreak strain. On July 15, 2005, with an increasing number of Salmonella illnesses traced to unpasteurized orange juice being reported to state health departments, Orchid Island Orange Juice agreed to issue a recall of fresh and frozen juices.The FDA collected several samples of the orange juice from the suspect time period. Salmonella Saintpaul was found in a sample from July 25, 2005; however, Salmonella typhimurium was identified as the source of 72 outbreak-associated cases reported by mid-July. Ill individuals ranged in age from 17 months to 77 years old.
On September 6, 2005 Orchid Island Juice Company once again recalled all fresh unpasteurized orange juice. No illnesses were linked to consumption of juice from the second recall.
