Mountain Mel’s is recalling herbal teas, some recommended for infants and toddlers, because of an ingredient that is already under recall for the risk of Salmonella infection.

based in Welches, OR, Mountain Mel’s Essential Goods LLC distributed the implicated tea nationwide through Azure Standard, Mountainmels.com and amazon.com. The company also sent the teas to Oregon and Washington through New Seasons Market, according to a recall notice issued by the company today.

Although the recall was submitted to and posted by the FDA today, officials at Mountain Mel’s report they stopped production of the implicated teas more than a month ago. One of the teas, Peaceful Baby, is recommended for babies and toddlers, who are among those at high risk for serious illness from Salmonella infections.

“This blend can provide relief for gassy or colicky babies, the tough times of teething, ‘terrible twos,’ or as a great evening wind down tea for the whole family,” according to the Mountain Mel’s website.

There is concern consumers may have unused portions of the teas in their homes because of their long shelf life. All three flavors of recalled tea have best-by dates of July 2021.

“This recall was initiated because the herbal teas were made with the recalled fennel seed whole that was supplied and recalled by Mountain Rose Herbs in Oregon. Mountain Mel’s Essential Goods has ceased production and distribution of this product as of July 20, 2019,” according to the Mountain Mel’s notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration today.

All three flavors of the implicated tea were still showing as available for sale on the Mountain Mel’s website as of 4 p.m. EDT today. The site also appeared to not have any information about the recall. It was not clear if the tea offered on the website has the label coding reported for the recalled tea. No illnesses had been confirmed in relation to the recalled tea as of the posting of the recall notice on the FDA website.

The affected tea products were distributed by Mountain Mel’s Essential Goods June 27, 2019 and July 20, 2019. Consumers can determine whether they have any of the recalled tea by looking for the following label information:

The Milk Lady’s Herbal Tea Blend, UPC 7 99632 05658 4, is packaged in a tall thin tin container with 2 oz of tea per tin, with a purple label. The LOT# of the recalled batch is # ML6271950. The LOT# can be located on the bottom of the tin package. The Best By Date of the Milk Lady’s Tea is listed as 7/2021.

Peaceful Baby Herbal Tea Blend, UPC 7 99632 05656 0, is packaged in a tall thin tin container with 2 oz of tea per tin, with a blue label. The LOT# of the recalled batch is #PB781950. The LOT# can be located on the bottom of the tin package. The Best By Date of the Peaceful Baby Tea is listed as 7/2021.

Diges-Teas Herbal Tea Blend, UPC 7 99632 05665 2, is packaged in a tall thin tin container with 2 oz of tea per tin, with a brown label. The LOT# of the recalled batch is #DT7619100. The LOT# can be located on the bottom of the tin package. The Best By Date of the Diges-Teas Herbal Tea is listed as 7/2021.

“Consumers who have purchased Mountain Mel’s The Milk Lady’s Tea with LOT # ML6271950, Peaceful Baby Herbal Tea with LOT # PB781950, and/or Diges-Teas Herbal Tea with LOT # DT7619100 are urged to take a photo of the product and lot label, email that to info@mountainmels.com for a full refund,” according to the recall notice sent to the FDA. “Consumers with further questions may contact Mountain Mel’s via email at info@mountainmels.com.”

Information about Salmonella infections
Food that is contaminated with Salmonella bacteria usually does not look, smell or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection, but infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has consumed any of the recalled tea and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients need to be hospitalized. 

Older adults, children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems — such as cancer patients — are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

It is possible for some people to be infected with the bacteria and to not get sick or show any symptoms, but to still be able to spread the infection to others.