Minute Maid Frozen Juice Bars Recalled

J & J Snack Foods Corp. said that it is voluntarily recalling 300,000 boxes of Minute Maid brand frozen juice bars because some packages contain “food-grade plastic particles” that could cause choking. J & J Snack said the recall will hurt earnings for its fiscal year 2000, ending in September. The recall affects 12-packs of orange, cherry and grape Minute Maid Frozen Juice Bars produced at the company’s Scranton, Pa., plant. They contain the codes FEB 29 01 through APR 15 01 printed on the top flap of the box. No injuries have been reported from the defect. The products are being recalled after a packaging defect “caused a very small number of packages to contain nontoxic food-grade plastic particles that could present a potential choking hazard,” J & J said in a statement. Chief Executive Gerald Shreiber said the company expects the recall will “make it difficult for J & J to increase earnings in our fiscal year 2000 above the $1.50 per share we earned in fiscal year 1999.” He said he was confident the recall will not have a long-term impact. J & J shares fell 63 cents to close at $15.38 on Nasdaq.