RHODE ISLAND, May 7 - The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is advising consumers that Palmer Candy Company is recalling its "White Coated Confectionary Items" because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The recalled product was distributed nationwide in retail stores and to wholesale, including Walmart, HyVee, Target, Dollar General, and to distributors in Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The recalled product is sold in different types of packaging, including bags, pouches, and tubs. For a complete list of recalled products and pictures of the packaging, see FDA's website.

To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea ( which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.

Consumers who have the recalled product should not eat it and should throw it away.