The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified state officials of a voluntary nationwide recall of Slim-Fast Ready-to-Drink Products, the state Health Department has announced.

The manufacturer, Unilever United States Inc., is recalling the product due to possible health risks, state health officials said yesterday.

Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said the department's food-borne illness specialist has not received any reports of illness related to Slim-Fast consumption.

However, the company said it was recalling all Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products in cans “;out of an abundance of caution,”; due to the possibility of contamination with Bacillus cereus, a microorganism that can cause diarrhea and possibly nausea and/or vomiting. The probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote, the company said.

Health officials said they will notify product distributors and retailers statewide to remove the product from store shelves. Health Department workers also will visit retailers today to ensure the recalled product has been removed.

Consumers are urged to check their cabinets and

refrigerators for the product and discard or return it, health officials said.

The company gave this description of the product:

» “;The products are packaged in paperboard cartons and contain four, six or 12 steel cans that are 11 FL OZ (325 ml) each. Individual cans are also sold in certain retail outlets. The recall involves all Slim-Fast RTD products in cans, regardless of flavor, Best-By date, lot code or UPC number. No other Slim-Fast products are affected by this recall,”; the company said.