The Food and Drug Administration confirmed Friday that Veggie Booty snacks tested positive for salmonella, confirming earlier suspicions.

Veggie Booty, a snack popular among children, is marketed by New jersey-based company Robert’s American Gourmet. The FDA first warned the public about this product toward the end of June, saying it should be avoided due to suspicions of salmonella contamination.

The company promptly recalled its products and stated that it had temporarily stopped manufacturing and selling the snacks.

Friday, the FDA announced that Veggie Booty was indeed carrying salmonella, as earlier testing by the Minnesota Agricultural Lab had found. There was an outbreak last spring, with at least 60 persons falling ill after consuming the snack, most of them children.

Robert's American Gourmet said the salmonella might have come from seasoning the company acquired from Atlantic Quality Spice & Seasonings of Edison, N.J. It may have Chinese ingredients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said most of the ill persons, from 19 states, are children under 10, especially toddlers. Consumers are strongly advised to avoid Veggie Booty and Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks.

Six children have been hospitalized, the CDC said.

Salmonella infection, characterized by diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, is especially dangerous in children and older persons, as well as in those with a weakened immune system.

The U.S. Centers for Disease control estimates that about 300,000 Americans are hospitalized with food-borne illnesses each year and 5,000 people die.