Salmonella Outbreak in Peanut Butter

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that products containing peanut butter be eliminated from consumer’s diets until further information becomes available. At least 474 people in 43 states have been sickened by peanut butter and peanut paste, and the FDA has confirmed that the origin for these outbreaks were caused by Typhimurium tracked to the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant. This plant produces peanut butter for the use in nursing homes and cafeterias, as well as for the use in commercially-prepared products such as cakes, cookies, crackers and ice cream. No commercial peanut butter brands sold in grocery stores have been linked to the salmonella outbreak. The FDA is conducting an ongoing investigation of the plant, which has been shut down. FDA inspectors isolated salmonella in two places inside the plant.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria often found in poultry and poultry products and meat and meat products. Common causes of Salmonella are poor personal hygiene and/or cross-contamination. Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, cramps, fever, headache and diarrhea. The onset time of these symptoms is usually 12-36 hours and lasts 4 to 7 days. This can be fatal to high-risk groups, such as the elderly, the very young and those with impaired immune systems.

Food service establishments are advised to confirm with food suppliers the source of their peanut product ingredients. It is advised to check the FDA website frequently to see if any new products are added to the recall list. The FDA also recommends the following...

• Consumers are advised not to eat products that have been recalled and to throw them away in a manner that prevents others from eating them.
• FDA urges consumers first to visit FDA's Web site to determine if commercially prepared or manufactured products containing peanut products from Peanut Corporation of America (such as cookies, crackers, cereal, candy, ice cream, pet food or treats) are subject to recall. Identification of products subject to recall is continuing, and FDA will update its list of recalled products and advice based on new information. Consumers who do not have access to the Internet may obtain this information by calling FDA's information line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD or CDC's consumer information hotline that is staffed 24/7 at 1-800-CDC-INFO.
• For information on products containing peanuts or peanut products as ingredients from companies reporting recalls to date, consumers may wish to consult the company's Web site or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging. Information consumers may receive from the companies in this manner has not been verified by FDA.
• If consumers cannot determine if their peanut products may contain peanut ingredients from PCA, FDA recommends they do not consume those products. Efforts to specifically identify products subject to the PCA recall and to continuously update consumers are ongoing.
• People who think they may have become ill from eating peanut products are advised to consult their health care providers.

For more information, visit the Food and Drug Administration website http://www.fda.gov or the Centers for Disease Control Website http://www.cdc.gov