Peanut contamination expected to last long

February 26: The salmonella contamination that has affected around 666 people in 45 states in America is not expected to be completely eliminated soon. According to the experts, the affects may be seen for well over two years.

Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause lethal infections and infects people with weak immune system, mainly children and elderly people. The symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, sometimes containing blood, as well as vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps.

The outbreak that has led to one of the largest food recalls in the history of U.S. originated from the contaminated peanut butter produced by the Georgia facility of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).

The contamination spread to these huge proportions as the peanut butter, peanut paste, granulated peanuts and others produced at the PCA plants are used as ingredients for different foods and have been distributed all around U.S. and around 20 other countries.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof, Director of food safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said, “The process of identifying those products and ensuring their removal has been complicated and confusing.”

“We’re really concerned. This is not over yet. He said the outbreak could last as long as products are around, possibly as long as two years,” he added.

Peanut butter has a long shelf life and thus, even after a year or two, there are chances that the contaminated peanut butter is found lingering in homes and the marketplace.

The Food and Drug administration (FDA) has already instructed the consumers to throw away the products that have been recalled and inform the store managers and public health officials if they find any such items on grocery store shelves, in vending machines, and at gasoline stations or convenience stores.

Meanwhile, FDA is taking all possible measures to contain the spread of the contamination and has been successful in reducing the number of reported cases to 25 per week as opposed to almost 60 cases per week in December.

So far, 2670 food items have been recalled after the contamination broke out from the Georgia plant of PCA. Initially, the contamination was linked only to this facility of PCA, but now there have been reports of illness linked to the Texas plant as well.

Officials believe that contamination might have spread from the Georgia plant during the shipping of contaminated honey-roasted peanuts, hot and spicy peanuts and other seasoned products to the Plainview, Texas.

PCA has incurred huge losses after all three of its manufacturing plants were shut down and has filed for bankruptcy liquidation.