Peanut Butter recall list continues to grow

Washington, January 25: The number of food products that have been recalled continues to escalate after the salmonella outbreak was linked to peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant.

The investigations carried out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that PCA supplied the contaminated peanut butter to more than 70 firms. These companies use it as an ingredient in products, such as cookies, diet granola bars, crackers, ice cream, and in the production of dog biscuits.

According to latest estimates by CDC, around 488 people in 43 states have fallen ill from salmonella typhimurium poisoning. The symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, sometimes containing blood, as well as vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps.

Taking into account the rising numbers of cases of infection, PCA has expanded its voluntary recall to the products manufactured from the plant on or after July 1. The suppliers and customer records of the company have also been submitted to the FDA to assist further investigations.

The other companies which have issued a recall order include Kellogg Co., Whole Foods Market, Jewel-Osco and Irvine, California-based Arbonne International Llc.

Kellogg issued a voluntary recall of two varieties of ShopRite brand peanut butter sandwich crackers. The two recalled sandwich crackers include, all sizes of ShopRite Peanut Butter on Toasty Crackers and ShopRite Peanut Butter and Cheese Cracker Snacks.

These products are distributed at ShopRite stores in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Whole Foods Market ordered a recall of its Whole Foods Carob Energee Nuggets distributed to stores in California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.

Jewel-Osco, a leading Chicago supermarket and drugstore chain, recalled its Happy Tails multi-flavored dog biscuits. This has been done because the potential risk of transfer of salmonella from dogs to other animals or humans is very high.

Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration has warned that the products that need to be recalled will continue to grow and a final number cannot be easily determined.

FDA has instructed the manufacturers to inform consumers about whether their products could contain peanut butter or peanut paste from Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).

Consumers have also been directed 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.