Peanut Butter Scare Kills Six - Janaury 20, 2009

Its ok to still have your PB&Js, just stay clear from institutional and food company products that contain peanut butter. In what has become a huge concern with peanut butter, an outbreak of salmonella has been reported in which six people have died and another 470 have become ill in more than 43 states.

Finally being able to pinpoint the root of it all, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has traced the cause back to a Georgia plant owned and operated by Peanut Corporation of America.

Within the statement from the FDA, consumers have been advised to stay clear of all products containing peanut butter, which include cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods until the government agency can deem those foods safe once again. The FDA has a list of product recalls listed on their site.

Salmonella is a bacteria related to the contraction of typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and the foodborne illness salmonellosis.

In response to the outbreak, Peanut Corp. issued a recall of all peanut butter and peanut paste manufactured since July 1 of 2008. These products were shipped and delivered throughout 24 states to food service industries, institutions, and private label food companies.

"We deeply regret that this product recall has expanded, and our first priority is to protect the health of our customers," said Stewart Parnell, president of Peanut Corp.

On Monday, major supermarket retailers, such as Kroger (KR), Safeway (SWY) and Meijer, which operates more than 181 stores in the Midwest, all began removing products from their shelves in anticipation of safeguarding their customers from contracting the illness.

In the case that a consumer has a listed item recalled by the FDA, one should take immediate action and dispose of that product post-haste.

More recalls are likely ahead in the coming days and weeks, as the time it takes to thoroughly examine these products takes time. However, some other big names companies have not been affected by the salmonella outbreak. Included are Mars, Hershey (HSY), the Girl Scouts and ConAgra Foods (CAG), which had a recall of peanut butter itself back in 2007.

Other companies such as Russell Stover Candies and J.M. Smuckers (SJM) released a company statement today affirming to their customers that their products contain no ingredients from the Peanut Corporation of America, and that they products are safe to consume.


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