Peanut Products Recalled for Contamination with Salmonella Typhimurium
Overview
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human infections due to Salmonella serotype Typhimurium.
At this time, the FDA, CDC, and state partners have traced sources of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination to a Blakely, Georgia plant owned by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) that manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste (a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts). Both are distributed to food manufacturers to be used as an ingredient in many commercial products including cakes, cookies, crackers, cereal and ice-cream. On January 28, 2009, PCA announced a voluntary recall of all peanuts and peanut products processed in the Blakely, Georgia facility since January 1, 2007. Companies nationwide that received product made by PCA have issued voluntary recalls of their products. As FDA continues its investigation, the list of recalled products is expected to expand.
Recalled Products
Recommendations
Based on this information, the CDC, FDA, and NYSDOH are recommending that:
- Consumers who have recalled products in their homes should discard those products.
- Consumers also should avoid eating products made with peanut butter or peanut paste if they are unsure whether these products have been recalled.
- National brands of jarred peanut butter sold in grocery stores have not been implicated in this outbreak.
- Consumers with pets should know that some pet foods and pet treats may include peanut butter, including dog biscuits and bird food. If you have a recalled pet product in your household, do not feed it to your pet or other animals.
Persons who think they may have salmonella infection (salmonellosis) are advised to consult their health care providers.
Investigation
The NYSDOH continues to conduct surveillance for cases of Salmonella infection matching the outbreak strain, and to examine case exposures to peanut butter and other peanut paste containing products in New York State.
