Federal health officials now say that 31 million pounds of peanut butter and peanut paste are being recalled because of a nationwide <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/salmonella">salmonella outbreak. The number of food products containing these ingredients now stands at 165. Not surprising, as the company behind the tainted peanut butter, Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), supplies ingredients to 85 other food firms.
Scores of companies, including Kellogg and General Mills, have been caught up in the salmonella scare. Since yesterday, at least eight more recalls were added to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) website. They include:
- Landies Candies: Select chocolate products containing peanut butter that were distributed under the “Landies” and “Wegmans Swiss Recipe” in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.
- Lovin Oven, LLC: Certain Health Valley Organic Peanut Crunch Chewy Granola Bars distributed nationwide by the Health Valley Company.
- Best Brands Corp.: Frozen cookie dough containing peanut butter. The peanut butter cookie dough was sold to retail and grocery store bakeries and other foodservice outlets. Consumers may have purchased the product as baked cookies of various sizes. Cookies may have been sold from trays in the bakery counter or in individual packages with grocery store labels. The name “Best Brands Corp.†would not appear on the consumer package.
- Aspen Hills, Inc:Â Certain cookie dough products sold nationwide in 3 lb. pails, and 3 lb. corrugated boxes to distributors who are involved in fund raising.
- Nash Finch: Certain peanut butter-containing products made in the bakery departments of its corporate operated store. These stores include: SunMart Foods, Econofoods (excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain), Prairie Market, Avanza Supermarket, Food Bonanza, Wholesale Food Outlet, Family Fresh Market, Family Thrift Center, and Pick’n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only). The stores are located in: Colorado, Ohio, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota.
- South Bend Chocolate Company:Â Additional candy products made with peanut butter sold via internet sales, mail order and may have been sold nationwide through our distributors to retail stores.
- Rain Creek Baking Corporation: Sinbad and Rain Creek Baking Company branded dessert products produced with peanut butter. These products were sold in grocery, warehouse and other retail stores throughout the United States.
- Chef Jay’s Food Products: Certain branded products containing peanut butter with the “Best By†dates ranging 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10 These products were sold on the Internet, nutrition/health food stores and gyms throughout the United States and Europe.
The FDA has set up a searchable database on its website where consumers can keep track of the ever-growing list of salmonella recalls. The agency is also warning consumers to avoid eating any foods with peanut butter until the salmonella investigation is complete. However, the agency also said that peanut butters sold in retail stores are safe. That’s because PCA only supplied peanut butter and paste to food service firms and institutions.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said 488 people in 43 states have become ill with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. The outbreak may have also contributed to six deaths, the CDC said.
