ConAgra Foods. Inc., is recalling all jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter with a product code on the lid beginning with the number 2111. The peanut butter may be linked with a Salmonella outbreak that has affected 288 people in 39 states since August of last year. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the outbreak is probably ongoing.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this would constitute the first Salmonella outbreak linked with peanut butter. All of the peanut butter in question was produced at ConAgra's factory in Sylvester, Georgia. The FDA, which is warning people not to eat the peanut butter in question, is investigating the Georgia facility.
Of the 288 people who became sick, about 20% were hospitalized. There have been no reported deaths. The majority of cases have been reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri.
According to the CDC, no more than two cases had been reported each day since the outbreak began in August. The CDC was able to identify the probable source of the Salmonella only recently through an epidemiological study linking the cases. The FDA was given the report on February 13.
According to the CDC, there are about 1.4 million cases of Salmonella food poisoning in the U.S. each year, with more than 500 of those resulting in death. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are most likely to suffer severe illness. Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain.
Anyone who has eaten Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter with the suspect product code and has experienced any of these symptoms should contact a health care professional immediately. In addition, the FDA recommends informing local and state health officials.
For more information about Salmonella foodborne, visit the pages of this website.
To read the FDA news release in its entirety, go to http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01563.html
For information concerning recent food poisoning outbreaks, please see Salmonella Lawyer and Salmonella Lawsuit.
