FDA Urges Consumers Not to Eat Hundreds of Products Recalled Because of Contaminated Peanuts and Peanut Ingredients

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- So far more than 500 cases of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported. Many of these cases have required hospitalization. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that the sources of this outbreak are peanut products from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA sells peanuts, peanut butter, peanut paste, peanut granules and peanut meal, all of which have been recalled

Although none of these PCA products were sold directly to the public, they can potentially sicken consumers because they are used by institutions, the food service industry, and by many companies as ingredients in hundreds of food products, including cookies, crackers and other baked goods, candies, snack bars and snack mixes, fruit and vegetable products with peanut butter, ice cream, and pet foods.

Major national brands of jarred peanut butter found in grocery stores are not affected by the PCA recall.

Companies are recalling their products that contain peanut ingredients from PCA. FDA urges consumers not to eat products that have been recalled or feed them to their pets, and to throw them away in a manner that prevents others from eating them. To help consumers identify these recalled products, FDA has created a searchable database which can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm. Identification of products subject to recall is continuing and this database is updated frequently. The database is sorted by product category, such as cookies, snack bars, etc., or it can be searched by brand name, UPC code, product description (example: crackers with peanut butter), or any combination of brand, UPC code and description. Persons who do not have access to the Internet can get this information by calling FDA's information line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD or CDC's information line at 1-800-CDC-INFO. The CDC line is staffed 24 hours every day.

If a product is not in FDA's list of recalled products, consumers can check the company's Web site or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging. Information consumers may receive from the companies in this manner has not been verified by FDA.

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First Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Peanut Corporation of America

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The sudden and unexpected death of a Minnesota woman who fell victim to a nationwide Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has prompted a wrongful death lawsuit against Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) -- a maker of bulk peanut butter and peanut paste.

Fred Pritzker, founder and president of national food safety law firm Pritzker | Olsen, P.A., filed the complaint Monday in Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis for the heirs and of Shirley Mae Almer, 72, of Perham, Minnesota: Jeffrey Almer as trustee of the heirs of Shirley Mae Almer v. Peanut Corporation of America, a Virginia business entity and King Nut Companies, an Ohio business entity.

King Nut Companies is an Ohio-based firm that allegedly distributed the contaminated peanut butter that came out of PCA's plant in Blakely, Georgia, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, the product was delivered to a nursing home in Brainerd, Minnesota, where Mrs. Almer was temporarily residing.

The complaint alleges that her death on December 21 was a direct result of consuming peanut butter that contained the same genetic strain of Salmonella that has sickened more than 500 other people in 43 states. On January 13, the FDA announced that PCA initiated a recall that included the product that had been served to Mrs. Almer.

"This is a very large and significant recall," Pritzker said. "It points to a number of vulnerabilities in our food safety system that require legislation and funding to correct. Consumers should feel concerned and demand a significant overhaul."

The complaint alleges negligence on behalf of PCA and King Nut for failure to train and properly supervise peanut butter production workers and other employees; failure to safely produce, store and transport its products; failure to maintain sanitary conditions during and after production; failure to prevent cross-contamination and failure to properly test its products, as well as other acts of negligence.

The complaint also alleges that PCA and King Nut are negligent per se for failing to comply with Minn. Stat. Chapter 31 and 21 USC Sec. 331.

The complaint also makes a claim for damages under the doctrine of strict liability.

Pritzker said Mrs. Almer was the "canary in a coal mine" whose death helped lead health investigators to the plant in South Georgia. Now federal officials view the PCA plant as the outbreak's lone, known source.

According to the complaint, Mrs. Almer's children were notified January 6 that she died with a Salmonella infection. Days later, the Minnesota departments of health and agriculture traced the problem to a five-pound pail of King Nut creamy peanut butter that had been in use at the nursing home.

Pritzker said grieving family members were angered to learn that the peanut butter served to Mrs. Almer contained the same deadly pathogen associated with hundreds of Salmonella infections since mid-September.

Mrs. Almer, who grew up in New York Mills, Minnesota, still owned a bowling alley in Wadena. She had survived two bouts with cancer in recent years and was cancer free when she was sickened with Salmonella. Just before she became ill, family members were planning to take her out of the nursing home. Instead, she became so sick from the bacteria that she was taken to a hospital, where she died.

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ALDI Statement Regarding Peanut Butter Products Recall

ALDI has two suppliers who manufacture the Cambridge cheese crackers with peanut butter, one of which is Kellogg's. As a precautionary measure, as of Jan. 15 ALDI and Kellogg's voluntarily recalled the Kellogg-produced peanut butter crackers due to industry reports of salmonella at affiliated plants, though no illnesses have been reported regarding these Kellogg-manufactured products. The second manufacturer of our cheese crackers with peanut butter does not use the peanut plant where the salmonella outbreak was reported. However, as a further precautionary measure, as of Jan.20 ALDI has recalled the additional Cambridge cheese crackers with peanut butter as well as our Grandessa peanut butter cookies.

To tell the difference between the two manufacturers of Cambridge cheese crackers with peanut butter, customers should look at the net weight on the front of the package of crackers. A net weight of 7.44 oz (210 grams) was produced by Kellogg's while a net weight of 7 1/3 oz (208 grams) was produced by our second manufacturer.

All other ALDI peanut products or products that contain peanuts or a peanut paste have not been the subject of concern regarding potential salmonella poisoning.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged to return them, regardless of the manufacturer, to receive a refund. ALDI Consumer Affairs may be reached at 630-761-2740.

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Peanut Corporation of America Expands Nationwide Recall of Peanut Butter

Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), is expanding the recall of peanut butter and voluntarily recalling peanut paste made at its Blakely, Georgia facility because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The recalled peanut butter and peanut paste were distributed to institutions, food service industries, and private label food companies in 24 states, the province of Saskatchewan in Canada, Korea and Haiti. The U.S. states are the following: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. In addition, affected product was used as an ingredient in other products that may have been distributed in other states.

None of the peanut butter being recalled is sold directly to consumers through retail stores by PCA.

The recalled peanut butter in the expanded recall is sold by PCA in bulk packaging in containers ranging in size from five to 1,700 pounds. The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35-pound containers to tanker containers. The lot numbers for all recalled products are at the end of this news release. All of the peanut butter and peanut paste in the expanded recall was made on or after July 1, 2008, and only at the Georgia facility.

The potential for contamination was noted after a small number of samples from unopened containers and environmental samples from the Blakely, Georgia facility tested positive for Salmonella. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation is "very active and dynamic," and PCA continues to work closely with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as they continue their investigation into the nationwide outbreak of Salmonella.

The Blakely, Georgia facility has currently stopped producing all products as the FDA and CDC continue their investigation, but some PCA staff remain to assist in the on-going investigation.

PCA is notifying customers that may have received the recalled product by phone and/or in writing. Customers should segregate and hold the product and call PCA at 1-877-564-7080 for further instructions. "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 Corporation of America.

The following is a list of all the products affected by the original recall and the amended recall:

PCA Stock # Pack Size Description Affected:

551000 6 ct / 5 lb Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551000 AZ 6 ct / 5 lb Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Sugar

551006 6 ct / 5 lb Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551020 35 lb Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551022 35 lb Natural Course Peanut Paste

551025 35 lb Old Fashioned Creamy Peanut Butter w/ 1% Salt

551026 35 lb Old Fashioned Crunchy Peanut Butter w/ 1% Salt

551034 35 lb Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551035 35 lb Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter

551040 35 lb Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

551049 50 lb Sugar Free Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551050 50 lb Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551050-PO 50 lb Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Palm Oil

551050-D 50 lb Dark Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551050-XS 50 lb Creamy Extra Stabilized Peanut Butter

551051 50 lb Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Monodiglyceride

551053 50 lb Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551053-OS 50 lb Extra Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter

551059 475 lb Creamy Natural Peanut Butter with Stabilizer

551060 35 lb Organic Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

551061 35 lb Organic Old Fashioned Crunchy Peanut Butter

551062 35 lb Organic Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter

551063 35 lb Organic Old Fashioned Creamy Peanut Butter

551064 35 lb Organic Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

551072 45 lb Peanut Butter Variegate

551080 475 lb Creamy Natural Redskin Peanut Butter with Salt

551082 475 lb Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

551082-DR 475 lb Dark Roasted Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

561000 35 lb Pet Food Paste

561000 475 lb Feed Grade Peanut Butter

100TPASTE 1700 lb Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

RM-PASTE 1700 lb Peanut Paste

Lot Numbers Affected:

8183 8184 8185 8186 8187 8188 8189 8190 8191 8192 8193 8194 8195 8196 8197 8198
8199 8200 8201 8202 8203 8204 8205 8206 8207 8208 8209 8210 8211 8212 8213 8214
8215 8216 8217 8218 8219 8220 8221 8222 8223 8224 8225 8226 8227 8228 8229 8230
8231 8232 8233 8234 8235 8236 8237 8238 8239 8240 8241 8242 8243 8244 8245 8246
8247 8248 8249 8250 8251 8252 8253 8254 8255 8256 8257 8258 8259 8260 8261 8262
8263 8264 8265 8266 8267 8268 8269 8270 8271 8272 8273 8274 8275 8276 8277 8278
8279 8280 8281 8282 8283 8284 8285 8286 8287 8288 8289 8290 8291 8292 8293 8294
8295 8296 8297 8298 8299 8300 8301 8302 8303 8304 8305 8306 8307 8308 8309 8310
8311 8312 8313 8314 8315 8316 8317 8318 8319 8320 8321 8322 8323 8324 8325 8326
8327 8328 8329 8330 8331 8332 8333 8334 8335 8336 8337 8338 8339 8340 8341 8342
8343 8344 8345 8346 8347 8348 8349 8350 8351 8352 8353 8354 8355 8356 8357 8358
8359 8360 8361 8362 8363 8364 8365 8366 9001 9002 9003 9004 9005 9006 9007 9008
9009 9010 9011 9012 9013 9014 9015 9016

PCA Stock # Pack Size Description Affected:

561058 Tanker Coarse Natural Paste

Lot Numbers Affected:
8169 8170 8172 8173 8174 8184 8185 8186 8187 8203 8204 8205 8206 8214 8215 8216
8217 8219 8220 8221 8222 8223 8225 8226 8227 8228 8259 8260 8261 8262 8263 8264
8280 8281 8282 8283 8302 8303 8304 8305 8308 8309 8310 8311 8343 8344 8345 8346
8347 8350 8351 8352

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