Peanut Butter Recalled
Posted by
Christina ColeFebruary 14, 2007 1:01 AMIf you have certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter in the cupboard, you should toss it in the garbage immediately. Peanut Butter is being linked to salmonella outbreak and has made nearly 300 people sick all around the world.
Jar lids with a product code starting with "2222," manufactured by ConAgra Foods, can be returned to the company for a refund.
The salmonella outbreak, which federal health officials said Wednesday has sickened 288 people in 39 states since August, was linked to tainted peanut butter produced by ConAgra at a plant in Sylvester, Ga. How salmonella got into peanut butter is still under investigation, said Dr. Mike Lynch, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ConAgra has not yet released how much peanut butter is included in the recall, which they are calling a precaution.
"We are working closely with the FDA to better understand its concerns, and we will take whatever additional measures are needed to ensure the safety, quality and wholesomeness of our products," spokesman Chris Kircher said.
Officials say this is the first salmonella outbreak in the nation to be associated with peanut butter. The majority of cases were reported in New York, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia and Missouri.
Twenty percent of those affected were hospitalized, none have resulted in deaths. 85% of the people infected said they ate peanut butter, reports the CDC.
Other states reporting cases are Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.