Peanut butter warning !!!

[gbird]

Don't eat peanut butter products, FDA warns

Little Debbie crackers added to recall list; hundreds sickened by salmonella

People urged to avoid peanut butter products

Jan. 17: U.S. officials told consumers Saturday to steer clear of products that contain peanut butter until they can determine the scope of a salmonella food poisoning outbreak. NBC’s Lester Holt speaks with NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

WASHINGTON - Now it's some Little Debbie peanut butter crackers that are being recalled because there's a chance of salmonella contamination. That's the word Sunday from McKee Foods Corp. of Collegedale, Tenn.

The voluntary recall covers all sizes of two kinds of sandwich crackers — Little Debbie peanut butter toasty crackers and Little Debbie peanut butter cheese crackers.

The company says no other Little Debbie products are involved in the recall. McKee says it acted because the crackers have the potential to be contaminated.

The McKee Food recall follows a Saturday warning from federal health authorities urging consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about the deadly salmonella outbreak.

Most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appears to be safe, said Stephen Sundlof, head of the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety center.

"We urge consumers to postpone eating any products that may contain peanut butter until additional information becomes available," Sundlof told reporters in a conference call. "As of now, there is no indication that the major national name-brand jars of peanut butter sold in retails stores are linked to the recall."

Officials are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Its peanut butter is not sold directly to consumers but distributed to institutions and food companies. But the peanut paste, made from roasted peanuts, is an ingredient in cookies, cakes and other products that people buy in the supermarket.

“This is an excellent illustration of an ingredient-driven outbreak,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, who oversees foodborne illness investigations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, more than 470 people have gotten sick in 43 states, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths are being blamed on the outbreak. Salmonella is a bacteria and the most common source of food poisoning in the U.S., causing diarrhea, cramping and fever.

Officials said new illnesses are still being reported in the outbreak investigation.

The Kellogg Co., which listed Peanut Corp. as one of its suppliers, has recalled 16 products. They include Austin and Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and some snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies. Health officials said consumers who have bought any of those products should throw them away.

Peanut Corp. has recalled all peanut butter produced at the Georgia plant since Aug. 8 and all peanut paste produced since Sept. 26. The plant passed its last state inspection this summer, but recent tests have found salmonella.

Health officials are focusing on 30 companies out of a total of 85 that received peanut products from the Georgia plant. Sundlof said Peanut Corp. is a relatively small supplier on the national scene.

The Midwest supermaket chain Hy-Vee Inc. of West Des Moines, Iowa, said Saturday it was voluntarily recalling products made in its bakery departments with peanut butter because they had the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. The recall covered seven states: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.

[KimM]

Yikes! I wonder if that applies to the organic PB cookies I buy for the boys.

[amanda143]

Yeah, I got really sick the other day after eating Jif. Then I went to their website and they said their PB was safe. So now I have to figure out why I was sick. lol

[hopehaswings]

Wow I just found this out, my kids have been sick for about 5 days, one of them worse then the others with diarrhea, cramping, and nausia. My poor 5 year old son had diarrhea even in his sleep he has had it so bad and we have had to use pull ups. I found out about the recall and I am really concerned, my kids eat lots of peanut butter and peanut butter products, i immediatly threw all of it away, and put them all on a 24 hour clear liquid diet of pedialite and sprite to try and flush bacteria from their systems, and I will be calling the doc as soon as he is in. It's hard to say because there are also other illnesses that casue these symptoms going around. but I do know that I have not been sick, and I have not eaten any peanut butter.

[odhinn]

Why does this always happen with things I like to eat?

[my-africangrey-echo]

OK my question is what about peanuts not just peanut butter

[Lori~D]

ITS NOT ALL PEANUT BUTTER thats bad ppl!! Its the commercial peanut butter and peanut butter paste that this particular company makes for commercial use. Its sold to companies to use as an ingredient and to large scale places who may use peanut butter (schools, resturants, factories which make pnut butter flavored stuff). It was found in those containers at ONE plant. If you read it says dont eat peanut butter PRODUCTS, like cakes and cookies and crackers and such. Dont panic - Your Jif and Skippy is good,lol.

[odhinn]

Our econo size container of Jiff is fine.

[Eliza]

Originally Posted by Lori~D

ITS NOT ALL PEANUT BUTTER thats bad ppl!! Its the commercial peanut butter and peanut butter paste that this particular company makes for commercial use. Its sold to companies to use as an ingredient and to large scale places who may use peanut butter (schools, resturants, factories which make pnut butter flavored stuff). It was found in those containers at ONE plant. If you read it says dont eat peanut butter PRODUCTS, like cakes and cookies and crackers and such. Dont panic - Your Jif and Skippy is good,lol.

Yes, this!

Don't hesitate to call the consumer toll-free # listed on your jar of PB, the PB cookies you like, etc. if it makes you feel safer.

[my-africangrey-echo]

Well I must say I have learned to take any and all food recalls very seriously... My mother got food poisoning from a bacteria called listeria and she will never be independent again. She is severely disabled and was blinded from brain stem damage