Post by HylaW on Feb 15, 2007 16:09:58 GMT -5
www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2007/02/15/hscout601970.html
02.15.07, 12:00 AM ET
THURSDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers should not eat certain jars of Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Tennessee, a bacterium that causes food-borne illness, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning is based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, there have been 288 cases of food-borne illness in 39 states tied to eating Peter Pan peanut butter. Salmonella is carried by animals, but somehow was transferred during the manufacturing process to the peanuts.
People can identify the affected jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter by looking for a product code -- located on the lid -- that starts with the number 2111. Both brands are made in a single plant in Georgia by the ConAgra company. Great Value peanut butter made by other manufacturers is not affected, according to the FDA.
The FDA is recommending that all affected jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter purchased since May 2006 be discarded.
The outbreak appears to have started in August 2006. As a result of testing and recent case control studies, the CDC was finally able to identify Peter Pan peanut butter as the likely cause of illness.
ConAgra announced Thursday that it was recalling all varieties of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter beginning with product code 2111.
"Although none of our extensive product tests have indicated the presence of salmonella, we are taking this precautionary measure because consumer health and safety is our top priority," Chris Kircher, a ConAgra spokesman, said in a prepared statement. "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."
As part of its investigation, the FDA has sent investigators to ConAgra's processing plant in Sylvester, Ga., to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for Salmonella Tennessee.
Symptoms of salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Salmonella can cause life-threatening infections in people in poor health or who have weakened immune systems.
Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities, the FDA said.
This outbreak follows major food-borne illness scares in 2006 involving spinach, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. One expert said he's not surprised that these outbreaks are continuing to plague U.S. consumers.
"This is not an unusual event," said Dr. Philip Tierno, the director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Medical Center and author of the The Secret Life of Germs and Protect Yourself Against Bioterrorism. " Salmonella is a very prevalent organism," he said.
According to Tierno, these contamination problems arise because the FDA does not regulate the safety of produce -- and he doubts that the food industry can monitor itself. "I think the government is moving toward making a change," he said. "Outside monitoring is the way to go."
Tierno said food poisoning strikes an estimated 80 million people in the United States each year. "Nine (thousand) to 10,000 people die annually from food poisoning," he said. "That to me is absurd in America."
In related news, it was announced Tuesday that ConAgra is also recalling more than 400,000 pounds of pasta and meatball meals that may have been underprocessed. The recall involves 36.6-ounce cartons of Banquet brand Homestyle Bakes Pasta & Meatballs in Marinara Sauce produced between Oct. 19, 2006 and Jan. 25. There have been no reports of illnesses linked to the product, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
More information
For more information on salmonella, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
02.15.07, 12:00 AM ET
THURSDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers should not eat certain jars of Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Tennessee, a bacterium that causes food-borne illness, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning is based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, there have been 288 cases of food-borne illness in 39 states tied to eating Peter Pan peanut butter. Salmonella is carried by animals, but somehow was transferred during the manufacturing process to the peanuts.
People can identify the affected jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter by looking for a product code -- located on the lid -- that starts with the number 2111. Both brands are made in a single plant in Georgia by the ConAgra company. Great Value peanut butter made by other manufacturers is not affected, according to the FDA.
The FDA is recommending that all affected jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter purchased since May 2006 be discarded.
The outbreak appears to have started in August 2006. As a result of testing and recent case control studies, the CDC was finally able to identify Peter Pan peanut butter as the likely cause of illness.
ConAgra announced Thursday that it was recalling all varieties of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter beginning with product code 2111.
"Although none of our extensive product tests have indicated the presence of salmonella, we are taking this precautionary measure because consumer health and safety is our top priority," Chris Kircher, a ConAgra spokesman, said in a prepared statement. "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."
As part of its investigation, the FDA has sent investigators to ConAgra's processing plant in Sylvester, Ga., to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for Salmonella Tennessee.
Symptoms of salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Salmonella can cause life-threatening infections in people in poor health or who have weakened immune systems.
Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities, the FDA said.
This outbreak follows major food-borne illness scares in 2006 involving spinach, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. One expert said he's not surprised that these outbreaks are continuing to plague U.S. consumers.
"This is not an unusual event," said Dr. Philip Tierno, the director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Medical Center and author of the The Secret Life of Germs and Protect Yourself Against Bioterrorism. " Salmonella is a very prevalent organism," he said.
According to Tierno, these contamination problems arise because the FDA does not regulate the safety of produce -- and he doubts that the food industry can monitor itself. "I think the government is moving toward making a change," he said. "Outside monitoring is the way to go."
Tierno said food poisoning strikes an estimated 80 million people in the United States each year. "Nine (thousand) to 10,000 people die annually from food poisoning," he said. "That to me is absurd in America."
In related news, it was announced Tuesday that ConAgra is also recalling more than 400,000 pounds of pasta and meatball meals that may have been underprocessed. The recall involves 36.6-ounce cartons of Banquet brand Homestyle Bakes Pasta & Meatballs in Marinara Sauce produced between Oct. 19, 2006 and Jan. 25. There have been no reports of illnesses linked to the product, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
More information
For more information on salmonella, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
