Salmonella Outbreak! Peanut Butter Products Recalled

    The United States seems to be having a lot of food scandals lately.  I thought this only happened in third world countries!  Check the list of product below and DO NOT INGEST THEM! 

The ongoing salmonella outbreak linked to six deaths may be associated with peanut-containing products besides peanut butter.

At least 453 people in 43 states and one Canadian province have been sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella typhimurium.

The FDA asked food makers nationwide to check whether their peanut-containing products include a recalled peanut paste made by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) and to recall or hold those products as a precaution.

The peanut paste, which consists of ground, roasted peanuts, was distributed to 85 companies, including food makers and other distributors. It’s an ingredient in “many other products, including cookies, crackers, cereal, and ice cream,” Stephen Sundlof, DVM, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said at a news conference.

“This is a very active and dynamic investigation, but we don’t yet have the data to provide consumers with specific information about what brands or products they should avoid,” said Sundlof. “As the investigation continues and leads to specific products, we will share that with the public.” The FDA will post those notices on its web site. 

Health officials say that national, name-brand peanut butters sold in grocery stores haven’t been linked to the outbreak. Earlier this week, PCA stated hat none of the recalled peanut butter is sold directly to consumers through retail stores; instead, it was sold in bulk for institutional and food service industry use.

Kellogg Recalls Peanut Butter Crackers and Cookies

On Jan. 16, Kelloggannounced a voluntary recall of certain Austin and Keebler brand peanut butter sandwich crackers because PCA was one of its suppliers. The recall also includes some snack-size packs of Famous Amos peanut butter cookies and Keebler Soft Batch peanut butter cookies.

Health officials have found salmonella in a PCA facility in Blakely, Ga. But it’s not yet clear whether that salmonella is the outbreak strain; results from those lab tests aren’t done yet.

Here is a list of the recalled products:

• Austin Quality Foods Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter — all sizes
• Austin Quality Foods Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers — all sizes
• Austin Quality Foods Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter — all sizes
• Austin Quality Foods PB & J Cracker Sandwiches — all sizes
• Austin Quality Foods Super Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers
• Austin Quality Foods Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers — all sizes
• Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter — all sizes
• Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• Austin Quality Foods Cookie/Cracker Pack
• Austin Quality Foods Variety Pack
• Keebler Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers — all sizes
• Keebler Toast & PB’n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers — all sizes
• Keebler Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers — all sizes
• Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies (2- and 3-ounce)
• Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies (2.5-ounce)
• (source)