Staff Writer
The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to discontinue the use of certain brands of peanut butter, after nearly 300 cases of salmonella were reportedly linked to the consumption of the popular food.
The brands involved include jars of Peter Pan and Great Value, produced by ConAgra Foods, Inc., with a product code number beginning with 2111.
“If consumers have any of this Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter in their home that has been purchased since May 2006, they should discard it,” stated a release on the FDA Web site, www.fda.gov.
Not all Great Value peanut butter is produced by ConAgra. The FDA advises individuals who’ve purchased either brand to check the product code to determine if they have any of the possibly contaminated jars.
Symptoms of the foodborne illness include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
“In persons with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eater Peter Pan and/or Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 211 and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illness should be reported to state or local health authorities,” stated the FDA release.
The outbreak continues, with the first reported cases dating back to August 2006.
Several jars of the suspect peanut butter turned up at the Community Food Cupboard in Mars Hill following news of the recall. Anyone having received peanut butter from the facility is being asked to discard the product if it carries the code number in question.
The Center for Disease Control is in the process of trying to determine how the peanut butter became contaminated.
ConAgra has authorized retailers to accept open or unopened containers of either Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter marked with a code beginning 2111 for a full refund. Jars should be returned to the stores where they were purchased. Or consumers can send Peter Pan or Great Value lids or labels, bearing the product code beginning with 2111, to ConAgra Foods, along with their name and mailing address, for a full refund. Requests can be sent to ConAgra Foods, PO Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103.
Additional information can be obtained 24 hours a day by calling the company’s toll-free Consumer Affairs number at 866-344-6970.
