FDA Update on Salmonella Outbreak Linked to All Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Certain Lot Numbers of Great Value Brand Peanut Butter

Product testing by several states has now confirmed that Peter Pan peanut butter and certain Great Value brand peanut butter are the sources of the foodborne illness outbreak of Salmonella Tennessee that began in Aug. 2006. To date 329 individuals have become ill from consuming the contaminated peanut butter, and 51 of those persons were hospitalized.

The outbreak is ongoing. All products containing Peter Pan brand peanut butter and all jars of Great Value brand peanut butter bearing a product code that begins 2111 are potentially contaminated. Potentially contaminated products include ¾-oz. and 1.1-oz single serving packs of Peter Pan brand peanut butter. All of these products contain peanut butter that was manufactured in ConAgras Sylvester, GA plant. Retailers and institutions possessing the products described should not serve or sell them. Any consumer possessing any of these products should discard them.

Symptoms of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella 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 eaten any products containing Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value brand peanut butter from a jar bearing a product code beginning 2111 and who have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately and report the illnesses to their state or local health authorities. Similarly, institutional food establishments and other food service providers who have received reports of illness from consumers after they consumed one of these products are encouraged to share that information with their local health department.

ConAgra has recalled these products from stores and ceased production in their Sylvester, GA processing plant until the exact cause of contamination can be identified and eliminated. FDA is continuing to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and with states and local officials to identify how the contamination occurred in order to prevent similar foodborne illness outbreaks.

For more information, see http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01569.html and http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/pnutbuqa.html.