Food Safety Alert: Tainted Peanut Butter Sickens 30 in 19 States

ATLANTAThe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is continuing its investigation of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney infections linked to tainted peanut butter that has sickened 30 people in 19 states. Four individuals have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported as of Sept. 25.

On Sept. 22, Trader Joes was the first retailer to recall the suspected peanut butter that was made by Portales, N.M.-based Sunland, Inc. Trader Joes recalled 16-ounce jars of Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter and removed it from its shelves nation after it was notified by the FDA of the outbreak.

On Sept. 24, Sunland expanded its recall to include roughly 100 more brands, including peanut butter, nut butters and other products, such as cookies and snacks, made with nuts and seeds. (Click here for the most up to date recall list).

Bredeney Public health investigators are using DNA fingerprints" of Salmonella bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. They are using data from PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections. CDC said the PFGE pattern has rarely been seen before in PulseNet, and in the past typically caused five to eight cases per year. Illnesses that occurred after Aug. 29, 2012, may not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.

CDC has confirmed illnesses in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada,  New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

In 2008-09, peanut butter was named as one of the main sources of a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that sickened 691 people in 46 states and killed nine people. The source of the outbreak eventually was traced back to the now defunct Peanut Corporation of Americas peanut processing plant in Blakely, Ga.