FDA Peanut butter Update - 23-Feb-07
Here is the latest
FDA Update on the peanut butter contamination issue that actually goes beyond the initial "statistical data survey" (what did you eat in the 72-hours before you got sick questions) that initiated the recall and now has some positive cultures for
Salmonella Tennessee obtained from jars of PB people who bacame sick had consumed to support the epidemiological statistical model.
Corey ... I don't know how salmonella gets into fruits or nuts, or nut products, but it happens. There was a major recall of almonds from California back in 2004 (not only had they been shipped overseas to Mexico, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, France, England and Italy - about 50 companies had used them in their products) - and it wasn't a statistical thing, the nuts in the bags tested positive. And, even as recently as yesterday on the FDA website,
Castle Produce Announced the Recall of Cantaloupe Melons due to
Salmonella contamination. Is it a "perfect" system? No ... but it's sure better than nothing! And, it's gotten better over the past 50 years at quickly isolating the "probable" sources of contamination.
Sorry Clutch - words like "All Natural" or "Natural" or "Organic", or the stores that sell them, offer no immunity to possible food contamination. Some of the spinach and lettuce in the recent
E. Coli outbreat were labeled (branded) that way (Natural or Organic) and sold at WF (Whole Foods) - which also recently (31 Jan 2007)
recalled 6,000 jars of olive tapenade because some contained shards of glass, and on 16 Feb 2007 the FDA issued a notice not to use jars of
Earth's Best "Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast Baby Food" because of contamination with
Clostridium botulinum. Your "natural PB from WF" has just as much potential for contamination as "unnatural" PB sold somewhere else.
If anyone is interested in keeping up on the latest food safety news - you can check out the
FDA website ... for the most significant product actions of the last 60 days, or a link to all FDA actions -
check here on the Recalls, Withdrawals and Alerts page.