As the peanut butter recall continues to grow, it’s hard to make sense of all the information that is being passed around. Major brands like Keebler, Kellogg, Trader Joe's, even Starbucks have pulled products off the shelves and the recall is causing a great deal of confusion around the country. The salmonella scare is very real and as consumers and parents, we need to be informed of what the latest information is to keep our families healthy. USA Today and the San Jose Mercury News recently posted a list of important questions and answers we all should know about the salmonella outbreak.
Q: What is salmonella?
A: It's a bacteria that is frequently found in birds and reptiles. In humans, it can cause severe diarrhea and bloody stools. While not everyone who is exposed will get sick, for those who do, it is a painful and unpleasant experience for four to seven days. For children and the elderly, as well as people with impaired immune systems, it can be deadly.
Q: How is this outbreak being spread?
A: By consumption of peanut butter and peanut paste contaminated with a specific strain of bacteria called salmonella typhimurium. The Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) made these products in its Blakely, Ga., plant and sold them to institutions such as schools, hospitals and nursing homes, and to food manufacturers across the country.
Q: What is peanut paste?
A: It's a concentrated mixture of ground peanuts used in cooking and baking. Companies that make cookies, snacks, candy and other treats bought it in bulk from PCA.
Q: Should we stay away from all peanut butter for now?
A: Jars of peanut butter that are sold in supermarkets and grocery stores are fine. The only company that PCA sold its peanut butter to was King Nut, which sold only in bulk — in large tubs — to institutions.
Q: But is peanut paste dangerous?
A: That's the big question. Even though PCA is a small supplier of peanut paste, it shipped to companies nationwide. The Food and Drug Administration says it has visited more than 1,000 firms that purchased products from PCA. The agency lists 396 recalled products, and that list gets longer every day.
Q: What kinds of companies did PCA sell to?
A: Companies — including snack and cereal giant Kellogg — that make foods, especially snacks, that contain peanuts, including granola and energy bars, crackers, cookies, ice cream, prepackaged celery and apples with peanut butter, chicken with peanut sauce and many kinds of candy.
Q: How do I know if I've got a recalled product?
A: FDA's site is searchable at: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm.
Q: What if I don't have access to the Internet?
A: Most products have an 800 number on their labels that you can call to check. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has a toll-free phone line open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for product recall information at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
Q: If I have a recalled product and I've eaten some of it without getting sick, should I throw the rest out?
A: To be on the safe side, yes.
Q: What about dog biscuits?
A: Though no cases of salmonellosis have been linked to dog food containing peanuts, some types have been recalled, including Grreat Choice biscuits sold at Petsmart and a puppy chow made by Nash Finch.
Q: What are the symptoms of salmonella poisoning?
A:The bacterial infection causes vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever, usually lasting four to seven days. It is most dangerous to infants, the elderly and people with impaired immune systems. It is contracted by ingesting contaminated material; infected people can spread the disease by failing to wash their hands.
In pets, the symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever and lethargy.
Q: Can the bacteria be killed by cooking?
A: Yes, if it is heated to 165 degrees. The contamination of the King Nut peanut butter is thought to have occurred between cooking and packaging.
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