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Peanut Corporation of America Expands Nationwide Recall of Peanut Products
PCA Announces the Voluntary Recall of All Peanuts and Peanut Products Shipped from Georgia Plant
As published on www.FDA.gov
Contact:
Peanut Corporation of America
1-877-564-7080
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Lynchburg, Va. (January 28, 2009) – Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) is voluntarily recalling all peanuts and peanut products processed in its Blakely, Georgia facility since Jan. 1, 2007. Previously, PCA announced a recall of peanut butter and peanut paste. PCA sells its products to institutional and industrial users for service in large institutions or for sale and further processing by other companies. PCA does not sell peanuts or peanut products directly to consumers in stores.
PCA is not aware of any complaints or reports of illness involving the additional peanuts and peanut products subject to this expanded recall. PCA is acting out of an abundance of caution and with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s help to recall all products manufactured in its Georgia facility. PCA is voluntarily taking this larger recall action following almost two weeks of inspection and review at the Georgia facility.
The expanded recall includes all peanuts (dry and oil roasted), granulated peanuts, peanut meal, peanut butter and peanut paste. All of the recalled peanuts and peanut products were made only at the company’s Blakely, Georgia facility; the lot numbers and a description of the products being recalled are listed at the end of this release. The Blakely, Georgia facility has stopped producing all peanut products.
The voluntary recall comes amid an FDA investigation into a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 500 people nationwide beginning in September, with the largest number of illnesses reported in November. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
Because some of our peanut products have been used by manufacturers of pet food, we are also alerting the public that Salmonella is an organism that can potentially be transferred to people handling pet treats exposed to Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products. Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Well animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The potential for contamination was noted after samples from peanut butter containers and environmental samples from the Blakely, Georgia facility tested positive for Salmonella. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation is “very active and dynamic,” and PCA continues to work closely with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as they continue their investigation into the nationwide outbreak of Salmonella.
PCA is notifying customers who received recalled products by phone and/or in writing. Customers should segregate and hold the product and call PCA at 1-877-564-7080 for further instructions. Consumers should contact the FDA and visit the agency web site at www.fda.gov for a complete list of all products affected.
“We have been devastated by this, and we have been working around the clock with the FDA to ensure any potentially unsafe products are removed from the market immediately,” said Stewart Parnell, President of Peanut Corporation of America. “Additionally, we are working alongside state and federal food safety experts in every way we can to help them protect consumers, both now and in the future.
“We want our customers and consumers to know that PCA is taking extraordinary measures, out of an abundance of caution, to identify and recall all products that have been identified as potential risks.”
The recalled peanuts and peanut products were distributed nationwide to institutions, food service industries, and private label food companies as well as and in Canada, Haiti, Korea and Trinidad.
All lots that are affected begin with the lot number 7, 8 or 9. The following is the description of the products being recalled:
Description:
Peanut Butter All Styles All Sizes All Lots beginning with 7, 8, or 9
Peanut Paste All Styles All Sizes All Lots beginning with 7,8, or 9
Peanut Meal All Styles All Sizes All lots beginning with 7, 8, or 9
Peanut Granules All Styles All Sizes All lots beginning with 7, 8 or 9
Peanuts All Styles All Sizes All lots beginning with 7, 8 or 9
Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak
As published on www.FDA.gov
January 18, 2009: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a very active and dynamic investigation into the source of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. At this time, the FDA has traced a source of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination to a plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which manufactures both peanut butter that is institutionally served in such settings as long-term care facilities and cafeterias, and peanut paste—a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts—that is distributed to food manufacturers to be used as an ingredient in many commercially produced products including cakes, cookies, crackers, candies, cereal and ice cream.
The FDA has notified PCA that product samples originating from its Blakely, Ga., processing plant have been tested and found positive for Salmonella by laboratories in the states of Minnesota and Georgia. The state of Minnesota has reported to FDA that its samples of King Nut peanut butter are a genetic match to the strain of Salmonella that has caused illnesses in that state and around the country. King Nut is a distributor of PCA product.
On January 16, PCA expanded its voluntary recall to include all peanut butter produced on or after August 8, 2008, and all peanut paste produced on or after September 26, 2008, in its Blakely, Ga., plant because of potential Salmonella contamination. The product being recalled is sold by PCA in bulk packaging in containers ranging in size from five to 1700 pounds. The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35-pound containers to product sold by the tanker container. These products are not sold directly to consumers. PCA has stopped all production at its Blakely, Ga. plant as the FDA continues its investigation into the source of the Salmonella contamination.
Based on this information, and on the current state of the investigation, the FDA recommends that consumers avoid eating products that have been recalled and discard them.
Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing.
At this time, there is no indication that any national name brand jars of peanut butter sold in retail stores are linked to the PCA recall. As the investigation continues over the weekend, and into next week, the FDA will be able to update the advice based on new sampling and distribution information.
The FDA is working closely with members of the food industry to narrow this advice and to publish a detailed list of implicated products as soon as possible. The FDA is encouraging manufacturers to help inform consumers about whether their products could have contained commercially prepared peanut butter or peanut paste from PCA. Also, if manufacturers know their products do not contain ingredients from PCA, they may wish to inform consumers of that fact. Retailers should stop selling products which have been recalled.
For information on products containing peanut butter from companies not reporting recalls, consumers may wish to consult the company’s website or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging. Information consumers may receive from the companies has not been verified by the FDA.
The FDA will closely monitor these events by continuing to work with the firms on the details of their actions, conduct follow-up audits and inspections, monitor the progress of the firms’ actions, and notify our foreign regulatory counterparts of products that may have been distributed internationally.
FDA Advises Against Consumption of Tomalley from American Lobster (also known as “Maine Lobster”)
Regulators find dangerous levels of toxins that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning in tomalley of American Lobsters. This advisory applies only to tomalley and not to lobster meat.
Posted August 4, 2008. As published on www.fda.gov
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers to avoid eating tomalley from American Lobster, regardless of where the lobster was harvested, because of potential contamination with dangerous levels of the toxins that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).
American lobster are harvested from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Northeastern Canada to South Carolina, inclusive.
The FDA advisory applies only to tomalley, the soft, green substance found in the body cavity of the lobster that functions as the liver and pancreas. Cooking does not eliminate the PSP toxins. However, studies have shown that, even when high levels of PSP toxins are present in lobster tomalley, lobster meat itself is typically unaffected. There is no indication that consumers need to be concerned about PSP toxicity in lobster meat.
Symptoms of PSP include tingling and/or numbness of the mouth, face or neck; muscle weakness; headache; and nausea. In extreme cases, when large amounts of the toxin are consumed, these symptoms can lead to respiratory failure and death. Symptoms usually occur within two hours of exposure to the toxin. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek medical attention.
PSP toxins normally occur from time to time in clams and other shellfish and are carefully monitored by state regulatory authorities. The FDA learned of this problem after routine sampling conducted by regulatory authorities in Maine and New Hampshire found dangerous levels of the toxins in lobster tomalley. Some shellfish beds have been closed in recent months due to elevated levels of PSP toxins.
Lobster tomalley normally does not contain dangerous levels of PSP toxins. The current high levels of PSP toxins likely are associated with an ongoing red tide episode in northern New England and eastern Canada. Canadian authorities recommend limited consumption of lobster tomalley. However, authorities in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have issued advisories cautioning against eating any tomalley.
For more on seafood safety, please refer to http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/seafood1.html.
Salmonella saintpaul Found in Irrigation Water on Farm in Mexico
Posted August 1, 2008. As published on www.unitedfresh.org
Today during a U.S. House of Representatives Congressional hearing, Dr. David Acheson, FDA's Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection, announced that U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators had discovered the Salmonella saintpaul strain in irrigation water and serrano peppers on a farm in Mexico, where jalapeno peppers are also grown.
According to Dr. Acheson, the farm where the contaminated water was found grows only jalapeno and serrano peppers. It supplied a packing facility in Mexico that also did business with Agricola Zaragosa, the McAllen, Texas distributor where FDA inspectors found tainted jalapeno peppers last week. The farm and the packing facility are located in Nuevo Leon, a state in northeastern Mexico. A portion of Nuevo Leon borders Texas. FDA is currently trying to determine if there is a connection between the sample from the farm that contained Salmonella saintpaul with the sample found last week in McAllen, Texas.
FDA also stated today they have not ruled out tomatoes as another possible source of the outbreak and continue to explain that this outbreak looks to be from multiple commodity sources. However, FDA continues to advise that tomatoes and jalapeno peppers grown in the U.S. are safe to consume.
Consistent with FDA's advisory last week on jalapeno peppers grown in Mexico, FDA is now advising consumers to avoid consumption of raw serrano peppers and foods made with raw serrano peppers from Mexico until further notice.
As always, we will keep you updated as new information becomes available. In the meantime, feel free to contact us:
Amy Philpott, Vice President, Communications, (202) 303-3400 ext. 425
Dr. David Gombas, Senior Vice President, Food Safety and Technology, (202) 303-3400 ext. 411
Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. Recalls Jalapeno Peppers Because of Possible Health Risk
As published on www.FDA.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 21, 2008 -- Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. of McAllen, TX is recalling Jalapeno Peppers distributed since June 30th, 2008 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The Jalapeno Peppers were distributed to customers in GA and TX.
The Jalapeno Peppers being recalled were shipped in 35lb. plastic crates and in 50lb. bags with no brand name or label.
The recall is a result of sampling by FDA, which revealed that these Jalapeno Peppers were contaminated with the same strain of Salmonella Saintpaul responsible for the current Salmonella outbreak. It is unknown at this time which, if any, of the more than 1,200 illnesses reported to date are related to this particular product or to the grower who supplied this product. Distribution of these products has been suspended while FDA, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the company continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.
Consumers and retailers who purchased Jalapeno Peppers should contact their supplier to determine if their products are involved in the recall. Commercial manufacturers that have used these recalled Jalapeno Peppers as an ingredient in other products (i.e. salsas, etc.) are encouraged to contact their local FDA office to determine if these products should be recalled. Additionally, restaurants, retail food stores, and similar retail institutions that have used these Jalapeno Peppers as a garnish or as an ingredient to prepare entrees, salsas or other products are asked to dispose of these products making sure that all such peppers are not inadvertently made available for purchase, salvage or donation and therefore preventing any possibility for human or animal consumption.. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (956)-631-6405.
Posted July 18, 2008. As published on www.unitedfresh.org
Today, CDC and FDA officially announced that consumers may enjoy all tomatoes that are available in the U.S. marketplace without regard for their origin.
During a media briefing today about the ongoing Salmonella saintpaul outbreak, FDA Associate Commissioner for Foods David Acheson said that FDA was changing its advice because the farms identified thru the trace back investigations are no longer shipping tomatoes and because they did not find any evidence of contamination along the supply chains that were involved in the trace back investigations.
As evidence has mounted that tomatoes could not be contributing to this outbreak, United Fresh has urged FDA and CDC to change their earlier advisory, so we are pleased with todays news. However, we continue to encourage CDC and FDA to now complete their investigation of Jalapeqo and Serrano peppers quickly so that either the problem can be identified or, if not, these products can be cleared as well.
Both FDA and CDC will update their websites to reflect today's announcement. CDC also indicated that it would include a graph of the outbreak illnesses on its website.
We will continue to keep you informed, but, as always, please contact us if you have questions. Amy Philpott, 202-303-3400 ext. 425 (office) or 703-472-6615 (cell)
