By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
January 18, 2009
Two years ago, when ConAgra recalled Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter over possible Salmonella poisoning, it sent consumers scampering to their pantries to see if they had any of the recalled product on their shelves.
This month's King Nut peanut butter recall is different. That brand isn't sold directly to the public, so consumers don't have any sitting on their shelves. But on the other hand, it might be contained in some other products in their pantries, which could make it even more dangerous.
A week after King Nut began recalling its peanut butter, sold to manufacturers and institutions like schools and nursing homes, other food manufacturers that use peanut butter are following suit.
Little Debbie
McKee Foods Corporation today recalled two varieties of peanut butter sandwich crackers because of possible salmonella contamination. The recalled products are:
• Little Debbie Peanut Butter Toasty sandwich crackers all sizes.
• Little Debbie Peanut Butter Cheese sandwich crackers all sizes.
Both varieties of crackers were made on or after July, 1, 2008.
The Tennessee-based company said it took the action because Kellogg's make the sandwich crackers. McKee Foods said it has not received any reports of illnesses liked to these crackers. The company said it does not buy peanut paste or peanut butter from PCA, and no other Little Debbie products containing peanut butter are involved in this action.
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee Inc. is voluntarily recalling the following products made in its bakery departments because they contain peanut butter that has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella:
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Monster Cookies
• Peanut Butter Reese's Pieces Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Lunchbox Reese's Pieces Cookies
• Lunchbox Peanut Butter Cookies
• People Chow Party Mix and
• Assorted Truffle Fudge.
The company says all sell-by dates are included in this recall. The products are sold in various packaging and quantities and have a Hy-Vee price label attached. All items should be destroyed or returned to Hy-Vee for a full refund.
Perry's
Meanwhile, Perry's Ice Cream has announced a voluntary recall of select ice cream products containing peanut butter because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Peanut Corporation of America, maker of King Nut peanut butter, is one of Perry's suppliers.
Perry's is recalling ice cream products containing peanut butter sauce, which have been recalled by PCA. The company has not received any consumer illness complaints about these products. The products below have been distributed in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.
Products affected by the recall are as follows:
• Perry's Premium Peanut Butter Cup Craze Ice Cream 1/2 Pint
• Perry's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.5 QT, 1.75 QT AND 3 GL
• Perry's Peanut Butter Chip Frozen Yogurt 1.5 QT, 1.75 QT and 3 GL
• Perry's Peanut Butter Sundae Crunch Ice Cream Bar Bulk 24 pack
• Perry's Premium Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream 1.5 QT and 1.75 QT
• Perry's Perfectly Churned Light Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.5 QT and 1.75 QT
• Perry's Light Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Shurfine Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Wegmans Chocolate Nutty Cone Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT and Pint
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Sundae Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Crunch Ice Cream Bar 6 pack
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Candy Sundae Cup Ice Cream 4 pack
• Wegmans Peanut Butter Sundae Cup Ice Cream 4 pack
"Product quality and consumer safety have been our top priority for over 90 years and our decision today reflects that tradition," said Robert Denning, president and CEO, Perry's Ice Cream. "We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers."
Kellogg's
The peanut butter recall has also impacted food giant Kellogg's, which announced a voluntary recall of certain Austin and Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers and select snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies because the products have the potential to be contaminated.
On January 14, Kellogg announced a precautionary hold on the sandwich crackers while FDA and other authorities investigated PCA.
Last week, the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health released lab results that confirmed a "genetic match" between the strains of salmonella bacteria found in a container of King Nut peanut butter — served in one of the state's long-term care facilities — and the strains linked to the nationwide outbreak of salmonella.
Minnesota health officials discovered the salmonella bacteria in an open 5-pound container of King Nut creamy peanut butter used in a long-term care facility.
One of the facility's residents — and 29 other people in Minnesota — had fallen ill from that strain of salmonella, health officials said.
Lab tests linked that strain of salmonella to the strains of Salmonella Typhimurium associated with the illnesses of hundreds of people nationwide.
Minnesota and Virginia health officials also confirmed a link between the outbreak and three deaths that occurred in those states.
Health officials say those individuals had salmonella when they died, although it was not the conclusive cause of death in all three cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, says salmonella may have been a factor.
