Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found samples of peanut butter and peanut paste contaminated with Salmonella, which were traced back to a Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) plant. PCA voluntarily recalled the peanut butter and paste produced at its facility on Jan. 13 and expanded the recall on Jan. 18. The company’s Web site (www.peanutcorp.com) lists the products affected. Salmonella is an organism that can cause fever, nausea and abdominal pain, and in rare circumstances, can cause arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.

The recalled peanut butter and peanut paste was distributed to institutions, food service industries and private label food companies in 24 states, as well as Korea, Haiti and the province of Saskatchewan in Canada. The items are used as food ingredients in products such as cookies, crackers and candies.

The recalled peanut butter and peanut paste were not sold directly to consumers through retail stores by PCA. They were only produced in the company’s Blakely, Ga. facility, which has stopped production of all products while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigate the Salmonella outbreak. 

For more information, visit www.peanutcorp.comandwww.fda.gov.