Officials: Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak Continues
CDC, FDA Report 125 Tainted Peanut Butter Products and Expect the Number to Grow

By LAUREN COX and LISA STARK, ABC News
Jan. 21, 2009

The peanut butter salmonella outbreak that has sickened 486 people and
killed six may continue to pop up in more peanut butter products,
federal officials warned in a press conference today. 

The current salmonella outbreak has been reported in at least 43 states
and Canada.

Within a week and a half, 125 brands of cookies, cakes, energy bars and
even doggie treats have made the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's
recall list. 

Officials say store-bought jars of peanut butter are believed to be
safe, but more investigation is needed into peanut-flavored products. 

More than 70 companies have used peanut butter and peanut paste from the
Peanut Corporation of America's (PCA) processing plant in Blakely, Ga.,
which is believed to be the source of the salmonella outbreak in 43
states.

"We are sending our inspectors out to every place where we know that
there has been a sale, and eventually we hope to get to the end of the
line," said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition. 

"Even a small amount of material can find its way into a number of
different food products; that's just the nature of the food business,
and it makes our jobs a lot more complicated," he said. 

The FDA has created a searchable list on its Web site
for consumers to check in on the latest affected products. If a brand is
not on that list, the FDA recommends people call the food company to
check if the product has been cleared before eating it. 

Popular brands on the recall list include seven different kinds of
PetSmart dog biscuits, Keebler Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
and NutriSystem Peanut Butter Granola bars. 

NutriSystem representative Craig Alperowitz told ABC News that the
company switched from PCA to a different peanut butter supplier in
November before news broke about the salmonella outbreak. However, the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control now reports that illnesses from the
salmonella outbreak started in early September. 

Some brands have been quick to clear their name from the salmonella
outbreak. Both the Hershey Company and Girl Scout(r) Cookies have
announced they believe their products are safe, and their companies do
not use PCR as a supplier. 

Representatives from Peanut Corporation of America told ABCNews.com to
expect the investigation to continue to unfold for weeks or months to
come. 

"It's really on two fronts," said a spokesman for Peanut Corporation of
America. "One is on the Georgia facility, then everything after the
plant: What do those customers do with those products?" 

News of the outbreak first broke in September, when the CDC traced
salmonella to a brand of peanut butter called King Nut, sold to
cafeterias and not grocery stores. 

Only seven states remain free of salmonella reports:
Montana, Alaska, New Mexico, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina and
Delaware. 

Peanut butter from the Blakely, Ga., plant ships to food companies in 5-
to 1,700-pound containers. Once out of those containers, food companies
may use the peanut butter in a variety of products. 

Studies out of the University of Georgia have shown salmonella can live
in the peanut butter paste used in vending machine snacks for months.
Once someone eats a contaminated product, it may take the CDC weeks to a
month to fully investigate the case. 

"There's a lag time of two weeks," said Lola Russell, a spokeswoman for
the CDC. Russell explained it takes time for a person to become ill,
seek help and get test results. "If you get something that has
food-borne illness, there's a wait."