News and Announcements
Peanut Butter Recall and Pet Products
This month, the FDA announced a recall of peanut-based food products. The products, including both human and pet products, were produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) and were recalled because of contamination with Salmonella typhimurium. This strain of salmonella has been isolated in peanut butter and peanut paste produced by PCA and used as ingredients in a multitude of products that were subsequently distributed through many sources and locations. So far, it appears that the pet products involved in the recall are a few peanut-containing dog foods and dog treats. Caution will be required on the part of consumers, including pet owners, to avoid illness in their family or pets. Major brands of store bought peanut butter were not affected.
The symptoms of salmonella poisoning include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Often the diarrhea will contain blood. Sick pets will often have a decreased appetite and evidence of abdominal pain. Although symptoms usually start soon after eating contaminated food, they can take up to a month to develop. The illness is particularly severe and potentially fatal in people or animals with a weakened immune system, including the very young or very old, the pregnant, and those affected with cancer or other immune-mediated diseases. These individuals may require hospitalization for intensive care.
Various strains of salmonella bacteria are found naturally in the intestines of animals and some humans, as well as in the environment. Other common sources of salmonella poisoning include raw eggs and raw meats, either fresh or frozen. People and animals can contract salmonellosis by consuming tainted products or by direct contact with contaminated products or surfaces. Thus, to minimize the risk of salmonellosis, consumers and pet owners are cautioned to follow safe food handling practices such as thorough disinfection of all food preparation surfaces and utensils and washing your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling any potentially contaminated materials such as raw meats, eggs, pet food, pet toys, or pet wastes.
The salmonella outbreak caused by the tainted peanut products has sickened hundreds of people and has been associated with multiple deaths. Because of the large number of products affected, this recall is one of the largest food recalls ever in the United States. To help consumers identify recalled items, both the American FDA has added a searchable database to their website that is updated daily or as additional products are found.
The link to this databases is:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/Salmonellatyph.html
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