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FDA
Federal health officials are warning consumers not to eat Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter after the product was linked to salmonella infections that have sickened 29 people in 18 states. Four people have been hospitalized.
It is especially important that children under age 5, elderly adults and people with weak immune systems avoid the product, which has been possibly linked to an outbreak of salmonella Bredeney, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Trader Joe's has pulled the product from store shelves nationwide and posted an advisory on the company's web page. The peanut butter, which is sold in 16-ounce plastic jars, should be discarded or returned to any Trader Joe's store for a full refund.
FDA officials said they are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local and state health officials across the country to investigate what the agency called "a fast-moving outbreak" in a statement issued Saturday. The government did not release which states had reported illnesses, but several states have issued warnings to residents not to eat the peanut butter. According to the individual states' health departments, three cases were in Massachusetts, one was in Rhode Island and one was in North Carolina.
"FDA's top priority is protecting consumers and ensuring the safety of our food supply," the agency said.
Those affected by the outbreak became ill between June 11 and Sept. 2, the CDC said. Illnessed that occurred after Aug. 29 may not yet have been logged because of an expected lag in reporting time.
People infected with salmonella typically develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. The illness typically lasts between four to seven days and most people recover without treatment. However, some people, particularly the very young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, may become very ill and require hospitalization. Children are the most likely to get salmonella infections.
Anyone who shows signs of infection after eating Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with sea salt should contact a health provider. Health officials are investigating whether any other products sold primarily at Trader Joe's are linked to the outbreak.
Peanut butter has been the cause of widespread outbreaks of foodborne illness in recent years. In 2008, 714 people in 46 states were sickened by salmonella Typhimurium found in peanut butter crackers and other products. In 2007, 425 people in 44 states were sickened by salmonella Typhimurium found in Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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- Ricotta salata maker on alert after listeria outbreak
Leave a Comment:
Who's their supplier? The public wants to know!
Exactly - It is unlikely that the supplier responsible has Trader Joe's as their only customer. We need to find out who the supplier is and who their other customers are in order to identify all brands that may represent a risk to consumers.
Actually I just looked it up and it is a Trader Joe brand. I looked up a recall flyer on CNN and it is quite clear in this article too.
Republicans I'm sure!
this article says nothing. ive eaten TJ's peanut butter for years because i thought it was healthier as well as safer. i dont blame them for this mishap, something happened at the plant and i think we should know which plant it was.
So WHERE was the peanut butter made????
who what when where how and why is how to correctly report a story, get with it.
Why do you want to know? Just do what your government tells you to do. No stressing. Soon Big Brother will control all of your food, and you will have no more worries.
Trader Joe’s Voluntarily Recalls Creamy Salted
Valencia Peanut Butter Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact
Consumer:
(626)
599-3817
Media:
Alison Mochizuki
(626) 599-3779
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 22, 2012 - Out
of the utmost caution and care for our customers, Trader Joe’s is voluntarily
recalling its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter because of potential
contamination with Salmonella. At this time, no confirmed illnesses
directly linked to this product have been reported to Trader Joe’s.
While we have no confirmed information that suggests this peanut butter
is unsafe to eat, there is nothing more important to us than the health and
safety of our customers and crew, and the quality of our products.
In
advance of this recall, Trader Joe’s removed the product from all store shelves.
The recalled Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter was distributed to
Trader Joe’s stores nationwide. The product comes in a 16 ounce, plastic jar
with an expiration date of stamped below the lid. All code dates are included in
this recall.
Production and distribution of the item has been suspended
while the FDA and the Valencia Peanut Butter supplier continue their
investigations.
Customers who have purchased this item are urged to not
eat the product, and to dispose of it or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a
full refund. Customers with questions may contact Trader Joe’s Customer
Relations at (626) 599-3817.
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.
###
RSS Feed for
FDA Recalls Information1 [what's
this?2]
Photo: Product Labels3
Recalled Product Photos Are Also Available on FDA's
Flickr
Photostream.
just google who the supplier is..
Ya missed the point. This how they get away with it. Im not talking about Trader Joes, Im talking about the entire retail market. Its called fixing the blame. Without that we cant fix anything.
That's why choosy moms choose Jif.
My nickname is SKIP, I prefer the best and that's "SKIPPY" !!!!!!!!!!
Made in the U.S.A., with American peanuts !!!!!!!!!!!
Simply Jif for me!
[jif] made from roasted peanuts and sugar, contains 2% or less of: molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt.
ugh no thanks. i'll take my organic pb.
ingredients: roasted peanuts, salt. no sugar or other crap in it.
Some body needs jail time behind this. They got me with PP in 07. A concentrate plant in Americus, Ga. Some clown let the roof leak into a machine caused the sickness in '07 and '08. Eight deaths. They knew that trash was diseased and still sold it. Should have been eight counts of negligent homicide. These are not accidents.
Joe is a Trader. He lies!
They don't know what caused this, a spokesman for Trader Joe's said "this will be a hard nut to crack"
Then the other spokesman smacked him and said, "Use your bean, dude, it's a legume!"
The spokesman for Trader Joe's is very distraught he said "after this incident I am just a shell of a man"
When contacted, Trader Joes' spokesman said "aw nuts".
Read the labels. Most food in Trader Joe's is from other countries. Get it? Trader's.
I quit shopping there years ago. We should be supporting U.S. farmers and
companies that haven't sold out and moved their production to other countries
to evade taxes and pay employees less money. Same with the strange labels with
the invasion of the dollar stores. Try and figure out where the food came from and
how old it is before you buy it.
From the Trader Joe's customer website:
Their brand label products do not contain GMOs and they are committed to sourcing sustainable and fair trade items. They get many of their foods from the US as well. The problem is that most US crops are genetically modified.
Even though the US can produce a variety of crops, we still produce little if any of the following because we don't have the right climate: tea, coffee, many varieties of fruits and nuts...
Hawaii and Puerto Rico have greatly diminished their sugarcane and pineapple growing capablities in favor of resort and other real estate development. Both regions produce excellent coffee, but the prices are beyond the reach of many consumers and they can't grow enough to meet the demand.
Go to Wal-Mart who once prided themselves on selling made in USA products; you will see how much food comes from China. We should support our own small farms and organic farms. Local farmer's markets are a great way to do that.
Uninformed and incorrect on so many fronts. They do as much local and domestic as they can (MUCH more than corporate supermarkets) And most of those 'other countries', are organics from Canada or Mexico that they can't get, or can't get affordably from the US. So go ahead and buy your GMO mutant food from Wal-mart, plus a lot of it is Chinese -- and we know how they are about food safety....
Too bad health-nuts. GMO food is 60% safer to eat than organic. These numbers have been confirmed in study after study.
These lawsuits won't be settled for just peanunts, Trader Joe is going to be shell shocked. An attorney for trader joe's couldn't respond yet as he said he is still crunching the numbers, but said he's been sandwiched in tougher jams before. He was also in favor of spreading the payments out.
This isn't the first time that a trader Joe product has been recalled. Many trader Joe labeled product's are exclusive to trader Joe.
thanks for telling me just after i scraped the last little bits from the bottom of the jar.
ooooooooooooohhhhh!
yeap and this is what the 3rd time for this bs.... and who mostly eats peanut butter .. but kids . thats how much the fking billionaire ceo 's care about the kids who eat the garbage they produce.. but keep hiring every filthy illegal .. cus its cost effective for your ceo's and stock holders
and ps ... for those who got their peanut butter from the food pantry.. better check the date cus did ya know
POOR PEOPLE DO NOT DESERVE FRESH FOOD
let me guess, you're poor and hate anyone who has more than you!
I have ate peanuts in Mexico and never gotten sick. More than likely the peanuts originated from Georgia. In the manufacture of peanut butter, anywhere along the line could have contaminated the nuts of the peanut butter.
People need to stop eating vegetable products, especially those purchased in health food stores, and start eating more meat and synthetic foods. <---irony irony irony
I'm a JIF guy myself. White bread, toasted... butter...JIF peanut butter.. a little dab of Smucker's strawberry preserves .. dunked in 2% milks. HEAVEN !!!
The name It's self is enough to make ya wanna Vomit! I mean come on here. . . .
"Trader Joe's Creamy Salted peanut Butter, made w/ Sea Salt"?? what kind of a bizzarre name is this?? For One I would buy that other Yucky stuff they have on the shelf's now called "Nuttela" or how ever it is spelled! I ain't by no means a health Nut who eats all this weird jazz, I Want the normal everyday type of food- - - - Baked potatoes w/ sour creme & butter, and a medium Rare Steak! I like it like this and have always liked it this way, and i will never change neither. That's My Story and iam Sticking To It. . . . . . .
Signed;
Pac-man
You, my friend, are an idiot.
"FDA's top priority is protecting consumers and ensuring the safety of our food supply," the agency said.
Yeah, I'm believing this crock of crap statement......
I agree. They use to demand a recall of the bad products and got them off the shelves. Now they just issue warnings to the consumer and let the maker of the product recall them -- if they want to. This isn't the FDA I remember. Protecting the consumer is obviously NOT their top priority and they are definitely not ensuring the safety of our food supply or they would have been the one to pull the product. Thank the stars Trader Joe is a company with integrity because they did it on their own. Wish we had more like them.
Until the Food Safety Modernization Act the FDA did not have the authority to mandate a recall. I don't believe a food company would be stupid enough to refuse to recall a product hence making the FDA invoke their authority. Trader Joe's is no different than any other retail establishment recalling a product "Out of the utmost caution and care for our customers". They were notified of a potential food safety issue and acted accordingly.
They had the authority and did not use it. They could have done it in conjunction with the manufacturer and did not. Some companies, like the dog treat companies mentioned, have been notified of the hundreds of deaths by the FDA, and they still ship and make the products and they are still sold. The FDA refuses to pull them from the shelves disregarding the overwhelming evidence that they are responsible for hundreds of dogs' deaths, so they do NOT use that authority like they use to. They wait and see and if the manufacturer doesn't they just do nothing but send out a caution like this time. Sorry I have seen this happen on several occasions.
The FDA is a bought off corporate entity working against the people. When they say they exist to protect the American consumer, they're lying. The FDA is a criminal mafia in this country and don't you forget it!
There are some obvious questions that the article does not address:
- Why was this a 'voluntary' recall? Assuming that FDA has tested a number of samples: at what level of contamination would they have ordered a recall?
- What does it mean that 29 people became sick? Do two days of diarrhea with cramps qualify, or do you need to become hospitalized?
- Why is the FDA not more interested to understand the true scope of this? They could ask for anyone who consumed the product and showed symptoms to come forward, and publish a contact number.
1. FDA does not really have the authority to make a recall mandatory. ALL recalls, under the FDA jurisdiction, are voluntary.
2. Those 29 people were more than likely clinically diagnosed and then reported by the doctor. Based on this, the CDC and the FDA were probably able to identify the product that caused it.
3. You don't think they aren't trying to understand they scope? They are working to find out where the issue was and then go from there. And 2 days of cramps and diarrhea may or may not qualify. You would need to get diagnosed first.
This is happening way too often. I don't even want to buy peanut butter at all anymore.
I am glad to see Trader Joe pulled the brand off the shelves and warned everyone. My question is why didn't the FDA demand it be taken off the shelves first? I am glad Trader Joe's has the integrity to do so first because some companies will not admit liability, so kudos to them, but the FDA dragging their feet and not demanding a recall and issuing an order to stores to take it off the shelves surprises me.
Thank you Trader Joe for being so honest and letting the public know first and as fast as you did.
This sort of explains why the FDA won't take certain named dog treat products off the market here that are killing dogs by the hundreds. All they are doing is, like this one, issuing warnings while dogs are dying of those products made in China left and right. It's another case of them not performing their duties.