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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that foods containing peanut butter like candy, cakes, and pies shoud be avoided until the agency can determine the cause of a salmonella outbreak that has afflicted five hundred people.  Six deaths are attributed to the outbreak.

Peanut butter is made from a paste created by roasting cured peanuts.  Experts believe that the paste was tainted which would taint the end product.  Kellogg reacted quickly before the government made any recommendations and pulled Austin and Keebler branded peanut butter crackers from store shelves.

We contacted Lance, Inc (NASDAQ:LNCE) after Kellogg reacted so quickly.  Days before the U.S. government said to avoid products with peanut butter, Lance denied any problem with their product.  Lance told Consumer Help Web,

“We produce our own peanut butter and are not connected with the recent peanut butter recall.  We can assure you our products are safe to eat.”

Maybe so.  But for now we are sticking with federal recommendations about peanut butter products.  Those recommendations say, in part, “Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected.”

Passing on a Reese’s Cup or peanut butter crackers sounds like good food advice for this week.

Posted under Products, Safety

The company recalled the products earlier this month, and federal officials are encouraging consumers to throw away certain packages of Malt-O-Meal’s Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals.

Malt-O-Meal also produces cereal under supermarket and generic names, including Acme, America’s Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality.

Consumers can identify potentially affected food by codes used on the packaging. The cereals have “Best If Used By” dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as “APR0808″) through March 18, 2009 (coded as “MAR1809″).

Posted under Recalls

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning this weekend that cantaloupe from Honduras may be linked to salmonella.

The Honduran company, Agropecuaria Montelibano, is reportedly linked to dozens of illnesses throughout the US. The FDA is specific on action: if you’ve recently bought cantaloupe, check with the retailer to see if they can identify the company supplying the fruit. If they can’t, throw the fruit away.

Symptoms of foodborne Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor health or weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eaten cantaloupe and experienced any of these symptoms should contact their health care professional.

Posted under Safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers of the vital importance of keeping carrot juice—including pasteurized carrot juice—refrigerated. There are three cases of botulism in the state of Georgia associated with pasteurized carrot juice that may have been due to the product not being properly refrigerated.

FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and health authorities in Georgia have been closely monitoring and continue to investigate these three cases of foodborne botulism.

On September 15, 2006, Georgia health authorities issued a press statement, which in part stated the following: “…At this time we believe that these three cases are an isolated incident…. During the investigation, other community members have been identified as having purchased and consumed the same product from the same vendor within the past three weeks. These persons have not become ill or developed any symptoms. The fact that additional cases have not been identified suggests that the toxin was not present before the sale of the product…”

“Because botulism is such a potentially serious illness, we want to remind consumers that it is critical to refrigerate carrot juice for safety. Consumers should not keep carrot juice unrefrigerated,” said Dr. Robert Brackett, Director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). Inadequate refrigeration of carrot juice allows botulinum spores to multiply to the level at which they can cause illness.

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin, a nerve poison that under certain conditions is produced by Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium commonly found in soil. Botulism can be fatal and is considered a medical emergency. Foodborne botulism is not common in the United States; an average of 24 cases are reported each year. Botulinum poisoning can result in the following symptoms: double-vision, droopy eyelids and altered voice or trouble with speaking or swallowing, and paralysis on both sides of the body that progresses from the neck down, possibly followed by difficulty in breathing. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

Adequate refrigeration is one of the keys to food safety. Cold temperatures keep most harmful pathogens from growing and multiplying. Refrigerator temperatures should be no higher than 40°F and freezers no higher then 0°F. Consumers should check the temperatures occasionally with an appliance thermometer.

Consumers should look for the words “Keep Refrigerated” or “Refrigerate After Opening” on juice labels to know whether the product should be refrigerated. FDA is looking into whether the industry is providing clear labeling on refrigeration of juice products during storage.

Guidance on labeling of foods that need refrigeration by consumers, particularly for safety, is available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr970224.html.

Consumers with questions about juice safety also may call 1-800-SAFEFOOD.

Posted under Health