Peanut Butter Eyed as Source of Salmonella Outbreak (UPDATE)
Seattle – On Saturday January 11th, King Nut Companies of Solon, Ohio recalled all brands of peanut butter distributed under the company’s name after it was discovered the day before by Minnesota health officials that salmonella was present in an five pound open container of creamy King Nut peanut butter that The King Nut company distributes to hospitals and schools. They do not sell any products to consumers directly.
The King Nut Company also stopped the distribution of Parnell’s Pride peanut butter, which the King Nut Company manufactures.
So far the outbreak is present in 42 states. Minnesota officials are hoping the recall will lead to the source of the outbreak.
Martin Kanan the president and CEO of King Nut Companies issued an apology for the outbreak and said that the company took immediate action to ensure safety.
“We are very sorry this happened,” said Martin Kanan, president and chief executive officer of King Nut Companies. “We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.”
“Because we don’t manufacture peanut butter, we will do what we can to get this product out of distribution and will work with the manufacturer to inform others of this problem,” Kanan said. “We also distribute peanut butter from this manufacturer under the Parnell’s Pride brand, although we are not the only distributor. However, we have asked our customers to remove this brand as well.”
Nearly 400 Americans have become ill from salmonella bacteria since the fall of 2008. The United States health department has gathered a task force to find out the source of the outbreak according to a statement by the United States Centers for Disease.
This latest strain of salmonella has been identified as Salmonella Typhimurium which is the most common form of the various types of salmonella bacteria which occurs in the United States. The CDC says this strain is mostly found in raw meats and eggs.
Cases are still being reported. They began in September 2008, but the majority of the cases started after October 1st. There is no estimate as to when the outbreak will end or if any more people will contract the disease. As of now about 18 percent of those infected have been hospitalized.
Officials say salmonella bacteria contamination is normally contracted by ingesting foods which have been infected with animal waste. The symptoms that people generally experience are abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever which generally occur within three days after contamination.
After about seven days infections normally disappear and often do not require any treatment but some people have to be hospitalized due to dehydration.
More serious infections can occur in the very young, within the elderly and with those who have weak immune systems. In extreme cases it spreads throughout the body and if antibiotics are not taken death can occur. (Some strains of salmonella are resistant to antibiotics.)
King Nut issued another statement explaining that King Nut does not provide any ingredients for the peanut butter which is distributed by the King Nut Company and the statement said all other King Nut products have been deemed safe and have not been recalled.
Every year in the United States about 40,000 cases of salmonella bacteria are reported, but officials say the number could be much higher because these numbers are only for those who sought treatment.
Customers are asked to take all King Nut peanut butter and Parnell’s Pride peanut butter distributed by King Nut out of distribution immediately. For more information, go to www.kingnut.com.
Martin Kanan, president of the King Nut Cos., could not be reached for comment. But in a statement posted on the company’s Web site, Kanan said that the product could not be linked to all of the cases across the nation because it was distributed to only seven states, including Minnesota and Ohio.