Between September 2008 and April 2009, contaminated peanut butter manufactured by the Peanut Corporation of America caused 714 confirmed cases of Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses in the United States. The outbreak claimed nine lives.
In addition to the human toll extracted by the contaminated peanut butter, the CDC reported one laboratory-confirmed case of Salmonella in a dog from an Oregon household. Salmonella resembling the outbreak strain was recovered by a private laboratory from a sample of Happy Tails Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits.
Some of the biscuits in the package contained peanut butter.
In a separate incident, a dog in Georgia died after being fed Austin peanut butter crackers. The crackers were among a long list of products recalled in response to the Salmonella outbreak.
Ten out of ten outbreak victims interviewed by state and local public health officials reported having consumed peanut butter in the week before they fell ill. Nine of the ten reported having eaten Jif peanut butter. The tenth victim did not know what brand of peanut butter was consumed.
The May 20, 2022, recall of Jif peanut butter products already has triggered at least fifteen recalls in the United States by manufacturers who used one of the recalled products as an ingredient.
While no pet foods or pet treats have been recalled so far, the contaminated Jif peanut butters still represent a risk to family pets.
Many dog owners use treat balls smeared with peanut butter to keep their pets occupied when left alone.
Others use peanut butter to make pills more palatable, or to tempt the appetite of a dog that has become disinterested in food.
Although dogs are less susceptible than humans to developing symptoms of a Salmonella infection, they can become symptomless carriers, and shed the bacteria in their stools for several weeks after becoming infected.
Keep yourself, your family and your pets safe
If your pet has eaten one of the recalled Jif peanut butter products, watch for symptoms of salmonellosis, including diarrhea, loss of appetite, or vomiting, and take your pet to the veterinarian without delay if these symptoms appear. If possible, bring a fresh stool sample to the veterinary office and ask for a Salmonella test.
If your pet is showing symptoms of salmonellosis, take extra precautions to keep young children away, and be alert for signs of salmonellosis among household members.
Always wash your hands with soap and water right after handling any pet food or treats.
When possible, store pet food and treats away from where human food is stored or prepared and away from reach of young children.
Don’t use your pet’s feeding bowl to scoop food. Use a clean, dedicated scoop, spoon, or cup.
Always follow any storage instructions on pet food bags or containers.
The senior vice president of Abbott Nutrition — the manufacturer of infant formula whose plant closure amid a food safety investigation has left the country in dire straits with parents scrambling to find food for their babies — opened his testimony before a U.S. House panel Wednesday with that admission of guilt.
The day-long hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce was billed as an investigation into the infant formula shortage and the reasons behind it.
During the first half of the hearing members of the U.S. House of Representatives grilled top administrators from the Food and Drug Administration about the shortage and the agency’s investigation into Abbott’s Sturgis, MI, manufacturing plant. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told the panel that the agency could have done a better job managing its investigation. (See our related story for complete coverage.)
The second half of the day was reserved for three executives from the baby food industry with about half of the time devoted to the shortage and the other half focusing solely on Abbott’s food safety status.
Abbott was represented by its senior vice president Christopher Calamari. Two other infant formula manufacturers also had top executives on hand to answer questions: Scott Fitz, vice president of Gerber, and Robert Cleveland, senior vice president of Reckitt. Together the three companies represent about 90 percent of the infant formula market in the United States. Abbott alone has 40 percent of the market.
Members of the House subcommittee questioned all three men about the status of infant formula production with little in the way of solutions offered for resolving the current shortage. All of the companies are working to meet the need with ramped-up production at U.S. plants. They are also working with the federal government to increase imports of infant formula.
As pressing as the need for more infant formula is, the reason behind the shortage received as much time in the spotlight as the shortage itself. If Abbott had not had to close down its Sturgis, MI, plant because of food safety issues there would not be a shortage.
Calamari repeatedly told the House subcommittee that Abbott is doing everything possible to get its plant up and running. It was closed down in mid-February when the company initiated a massive recall. The recall came amid an FDA investigation into links to a cronobacter outbreak that saw at least four babies hospitalized. Two of them died.
Time after time Calamari said that Abbott is “taking steps” to resolve food safety problems and make sure they don’t reoccur. Time after time the House members asked what the company is doing.
When Committee Chair Rep. Diana DeGette, D-CO, asked the question Calamari gave his generalized answer. DeGettee called him on it, seeking more specifics. The Abbott senior vice president then ticked off a handful of actions including replacing floors, repairing the roof, and changing the way personnel move through the 700,000-square-foot manufacturing plant.
During her closing remarks, the subcommittee chair remarked on the bipartisan outrage about the situation at the Abbott plant. She told Calamari that his answers had been “too vague.”
Highlights from other subcommittee members’ questions about the food safety situation and the answers from Calamari follow.
Rep. H. Morgan Griffith, R-VA The ranking member of the subcommittee told Calamari that Abbott has more than a problem with its roof and floors. He cited a whistleblower document that reported managers hiding information from top corporate management and said the company has a “culture problem” and asked, “have any heads rolled?”
Calamari responded by saying he didn’t think it was a culture problem and that just last week he visited the Sturgis, MI, plant and met with multiple generations of employees there who are committed to producing safe infant formula.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA When the representative asked why there were cronobacter bacteria in the production facility Calamari said “it wasn’t in the production area,” adding that it is a naturally occurring bacteria. McMorris Rodgers asked Calamari what Abbott is doing to make sure its food safety issues do not recur he said the company “is committed to preventing future problems.”
Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-TX Burgess wanted to know when Abbott management was made aware of the whistleblower document. Calamari said they didn’t know about it until it was made public by Congress in April. He also said he did not want to speak to points made in the document because it is the subject of an ongoing investigation.
Rep. Kathleen M. Rice, D-NY Rice also asked Calamari about the whistleblower document, wanting to know what measures Abbott has in place for employees to raise food safety concerns. Calamari said there is an “independent” entity within the company that takes and reviews employee concerns and that it was the whistleblower’s choice to not use the system to report concerns. Rice also asked what the company plans to do to make sure employees feel comfortable reporting issues and Calamari said the company would “encourage them to speak up.”
Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky, D-IL Telling Calamari that she is “livid” about the situation and that the inspection report about the Sturgis, MI, plant is “disgusting,” Schakowsky asked him if he would take personal responsibility; he said “yes.”
Rep. Gary J. Palmer, R-AL Calamari told Palmer that he was not aware of problems at the plant until FDA inspected it earlier this year. When Palmer asked why problems had not been addressed earlier Calamari said the company is committed to safety.
Rep. Scott H. Peters, D-CA Peters asked how much of Abbott’s resources go toward food safety and Calamari said “tens of millions of dollars.” Peters then asked if it should be more. Calamari said, “we are committed to doing what it takes.”
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-WA Schrier wanted to know why Congress should trust Abbott to fix problems at the production plant, especially in light of the whistleblower accusations of falsified records. Calamari said, “we are aligned with the FDA” on plans to reopen the plant.
Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.
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For up-to-date information on the multi-national Jif peanut butter recall and the associated Salmonella outbreak in the United States, please navigate to the Jif/Smucker Recalls menu item at the top of the page.
United States
OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION:FDA has initiated on-site inspection and sample collection in its investigation of the Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak associated with Jif peanut butter products.
FDA Warning Letter: FDAissues Warning Letter to Sunny Creek Farm, Inc., citing “… serious violations of the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption regulation” in reference to the company’s sprout growing operation.
Allergy Alert: Casper’s Ice Cream recalls Red Button Vintage Creamery Canadian Vanilla Ice Cream (56-oz tubs; Lot 344-21-946; Expiration date 12/10/24; UPC 077865010017) due to undeclared almonds.
Food Safety Recall:Brookshire Grocery Company recalls bulk Yellow Flesh Peaches (available in stores between 4/15/22 and 5/17/22; Product of Chile) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The products were sold at Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Spring Market, and FRESH by Brookshire’s retail stores in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Europe
Allergy Alert (Ireland): FSAI alerts consumers to presence of undeclared milk, egg, fish and soybean in Jack ‘n Jill Chicharron ni Mang Juan – Espesyal Suka’t Sili (90g; Best before 15 October 2022).
Allergy Alert (UK): White Rabbit Pizza recalls four White Rabbit brand pizza products due to undeclared milk. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.
Food Safety Recall (Belgium): AFSCA recalls Lac Vo Hong brand Pink Peanut Kernels (500g; Lot NSX20/11/2021; Best before 20/11/2023) due to aflatoxin contamination.
Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Coprosain recalls Coprosain brand Filet d’Anvers / Antwerp fillet (Lots 22123, 22124, 22125, 22126, 22129, 22130, 22137, 22138; Use by 02/06/2022, 03/06/2022, 04/06/2022, 05/06/2022, 08/06/2022, 09/06/2022, 16/06/2022, 17/06/2022, respectively) due to Listeria contamination.
Food Safety Recall (France): SAINT JEAN recalls SAINT JEAN brand Suprêmes Soufflés Emmental de Savoie IGP (Lot 21310177; Use by 08/06/2022) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
Food Safety Recall (France): LIDL recalls Saint Alby brand Jambon cuit supérieur découénné Label Rouge / Red Label superior cooked ham, without rind (160g; Lot 20421400006; Use by 12/06/2022) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
Food Safety Recall (France): ETABLISSEMENT M. OGIER Salaison OGIER recalls Alliance Producteur brand Saucisson sec beaufort / Beaufort dried sausage (180g; Lots 13922 & 14022; Best before 18/07/2022 & 19/07/2022) due to Salmonella contamination.
Food Safety Recall (France): GAEC DE LA SABLONNIERE la ferme de la sablonniere recalls la ferme de la sablonniere brand fromage blanc / Cottage cheese (500g; Lot 2157; Use by 05/06/2022) due to E. coli contamination.
Food Safety Recall (Germany): Monolith Mitte GmbH recalls three varieties of Hosyaushka egg noodles due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.
Food Safety Recall (Germany): IKEA Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG recalls SYLT JORDGUBB Erdbeerkonfitüre Bio / Organic strawberry jam (400g; Best before 01.03.2023, 02.03.2023, 03.03.2023, 28.03.2023) due to foreign matter contamination (plastic).
Food Safety Recall (Netherlands): T. Boer & Zn recalls Kalfsburger / Veal burger (2 x 125g; Use by 29-05-2022) due to possible Salmonella contamination.
Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
Food Safety Recall (Singapore): DKSH South East Asia Pte. Ltd recalls Jif Omega-3 Creamy Peanut Butter (Lot codes 1274425 – 2140425; Product of USA) due to possible Salmonella contamination.
Australia and New Zealand
Allergy Alert (Australia): Margaret River Muesli Company recalls Margaret River Gluten Free Muesli (500g; Best before 29/11/22 and 14/12/22) due to undeclared gluten.
In addition to the human toll extracted by the contaminated peanut butter, the CDC reported one laboratory-confirmed case of Salmonella in a dog from an Oregon household. Salmonella resembling the outbreak strain was recovered by a private laboratory from a sample of Happy Tails Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits.
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