The list is still growing for recalled peanut products

The Peanut Corp. of America has been shut down. At least for the time being. As of today more than 500 people have become ill and it is believed that 8 people have died from salmonella poisoning originating in the Blakely Georgia plant.

The company announced that they are recalling all products produced in their plant as far back as January 1, 2007. Considering they provide peanut products (including peanut butter, peanut paste, peanut meal, granulated peanuts and whole roasted peanuts) for hundreds of products I’m pretty worried about it. The peanut products are included in ice creams, cakes, crackers, sauces and even dog treats.

To make matters worse, at least in my opinion, FDA inspectors previously found salmonella in the plant 12 times but the plant never stopped production. According to the story I read, the contaminated production lines that the salmonella was discovered on weren’t even cleaned. That’s just negligent.

Georgia’s agriculture commissioner wants a criminal investigation of the company. I totally agree with him. The FDA says it’s too early for that and they want to finish their investigation first. Whatever. It’s obvious to me that the plant ignored basic food safety and shipped out products that they knew weren’t safe.


From the FDA website:

FDA and CDC recommendations for consumers include:

* Do not eat products that have been recalled and throw them away in a manner that prevents others from eating them.
* To determine if commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter/peanut paste-containing products (such as cookies, crackers, cereal, candy and ice cream) are subject to recall, consumers are urged first to visit FDA’s website and check the searchable database of recalled products.
* For information on products containing peanut butter from companies not reporting recalls, consumers may wish to consult the company’s website or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging. Information consumers may receive from the companies has not been verified by the FDA.
* If consumers cannot determine if their peanut butter, peanut butter/peanut paste-containing products or institutionally-served peanut butter contains PCA peanut butter/peanut paste, FDA recommends that they do not consume those products.
* Persons who think they may have become ill from eating peanut butter are advised to consult their health care providers.


That cinches the deal for me. I’ve mentioned before my lack of trust in other people preparing my food. It’s totally gone now. I’ll be making everything myself. If things keep going the way they are these days, I’ll be growing my own food too. And now I’m worried about my mother’s dog. I wonder if the treats she has in a jar on her counter were made from products from that Blakely plant? I’m going to have to give her a call. I don’t want her one remaining baby becoming ill because my mother decided she was a good girl and deserved a biscuit. That would really suck.

On the web:

Peanut plant problem forces fresh recall

The FDA page on recalled products - main page

The FDA list of recalled products