Peanut Butter Recall: General Mills, Kroger Pull Peanut Butter Items

ATLANTA — Health officials say the number of people sickened in a national salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter has grown to 485 cases.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday the number has been inching up as lab tests confirm that new cases have the same genetic fingerprint as the outbreak strain. The illnesses have been reported in 43 states and Canada, and may have contributed to the deaths of six people.

The Food and Drug Administration has traced the outbreak to a Georgia plant owned by Peanut Corp. of America, which makes peanut butter and peanut paste.

The government says consumers should avoid cookies, cakes and other foods containing peanut butter pending the results of the investigation. Peanut butter sold in jars to consumers is not included.

Comments

[astol]

This is but one example of the risks of using extensive supply chains over which companies like Kellogg have little control. Utilizing outside companies such as the Peanut Corporation of America to supply ingredients for a branded product not only makes it more difficult to ensure quality control, but also creates enormous complications for the branded-product company trying to respond in a crisis. For those interested, I encourage you to read my blog post about these difficulties on BulletProofBlog.com and share your thoughts: http://www.bulletproofblog.com/2009/01/21/peanut-butter-recall-part-ii/

[TJCole]

Free Trade Kills...!

[Copeword]

I usually only eat the peanut butter that comes in jars, so I think I'm okay. I hope the problem is resolved soon.

[jalowe1957]

And they say choosy moms (and dads) choose Jif.

[outnow]

Salmonella infection leaves many with reactive arthritis otherwise known as Reiter's syndrome.

Products liability law helps spread the cost of the risk in the price of the product. For those of you out there who do not understand the necessity of tort law, this is a good example. If you or your child is infected, you are entitled to compensation, even if the share of the market theory must be employed.

Liability without fault is a social protection in the consumer field. We use some products without inspection such as food. The utmost care needs to be used by manufacturers who can bear the risk, insure, and spread the premiums.

If anyone tells you that lawyers are the reason that America is not competitive, ask that person if he owns large amounts of stock in the banks.

It is not un-American to sue. Do you want your children poisoned so that the rich can make even more money?

Unless Americans wake up, the rich will get even richer while you child bears the loss. Oppose so-called "tort reform." Like "free trade," its just another scam. Just as if your airliner crashed, it isn't the fault of the passengers.

[LeeCalif]

Glad you made this point.

Whenever someone screams for Tort Reform, they are usually a corporation attempting to evade
product safety responsibilty.

[outnow]

Thank you! I read in the newspaper today that even China is allowing lawsuits - product liability suits on behalf of the dead children and injured children because of the melamine in the milk products. Placing nitrogenous substances in milk was a consumer fraud to boast the tests for protein. Maybe sending some of our own CEOs to jail fro consumer fraud and financial fraud would send a complimentary message to the punitive damages. No government regulation is as effective as the tort system.

[Samalabear]

This is why preemption is so dangerous. Bush was all about tort reform and did everything he could to give particularly pharmaceutical companies free rein to sell their killer products with immunity. The FDA is, in fact, working on the side of the pharmaceutical companies in a preemption case, which was supposed to be heard by the Supreme Court in November. I don't know what happened with it as of yet. But if the Supreme Court sides with the FDA you can forget about ever suing any company about any product.

[outnow]

Yes, this is the concern that the pre-emption doctrine by administrative agencies having jurisdiction would be broadly interpreted is a serious one. With Justice Roberts unable to properly give the oath of office seems to be evidence of his state of mind. Obama has publicly advocated so-called tort reform. This is what is called "silent tort reform" tort reform by the occupation of regulatory sphere by an administrative agency. This would preempt state court remedies and even offer immunity as in the drug cases. If the warning is in the PDR - Physicians desk reference - you are SOL.

[DrJohnS]

I have had problems with peanut butter in a jar. I buy and consume a popular brand of natural peanut butter and I have been ill three times recently. I didn't blame the peanut butter until these stories broke. When they did I quit eating it for a week, then had another helping and was ill that same night. Not bad enough to go to a medical doctor, but upsetting nevertheless. I wonder how many more have been sick but not sick enough.
I think this story is being down-played.

[DeSwiss]

Same thing happened to me.

[frantaylor]

Both of you may be in the initial stages of a peanut allergy. What you describe is exactly how it starts.