Voluntary recalls issued for several peanut butter products

Suspected illnesses from salmonella in 18 states have prompted several companies that produce peanut butter and other related products to issue a voluntary recall.

Only one brand of peanut butter, Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter, may have an actual link to the outbreak, including one case in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 29 people have become sick since early June from products that may contain salmonella.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working in cooperation with companies, including Sunland, Inc., that may have distributed affected products. The products were distributed nationally to numerous large supermarket chains and were available for purchase on the Internet, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. A full list of products included in the recall, including peanut butter and some almond butter, cashew butter and roasted peanut products, is posted online at www.fda.gov.

Consumers should check the UPC and use by dates on products and immediately discard any products that are included in the recall.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and the infection can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and those with weakened immune

systems.

Pertinent address:

1121 Linden St., Cape Girardeau, MO