There's Salmonella In The Peanut Butter... Again
For the past three months or so, the FDA and the CDC have been working to find the source of an outbreak of salmonella typhimurium that has sickened at least 400 people nationwide. Now the Minnesota Department of Health thinks they may have found the answer in a jar of institutional peanut butter not sold to the public.
The Minnesota Department of Health said Friday that a tub of the peanut butter from a nursing home that had patients ill with the national outbreak strain had tested positive for generic salmonella, says the health department's Doug Schultz.
"We've have 30 illnesses in Minnesota that are connected to the outbreak strain, and all of those 30 report eating some type of peanut butter, and many if not most of them have been connected to this King Nut brand," Schultz says.
The FDA says that the tests needed to confirm the strain of salmonella are not yet complete — and stressed that there is no conclusive evidence that links this peanut butter to the salmonella outbreak.
Again, the peanut butter isn't sold to the general public, so there's no need to toss out your peanut butter.
Tub of peanut butter checked for link to salmonella outbreak [USAToday]
(Photo:CDC)
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Does anyone know what kinds of penalties are imposed on these companies that let e.coli or salmonella get through? Is it a slap on the wrist or something worse? It seems that maybe there should be some harsher penalties (I'm thinking a one-year suspension of their business license).
@SabreDC: A one year suspension of their business license is essentially like shutting them down...not to mention that those licenses are provided by the state the hq operates out of...talk about a mess of politics...
@SabreDC: Dunno, but it can't be good for their PR. I can't imagine any reasonable company that would willingly contract with any provider that was noted as the cause of such an outbreak. They'd essentially lose all of their business.
"King Nut" brand?
There's half of your problem.
its cuz roger keeps thinking the peanut butter jar is his dip can
goddamit, nurseeeee, he's doing it again
People get Salmonella Typhimurium from eating Peanut Butter, Minnesota points the finger at King Nut, who points the finger at Peanut Corporation of America, so what is next?
Minnesota Department of Health announces late Friday that the have linked thirty illnesses ( and a death) to the consumption of King Nut Peanut Butter (and Parnell's Pride?). There is nothing on the CDC website or other State Health Department sites naming names - yet. On Saturday King Nut and the FDA jointly release a recall notification, but King Nut blames the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) for its problem. PCA’s lawyers write a press release that tries to deny as much as possible.
So, what is next? Here are a few ideas (not in any particular order) that the companies involved and the government should do Monday morning:
1. Make sure ALL product is promptly recalled;
2. Do not destroy any documents;
3. The companies should pay the medical bills and all related expenses of the innocent victims and their families;
4. The companies should pay the cost of all related Health Department, CDC and FDA investigations;
5. Provide all bacterial and viral testing of all recalled product and any other tested product (before and after recall);
6. Release all inspection reports on the plants by any Governmental Entity or Third-party Auditor;
7. Release all Salmonella safety precautions taken by either King Nut or Peanut Corporation of America - especially after the 2007 Salmonella Peanut Butter Outbreak;
8. Provide the public with the Epidemiological investigation (with names redacted), so it is clear who knew what and when about the likely source of the outbreak; and,
9. Show the public what is being done to prevent the next outbreak.
Taking these steps will go a long way in convincing us that food safety and consumer confidence is of primary importance both to the companies and the government.
@crymson777: "A one year suspension of their business license is essentially like shutting them down..."
Exactly. That should teach them to be more careful.
No, you got your peanut butter in my salmonella!
@zimmi88: If it costs less, I can imagine many would contract with those providers. I think it is safe to say that there are at least a few executives who think "Company X had a salmonella outbreak? But they charge half as much as Company Y. Let's go with X anyway. We'll just keep it on the down low."
"...tested positive for generic salmonella."
Huh. Good thing they didn't go for the premium name-brand variety, or we'd be in a heap-o-trouble!
@SabreDC: Because it's a free(ish) country, unlike China with the melamine, you can't sentence the bosses to death or put them in the slammer for life. D'oh. You figure it out.
Sounds like some crap brand of peanut butter that's distributed to facilities like nursing homes because it's cheap. =/
@I work as a meth lab technician isn't really a meth lab tec...: Yes, because that's what I said. Sentence them to death or put them in prison for life. Yep, exactly what I said.
@batsy: I believe it is largely purchased by institutions--unfortunately, since we're talking schools (little kids) and nursing homes (the elderly), we're talking people likeliest to take salmonella hard.
This is why I won't let my kids eat school lunch. Oh and they won't let me close their automatically opened school lunch account because if they forget their lunch, the school will give them a peanut butter sandwich.
@LiC: file that under the same category as the recycled urine NASA developed a machine for. Yes it's just pure water, but knowing where it came from... some things, there's just no getting past.
@SabreDC: Since salmonella occurs NATURALLY there is nothing that should happen. The outbreak caused people to get the runs and vomit. Grow up and get over it. If you look back 100 years how many people got things like salmonella, ecoli and everything else. You would be the same person who would get upset if your peanut butter had chlorine or other chemicals in it as well.
Again, the peanut butter isn't sold to the general public, so there's no need to toss out your peanut butter.
But what if it's made in the same factory as retail peanut butter?
Why does it seem like this is happening so often in the last couple years? First the spinach, which based on what I saw at my local grocery store seemed to extend to basically all the bagged salads. Then the peanut butter. Then the "tomatoes." Now the peanut butter again? WTF?
How did this even happen? Isn't salmonella usually found eggs and chicken? For some reason, I thought it was animal-bourne. And don't they process the hell out of commercial peanut butter? Well, on second thought, I guess not.
I can see where peanuts might acquire some e. coli from pickers pooping in the peanut fields or not washing their hands in the factory, but SALMONELLA?
This is a serious question by the way. How did it get contaminated?
^^ animal-borne...
They've let essential government services (like public health) go down the crapper so they have lots of money for congressional pork, wars, and bailouts for bankers and car companies. There's not a heck of a lot of food inspection going on anymore. Where's Upton Sinclair when you really need him??
Of course, it's all money we don't have (debt), anyway.
@bohemian: But those were the bessssssst PB sandwiches ever.
I dunno what they mixed it with (honey? corn syrup? crack?!) but they were so much better than any peanut butter I've had before or since.
@pollyannacowgirl: Same way it got into the spinach, the tomatoes. Salmonella lives in your digestive tract, and Cows too. Most animals really. Cows make fertilizer. If improperly handled (its supposed to be pasteurized first) it can still contain eeeeevil bacteria. Thus, it gets into the soil and then into the plants.
This however, may have come from the nuts, the ingredients they add to the PB, who knows. There's so much shit in peanut butter now-adays besides peanuts, there's no telling really.
Also, the same reason you can eat raw steak (the insides at least) but you wouldn't dream of eating raw ground beef. You cook the outside of a steak, the cuts are clean, but the blade goes through ground beef all over so you have to cook all of it.
@yevarechecha:According to a friend who interned at the FDA last summer, there's so little oversight of food production that it's amazing these things don't happen more often.
You don't even want to hear her drug stories.
Looks like Puck from Real World: San Francisco got into the peanut butter again!
@floraposte: since when do they allow peanut butter in schools? I thought all Kids were allergic now?
@LiC: (1) Food processors buy liability insurance. A company's history factors into the rates, and sometimes inspectors from the insurance company will inspect the facility. Both food company and insurance company have an interest in preventing outbreaks. (2) After this incident, this company will have the *safest* product because of paranoia.
Man, look what we're feeding to our seniors!
i heard about this on the radio this morning, the story claims that King Nut only supplies to 7 states, yet the outbreak is happening practically nationwide...something doesn't quite add up if thats the case.
@pollyannacowgirl: Oh yeah, salmonella is like everywhere. What caused the earlier peanut butter contamination was a roof leak -- apparently the excess moisture in the processing plant allowed the bacteria (from the shells, shell dust and the nuts themselves) to flourish and spread through the sprinkler system, which exposed a lot of the plant to the bacteria.
Since bacteria is pretty much everywhere, it can opportunistically infect our food supply whenever something like this happens -- e.g. it only needs the right environment to grow and become a problem. You've probably heard about not giving honey to an infant -- same thing -- honey contains botulism spores that are harmless to an adult, but can easily overcome a baby's incipient gut flora. The bacteria is already present, just give it the right environment, and it becomes a problem.
So, if you can, try to follow common-rules, like Oranges w/ Cheese mentions about cooked ground beef more than steak. If you know how the bacteria work, you might be able to get away with eating things you wouldn't expect -- for example, if you really want raw hamburger meat, you could probably buy a steak and slice the outsides off, then mince it (voila, tartare!). I have eaten raw eggs for years now (in my natto) and never once had a problem, mostly by being picky about my eggs (if they have even a tiny crack in the shell, I don't eat them raw), and by using good hygiene (the bacteria is on the shell, not in the egg, so you have to make sure you don't get a lot of shell in your egg when you crack it, and you should eat a raw egg immediately after its cracked so as not to allow the bacteria to multiply once it is in the egg).
But I guess, unless you make your own peanut butter, you'll just have to rely on brands whose processing you trust. Sigh!
P.S. I am not advocating that anyone eat raw eggs! Please especially don't do so if your immune system is compromised, or you are pregnant!
@Robobot: I'm sure they do happen more often, it's just that people don't know where they got sick or they can't find the source. Plus, many people just don't report food-borne illnesses.
@kimsama: Also the reason that if you want to eat raw or not fully cooked ground beef it's safer to either grind it at home yourself or buy steaks and have the butcher grind it there. *shudder* I can't eat McD's burgers after reading "Fast Food Nation" and the info about slaughterhouses.
And, as far as eggs, you are supposed to crack them on a flat surface instead of the edge of the bowl so that you have less chance of the shell touching the inside part of the egg, reducing the contamination risk.
@Red-headed bookworm: Exactly! And that is exactly how I crack my eggs, for that reason.
You know your stuff, lady!
@thrid001: If my tap water has semen in it, then I guess I just can't hide it any longer. I just love me a tall, cold glass of semen.
Institutional peanut butter? Sounds delicious.
This is total bullshit. A head should roll for this. I got sick twice from the Peter Pan outbreak. Two weeks in a row. I was in rough ephing shape the second go round. In case you couldn't tell, I'm still pissed off about it.
@thrid001: Thank you. My thoughts exactly. C'mon folks, use your brain. Unless you can prove willful negligence especially with natural occurring bacteria then nothing to see here. SabreDC, take a chill pill.
@RogueSophist:
My father worked in a waste water treatment plant for 40 years. If that man can drink the tap water, than so can I!
@thrid001: Salmonella doesn't occur naturally in peanuts. They were probably negligently contaminated with chicken shit. (Or are you being ironic since you think it's OK to have chlorine in PB?!)
Simple soloution...Change the name to King Nutz, put a picture of Sal and Ernie (from the salmonella commercials in the '70s) and export it to China.
(relax just kidding)
@Skankingmike: I think some schools have banned it, but not the majority. What is the brown-bag kid going to bring? And they always have peanut butter and jelly around to make a quick lunch for the kid who forgot theirs.
Woah, who tosses recalled peanut butter? My Peter Pan went back to Dillons for a refund.
Or into my peanut butter cookies - the peanut butter is okay after you cook it.