The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Service (NCDA & CS) asks that students immediately remove recalled foods potentially contaminated with Salmonella from faculties. Prompt action is necessary to protect public health and prevent future illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.
As of press time, 475 people have been made ill (23% hospitalized) by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium in 43 states and Canada. Nationally, six deaths have been attributed to the outbreak, including one in North Carolina.
For more information regarding the outbreak, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhimurium.
At this time, Federal and state agencies have traced sources of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination to a plant owned by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste. The peanut paste is distributed to food manufactures to be used as an ingredient in many commercially produced products including cakes, cookies, crackers, candies, cereal and ice cream.
Please be advised multiple recalls have been initiated for the products containing peanut butter due to the risk of Salmonella contamination.
Products included in the outbreak, but are not limited to, are: Austin, Keebler, and Little Debbie brands of peanut butter sandwich cookies, select Snack-Size Packs of Famous Amos and Soft Batch cookies, CLIF, LUNA brand bars, select Kroger ice cream products, Zone Perfect bars, some Jeijer brand bars, Wal-Mart bakery brand peanut butter cookies, Pastries Plus Gourmet Cookies, and South Bernd Chocolate Company chocolates with peanut butter.
Please visit the following web sites for complete recall information:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html?http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm
