Number of Salmonella Cases Linked to Tainted Peanut Butter Rises

The number of cases of salmonella linked to tainted peanut butter has increased to over 600, according to CNN.

The outbreak was first reported in February 2007, though people began getting ill in August 2006. In March of 2007 the number of cases of salmonella caused by the peanut butter was reported to be 425 cases in 44 states. Those numbers have risen and now stand at 628 cases in 47 states. There are three states that have not reported any cases of salmonella and those are Hawaii, Utah, and New Hampshire, the CDC said.

The bacterial outbreak was traced to a Sylvester, GA plant belonging to Omaha-based ConAgra Foods, Inc., where Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter were produced. Officials of ConAgra say they believe that moisture in the plant helped along the growth of the salmonella bacteria, which were probably present in raw peanuts, or peanut dust, which later infected the finished product.

ConAgra subsequently issued a recall for all of its peanut butter purchased after May 2006 and customers who had purchased peanut butter with a product code of "2111" on the lid were asked to throw out the peanut butter and return the lids to the store where they were purchased for a refund. The CDC recommends that even if you have eaten peanut butter from a jar with this code and no one has become ill it should still be thrown away. According to the CDC the symptoms of salmonellosis include severe diarrheal illness with bloody diarrhea, and fever.

Great Value peanut butter, which is Wal-Mart's store brand, has returned to grocery store shelves, although a different supplier is now making it. There are plans for Peter Pan to return to supermarkets sometime in July. It will initially be produced by another company until the Georgia plant can resume production, which is expected to be sometime in August, after renovations are complete. There will be state of the art improvements made to the plant to ensure food safety. The company has also created Food Safety Advisory Committee to be chaired by Dr. Michael Doyle, one of the foremost authorities on food borne pathogens, and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.

Gary Rodkin, CEO of ConAgra said in a media release, "We will make significant investment in and changes to the manufacturing environment to ensure this situation does not occur again. We are committed to the highest possible standards of food safety throughout our operations and believe the measures we are outlining today will clearly strengthen that foundation."