Snacks may contain salmonella-tainted peanut butter, CFIA warns
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | 4:23 PM ET
CBC News
The FDA has traced the outbreak to a plant in Georgia owned by Peanut Corp. of America, which sells peanut butter and peanut paste to food companies and institutions. (CBC)Canadians should avoid various snack foods containing peanut butter that might be contaminated with salmonella, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has warned.
The tainted food products have been linked to at least six deaths in the U.S.
The peanut products under recall in Canada were distributed across the country, but the volume of products or exact locations are unknown, a spokesperson for the CFIA said Tuesday.
The agency issued a statement late Monday warning people not to eat some snack foods sold at Canadian stores, which importers are voluntarily recalling.
The snacks may have been made with peanut butter or peanut paste under investigation in the U.S. No illnesses related to consumption of the foods have been reported in Canada.
The CFIA's warning involves nationally distributed peanut butter snacks by Hebert's Fully Loaded, Nature's Path Organic Optimum, Clif Bar and Lärabar.
In the U.S. late Monday, General Mills Inc. and grocers Kroger Co., Safeway Inc. and Meijer Inc. pulled products containing peanut butter from store shelves.
The U.S. government advised consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods containing peanut butter until health officials learn more about the Salmonella typhimurium contamination.
Most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appeared to be safe, officials said.
The FDA has traced the outbreak to a plant in Georgia owned by Peanut Corp. of America. The company makes peanut butter and peanut paste that is sold to institutions and food companies.
Some U.S. companies have assured their customers that their products were safe. The companies included: Russell Stover Candies Inc., ConAgra Foods Inc., maker of Peter Pan peanut butter, and J.M. Smucker Co., whose brands include Jif, Eagle Brand, Pillsbury and Smucker's.
The CFIA said it will update its list to include any additional products distributed in Canada and is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
Last week, the agency said one New Brunswick resident fell ill but that the person was known to visit the U.S. often and likely consumed an affected product while there.
In the U.S., more than 470 people in 43 states have been sickened by salmonella.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created a searchable list of recalled products and brands on its web site at:
www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm.
| Brand | Product | Size | UPC | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebert’s Fully Loaded | P.B. Crunch miniBARS | 128 g | 7 21605 20762 4 | Produced 08/26/08 09/09/08 |
| Nature’s Path Organic Optimum | Energy Bar-Peanut Butter | 56 g | 0 58449 77713 7 | Exp. Date 01OCT09A |
| Clif Bar | Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch | All sizes | 7 22252 12009 0 | Exp. Date 2009SE07 |
| Clif Bar | Crunchy Peanut Butter | All sizes | 7 22252 12008 3 | Exp. Date 2009SE06 2009SE07 2009SE08 2009SE09 2009SE10 2009SE11 2009NO13 |
| Clif Bar | Peanut Toffee Buzz | All sizes | 7 22252 12028 1 | Exp. Date 2009SE12 |
| Clif | Builders Peanut Butter Protein Bar | All sizes | 7 22252 60641 9 | Exp. Date 2009JL20 2009AU20 |
| Clif Bar | Club Pack 18 ct Variety Pack | 18 count | 7 22252 62118 4 | Exp. Date 2009SEE08 2009NO03 |
| Lärabar | Peanut Butter Cookie snack bars | Bar | 54818 00014 7 | All codes |
| Lärabar | Peanut Butter Cookie Bite Size | Bite size | N/A | All codes |
| Source: CFIA | ||||
