Peanut Butter Salmonella Recall Expands to 76 Products

September 26, 2012 — Sunland, Inc., a New Mexico-based food processing company, is expanding a recall of Trader Joe’s peanut butter to also include almond butter, cashew butter, tahini, and roasted blanched peanut products. The recall affects about 76 products marked with a “best by” date from May 1, 2013 until September 24, 2013. Sunland previously recalled Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted peanut butter, which has been linked to 30 food poisoning illnesses in 19 states.

Company officials at Sunland said they are recalling the other products out of “an abundance of caution,” because they have not actually been linked to illnesses. The products are potentially contaminated, because they were manufactured in the same facility, on the same equipment as the recalled Trader Joe’s peanut butter.

The company is recommending that customers who purchased the products should throw them away or return them to the store where they were purchased. Sunland has also ceased manufacturing while they test for salmonella contamination on the equipment.

Several different brands of peanut butter, cashew butter, and almond butter are manufactured at Sunland, including:

• Archer Farms (almond butter, peanut butter with flaxseed)
• Earth Balance (almond butter with flaxseed)
• Fresh & Easy (almond butter, peanut butter, peanut butter cups)
• Heinen’s (peanut butter)
• Joseph’s (peanut butter)
• Natural Value (peanut butter)
• Naturally More (almond butter, peanut butter)
• Open Nature (peanut butter)
• Serious Food, Silly Prices (almond butter, peanut butter, tahini)
• Snaclite Power PB
• Sprouts Farmers Market (peanut butter, almond butter)
• Sunland Natural (peanut butter, almond butter, blanched peanuts, mixed nut butter, creamy banana spread, chocolate spread, raspberry spread, creamy dark chocolate, crunchy chipotle chile, roasted sesame)
• Dogsbutter RUC (peanut butter with flax)
• Trader Joe’s (valencia peanut butter, almond butter)
• Harry & David (almond butter, peanut butter, raspberry peanut spread, banana peanut spread)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has identified the strain of salmonella to be Salmonella Bredeney. At least 19 states are involved in the outbreak, including: North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Arizona, Washington, California, Texas, and Missouri. However, more states may be involved, because it is possible that more illnesses may be reported.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that thrives in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. When the bacteria contaminates food and is ingested by people, it can cause a life-threatening gastrointestinal illness that can be deadly for children, the elderly, and people who have a weak immune system. Healthy adults typically become ill within 12-72 hours after eating contaminated food. The illness involves severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), headache, abdominal cramps, fever, and more. In rare cases, severe illness can cause dehydration and/or blood infections, which require hospital treatment.

Do I have a Peanut Butter Food Poisoning Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting peanut butter induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by peanut butter food poisoning, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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