By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
March 24, 2009
The recall of food products containing peanuts possibly contaminated with salmonella has stretched into a third month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume any peanuts or peanut-derived products sold by Irvington, New Jersey-based Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. due to possible Salmonella contamination.
Peanuts in such products may have been distributed by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which recalled the peanuts because of concern about Salmonella contamination.
That first recall, issued by King Nut Peanut Butter, occurred on January 11. Since then, scores of manufacturers have recalled billions of dollars worth of food products and at least nine people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control. PCA's plants in Georgia and Texas were cited for unsanitary conditions.
On March 23, 2009, FDA formally requested Westco/Westcott to voluntarily recall all of its products containing peanuts from PCA because such products may be contaminated with Salmonella. Investigations by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified products from PCA's Blakely, Ga., facility as a source of the current Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak and led to PCA's recall of the peanuts. Between Nov. 19 and Dec. 30, 2008, Westco/Westcott received three shipments of Oil Roasted Salted Redskin Jumbo Peanuts from PCA's Blakely, Ga., facility.
Westco/Westcott sold these peanuts in various size/packaging configurations and also used them as an ingredient in a variety of mixed nut products and trail mix produced between Nov. 19, 2008, and mid-Feb. 2009.
The FDA urged consumers to check whether they have peanut-derived products made by or distributed by Westco/Westcott in their homes. For those consumers who do, they are advised to dispose of the peanuts in a safe manner by placing them in a plastic bag with bleach, seal the bag properly and place in a trash bin; they should wash their hands after handling. Salmonella is an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
