Peanut butter recall over salmonella expands to 76 products
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(CBS/AP) New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. has expanded its recall to 76 types of peanut butter and almond butter after a product it sold to Trader Joe's groceries was linked to a salmonella outbreak.
The company recalled the products under multiple brand names after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked 29 salmonella illnesses in 18 states to Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter. Sunland Inc, manufactures and packages the Trader Joe's peanut butter.
Trader Joe's recalls peanut butter
Sunland spokeswoman Katalin Coburn said the company recalled the other peanut and almond butters because they were manufactured with the same equipment as the Trader Joe's product. None of the other products have been linked to illnesses.
Trader Joe's recalled the Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter manufactured between May 1 and September 24, 2012 from its stores on Saturday after consultation with the FDA and the CDC. Coburn said the FDA is currently inspecting Sunland's plant in Portales, N.M.
Those sickened reported becoming ill between June 11 and Sept. 2, according to the CDC. More than three-fourths of those who became ill were children under the age of 18. No deaths have been reported.
Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter is sold at Trader Joe's grocery stores nationwide and on the internet while Sunland Inc. almond and peanut butter products are distributed nationally through supermarket chains.
Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 hours to 72 hours after infection. It is most dangerous to children, the elderly and others with weak immune systems. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment. In some people, severe diarrhea may lead to hospitalization or other dangerous complications that require antibiotics.
Brand names included in the recall are Archer Farms, Earth Balance, Fresh & Easy, Heinen's, Joseph's, Natural Value, Naturally More, Open Nature, Peanut Power Butter, Serious Food, Snaclite Power, Sprouts Farmers Market, Sprout's, Sunland and Dogsbutter. Two additional Trader Joe's products are also included in the expanded recall - Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds and Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds.
A list of all 76 products can be found here on Sunland's company web site.
No other Sunland or Trader Joe's products are included in the recall.
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"Additionally, investigators found that employees improperly handled equipment, containers, and utensils used to hold and store food. Employees handling peanut products wiped gloved hands on street clothes and other times failed to wash their hands or change gloves. There were no hand washing sinks in the peanut processing building production or packaging areas and employees had bare-handed contact with ready-to-package peanuts.
There were no records documenting the cleaning of production equipment. The super-sized bags used by the firm to store peanuts were not cleaned despite being used for both raw and roasted peanuts. There was a leaking sink in a washroom which resulted in water accumulating on the floor, and the plant is not built to allow floors, walls and ceilings to be adequately cleaned.
Finally, investigators found that raw materials were exposed to potential contamination. Raw, in-shell peanuts were found outside the plant in uncovered trailers. Birds were observed landing in the trailers and the peanuts were exposed to rain, which provides a growth environment for Salmonella and other bacteria. Inside the warehouse, facility doors were open to the outside, which could allow pests to enter."
Usually BEFORE a company is allowed to do business with another company, there is a process called vetting, where both companies inspect each other's facilities, personnel, etc., to look for things that may not come out during a business meeting. I just can't understand WHY Trader Joe's and all these other national chains would FAIL to fully inspect the Sunland facilities and ENSURE that they met these standards BEFORE doing business with them. It makes me feel like they don't care about the health and welfare of their customers enough to make sure their products with THEIR name on it, are sourced to places that care about the quality of their product, but really the issue here is the working conditions of the employees. Think about it, no bathroom on premesis, no sinks to wash hands, leaking pipes in production, employees not allowed to have enough plastic gloves to keep their hands clean while working with the product, open storage containers with birds perched on the edge pooping on the shelled raw nuts, roaches and mice crawling into the shelled nut storage areas because the doors are left open.... this is unacceptable and disgusting!!! How can I trust Trader Joe's or any other company for that matter that would do millions of dollars of business with a company like THAT!!!
On top of it all, the FDA chose to essentially enact sanctions against the Sunland because they had a LONG HISTORY of violations and failure to correct any violations, even AFTER repeated outbreaks since September!!!!
If you found out that you were eating bird poop, cockroaches, and salmonella from a product you bought at a local store, you'd probably try to have them shut down. So my million dollar question, Why hasn't any of the big corporations thought enough about the health of their consumers to ENSURE that their product is safe by NOT doing business with a company with so many health and human rights violations?!?! See the additional quotes from the FDA report below about Sunland:
"U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson of the District of New Mexico has signed a consent decree imposing requirements on Sunland Inc."
"On Nov. 26, 2012, the FDA suspended Sunland's registration because it did not provide enough assurance that existing problems would be corrected."
"The fact that peanut butter made by the company has been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney that has sickened 42 people in 20 states, coupled with Sunland's history of violations led FDA to make the decision to suspend the company's registration."
Personally, I feel that Sunland should be sued by the FDA and ALL their down stream corporate buyers as well as the people who were hospitalized, as well as the employees in a huge class action lawsuit. This sort of thing is absolutely unacceptable.
And for those who want to see the original report check here:
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/corenetwork/ucm320413.htm
The cost for organic products are higher than say, non organic products simply because of profits, to wit, you are right when considering the psychology used in advertising. I go to a local farm....and these organically grown veggies and fruit that taste great, and are cheaper than in larger retail outlets. I live in a suburb.....but down the road a few miles....we have Equestrian Estates, large ranches and a few farms....Florida style. Support your local farmers....you'll save $$$ and eat healthier.
You really need to read about how foods are grown organically and the methods and products used to control pests. And organically grown food is not immune to contamination. That is not why it is more expensive.