Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak Contained by FDA Rapid Response

According to the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, the recent Salmonella Bredeney outbreak in peanut butter could have been much worse if it had not been the quick response by federal and state public health agencies. The peanut butter linked to the Salmonella is sold under the brand: Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt.

Sunland Inc. in Portales, N.M. is the company to which the tainted peanut butter in the outbreak has been linked. As a result, the FDA has suspended the food facility registration for the company on November 26th, until the issues can be resolved.

The outbreak, reported the FDA, infected 41 people in 20 states. The agency indicated that majority of those who were infected and became ill with diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps were children under age 10.

The FDA used its new power to suspend food production, which became effective in July 2011 as provided by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, to issue the suspension. Under this new authority, the FDA is able to suspend a facility’s registration when the agency has determined, in part, that a food that is manufactured, processed, packed, or held by a facility is likely to cause serious illness or even death. The Sunland company will not be able to distribute food from this facility until the suspension is lifted.