FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ^ | February 14, 2007 | Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

[Buddy B]

FDA News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE P07-21 February 14, 2007

Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242

Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter Product May be Contaminated With Salmonella

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter due to risk of contamination with Salmonella Tennessee (a bacterium that causes foodborne illness). The affected jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number "2111." Both the Peter Pan and Great Value brands are manufactured in a single facility in Georgia by ConAgra. Great Value peanut butter made by other manufacturers is not affected.

If consumers have any of this Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter in their home that has been purchased since May 2006, they should discard it.

Symptoms of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eaten Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.

FDA's warning is based on a just-completed epidemiological study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the states and local health agencies, which links 288 cases of foodborne illness in 39 states to consumption of varying types of Peter Pan peanut butter. This report was provided to FDA on February 13.

The outbreak appears to be ongoing and the first consumer may have become ill in August 2006. The cause of foodborne illnesses can be difficult to identify. As a result of extensive epidemiological testing and recent case control studies, CDC was recently able to identify Peter Pan peanut butter as the likely cause of illness. Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 is manufactured in the same plant as Peter Pan peanut butter and, thus, is believed to be at similar risk of contamination.

ConAgra is recalling all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 that already was distributed. The company also is destroying all affected products in their possession. The company will cease production until the exact cause of contamination can be identified and eliminated. ConAgra will advise consumers to destroy any Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 in their possession. To assist in this endeavor, FDA has sent investigators to ConAgra's processing plant in Sylvester, Georgia where the products are made to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for Salmonella Tennessee.

FDA will provide regular updates as more information becomes available.

Consumers who have questions should contact ConAgra at 866-344-6970.

[Calpernia]

I recommend Maranatha Raw Organic Almond Butter or Peanut Butter.

[Ben Hecks]

I recommend Maranatha Raw Organic Almond Butter or Peanut Butter.

Thanks. I'll look for that brand...the Almond Butter sounds good.

[WashingtonSource]

I have a jar of this 2111 Peter Pan, and it has been opened and used. They may explain why I got sick the other day.

[#1CTYankee]

Thanks for the heads up, all we have here is Skippy. (I got it on sale at Pricechopper for 99 cents ;-D)

[palmer]

I guess it must be all the runoff from the cattle farms and the feral pigs rooting in the vats again.

Seriously though, you might be close. The peanuts probably had some contamination on the shells in the soil.

[tiki]

I hardly ever eat PB but I ate some yesterday and I just checked, it starts with 2111. I feel fine, sort of....:-)

[nuclady]

I have the 2111 Peter Pan PB also. About 1/2 is gone and haven't been ill, but I sure won't eat any more.

[leilani]

That was the first thing I thought of reading the header!

Not to minimize the seriousness of salmonella poisoning & the suffering of the victims, but wouldn't it offer some delicious schadenfreude for freepers if the FDA & CDC ultimately tracked down the grower of the offending batch made at the ConAgra plant in GA to America's Peanut Farmer-in-Chief?

He clearly has an incurable case of diarrhea of the mouth,surely it was only a matter of time before he contaminated his fields?

[Kylie_04]

Thanks for the post - heard something on the news while still half asleep and had to come to FR to get the skinny...all three jars in our cupboard have 2111...:(

[oust the louse]

JIFF is the brand in our house...butter crackers w/jiff and grape jelly makes a great late night snack...don't forget the cold milk :).

[Xenalyte]

Check your peanut butter for 2111 PING!

It's surprising how many FReepers have reported suspect PB. I don't know that any of them are in Texas yet, though.

[delacoert]

mark for later

[SelmaLee]

Same here in IL - they must have shipped good old 2111 all over the nation.

[LadyNavyVet]

Thanks for the heads up--just threw away two jars.

[KoRn]

Thanks for the heads up! After reading this thread I called home and we had three jars in the cabinet that matched those numbers. One had just been finished.

She then told me our 1 year old boy, who eats peanut butter sandwiches daily, has been lying around all morning with a bad case of diarrhea. I hope it's a coincidence, I've had salmonella poisoning before and it's brutal!

[Buddy B]

If consumers have this product, they should discard it, but save the product lid. For a full refund, consumers must return the Peter Pan Peanut Butter or Great Value Peanut Butter product lid along with their name and mailing address to ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 57078, Irvine, CA 92619-7078.

Here is the Scoop from the ConAgra website

[BigCinBigD]

Even at my advanced age of 47. There are few things more comforting than simple peanut butter and crackers or a simple plain bologna sandwich and a cold glass of milk.

[Graybeard58]

consumers must return the Peter Pan Peanut Butter or Great Value Peanut Butter product lid along with their name and mailing address to ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 57078, Irvine, CA 92619-7078.

I don't know about other stores but if you bought it at Wal-Mart (Great Value is Wal-Marts brand) you can take it back to W-M. I just got a refund on one jar each of Peter Pan and Great Value. No questions asked.

I walked back to the peanut butter aisle and they were removing both brands from the shelf.

[tertiary01]

The peanuts probably had some contamination on the shells in the soil.

So the roasting process prior to crushing of the peanuts doesn't kill the Salmonella? That's one tough bug. Somehow I think the Salmonella was introduced at some point after the roasting.