Consumers advised to not eat Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter with Sea Salt
One person in Minnesota is part of an ongoing multistate outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney infections associated with Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt, state health officials said today.
The Minnesota resident reported eating Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter during the week prior to becoming ill in late July, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The case is an adult from the Twin Cities metro area who was hospitalized for this illness and recovered. MDH is collaborating with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), other state health departments and federal agencies in the continuing investigation.
A total of 30 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney have been reported from 19 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arizona (1), California (2), Connecticut (3), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nevada (1), New Jersey (2), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (1), Texas (4), Virginia (1), and Washington (2). 4 ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt is a likely source of this outbreak. On September 24, 2012, Sunland, Inc. voluntarily recalled its peanut butter and other products containing nuts and seeds [PDF – 5 pages] because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. On September 22, 2012, Trader Joe’s voluntarily recalled its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter because of potential contamination with Salmonella and urged consumers to not eat the product.