1. FDA Finds Salmonella
Contamination on Trader Joe’s
Peanut Butter; Recalls Product
All Trader Joe’s peanut butter manufactured by
Sunland of Portales between March 1, 2010 and
September 24, 2012 are being recalled now by the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after clinical
findings showed that samples taken from the plant
2. were contaminated by salmonella.
According to reports, the salmonella found from the
samples is similar to the type of salmonella that
caused recent outbreak, which has sickened 35
people in 19 states since June 15. The majority of
the victims were in California and Texas, in which
two-thirds of them are children aged ten years old
and below. Fortunately, no fatalities have been
documented in the event.
In an interview with the spokeswoman of Sunland
Katalin Coburn, she said that they don’t know how
the products get the salmonella. She added that it is
normal for legumes to have bacteria on it. Due to
the outbreak, plenty of food manufacturing
companies are now being forced to recognize their
action plans to address the problems and to ensure
3. product quality from intake to final sale.
They were also required to identify preventive
measures to control the potential hazards. In the
case of Sunland, on the other hand, roasting and
processing peanuts at approximately 345 degrees
for half an hour is the best way to kill salmonella
and other forms of bacteria. Following the FDA
recalls, the company has not yet produced any
peanut butter since Sept. 24.
Archer Farms Creamy Cashew, Open Nature
Crunchy Peanut Butter, Sprout’s Creamy Almond
Butter and Sunland Natural Tahini are some of the
products recalled by FDA. For a complete list of the
recalled products, you can visit the company’s
official website or this link http://www.fda-
news.com.
4. In addition to roasting and processing peanuts, the
company has applied a third party auditor, Silliker
Laboratories to Allentown PA., to help guarantee
the safety of food. Coburn stated that so far the
company always gets a rating of over 90%. To avoid
further problems, the federal government advises
the people to discard or return the products.
They also tell the people to keep themselves aware
of the safety issues of the products they are buying
(not just peanut butter) and to learn about the FDA
recall policies. According to FDA officials, anyone
who knows about a recall must follow the directive
and must immediately seek for health care and legal
assistance.