WARNING: Salmonella Outbreak from Peter Pan and Great Value (Walmart) Peanut Butter

Warning! If you have purchased Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter (Walmart brand) check the product code as it may be contaminated with Salmonella. The contaminated jars have a product code of "2111" on the lid.

If you, or anyone you know, has ingested Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter and are manifesting flu like symptoms we urge you to see a doctor immediately.

Currently there have been hundreds of reported cases of Salmonella in 39 states linked to the contaminated peanut butter.

As of February 15th at 3PM EST, 290 persons with Salmonella Tennessee, the Salmonella type associated with this outbreak, have been reported to CDC from 39 states: Alaska (1), Alabama (9), Arkansas (3), Arizona (5), California (1), Colorado (10), Connecticut (2), Georgia (14), Iowa (6), Illinois (5), Indiana (13), Kansas (6), Kentucky (9), Massachusetts (5), Maryland (2), Maine (1), Michigan (5), Minnesota (5), Missouri (13), Mississippi (3), Montana (2), Nebraska (2), New Jersey (5), North Carolina (15), New Mexico (1), New York (32), Ohio (7), Oklahoma (10), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania (23), South Carolina (6), South Dakota (5), Tennessee (18), Texas (13), Virginia (17), Vermont (4), Washington (4), Wisconsin (5), and West Virginia (1). Among 185 patients for whom clinical information is available, 44 (24%) were hospitalized. There have been no reports of deaths attributed to this infection. Onset dates, which are known for 171 patients, ranged from August 1, 2006 to January 30, 2007.

Quite shocking that this has been an ongoing issue for 6 months before the culprit was identified. The ConAgra Foods site has continued news as well as information on refund options.

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Peter Pan

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 2007-02-17 19:54.

Just a quick note: We had (until yesterday) an open jar of the recalled PB - guess we're a tough family...The jar was just about empty! We live in lettuce country and it is a shame that the e-coli scares have caused such trouble with the farmers and aminals. We need to try and not panic. Just a thought.

We had three jars, two of

Submitted by Sara on Sun, 2007-02-18 01:18.

We had three jars, two of which were opened (one was crunchy and the other, creamy), and none of us got sick from it. The neighbor directly behind us, though, was sick as a dog for three days after eating from her jar. Obviously not all of the jars were contaminated, but better safe than sorry (plus the grocery stores are being great about refunds/exchanges of the "2111" jars).

Peanut Butter

Submitted by Tammy on Sun, 2007-02-18 23:54.

We have bought Great Value peanut butter in the past (usually for baking!) but didn't have any when we found out about the possible salmonella contamination, thankfully! :)

peanut butter

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2007-02-21 22:13.

Just a note: many common brands of peanut butter use moldy peanuts (and have for years), so I am not at all surprised about the salmonella... I know they are generally cheaper and easier to use (no oil separation), but I think buying organic peanut butter (with peanuts and salt being the only ingredients) is the way to go. :) Maranatha is a good brand.

~ Elizabeth in Alaska (I forgot my password... again!)

Ick!!

Submitted by Tammy on Wed, 2007-02-21 23:07.

Elizabeth, I know what you're talking about. The quality control of store-bought (and restaurant!) food leaves a lot to be desired. I know someone who saw how Welch's grape juice was made -- trust me, they don't wash off all the bugs and spiderwebs before using the grapes. ;) Doing our own food up takes so much time (grape juice is especially time-consuming to make!) but the quality is so much higher!

I will change your password and email you with it... if I can find your user name. :)

ETA: It says you logged on today. Did you just remember it? ;)

Make your own peanut butter

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2007-08-07 22:41.

Just thought I'd add (better late than never) that I find peanut butter one of the easiest foods to make from scratch. I buy plain, unroasted peanuts (usually around 1 kilo - 3 pounds?) and put them flat on a tray in the oven, for around 10-15 minutes, then when they are nice and brown, I cool them and put them in the blender. You think they're not going to get juicy but if you blend for around 3 minutes the natural oil will start to come out of the nuts. If it's not enough you can add a touch of olive oil. Also add a little salt - 1/2 tsp at a time and keep testing it to make sure it's right. I actually don't put any salt in mine but I know some people like it.
If you like it crunchy take some of the nuts out of the blender when they're still crunchy, then put them back in for a final blend.
~ Sue in South Australia.

Homemade peanut butter

Submitted by Tammy on Fri, 2007-08-10 01:31.

Sue, wow! Thanks for sharing! I had never heard of or thought of making homemade peanut butter! :) What sources do you recommend for the best peanuts? :)