Experts Search for Source of Salmonella-Tainted Peanut Butter

Responding to the problem, ConAgra announced that it has added extra capacity to its toll-free Consumer Affairs hotline (866-344-6970), which is set up to respond to consumer questions and concerns. Callers can also apply for refunds for products covered by the recall.

According to information on the company's Web site, heavy call volumes are causing long delays. Consumers are asked to "please bear with us, [and] wait 30-60 minutes and try again."

Meanwhile, supermarket chains across the country scrambled to pull the products off their shelves.

Stop & Shop and Shaw's, two of New England's largest grocery chains, ordered their stores to remove all the Peter Pan peanut butter, theBoston Globereported.

In Texas, H-E-B, which operates 300 stores in the state as well as northern Mexico, removed the entire Peter Pan line from its shelves early this morning, Leslie Lockett, a spokeswoman for the company in Austin, told theAP.

And in U.S. military commissaries around the world, workers were ordered to remove all Peter Pan peanut butter jars, according toStars and Stripes. Officials from the Defense Commissary Agency, which provides groceries for the military, sent out the order on Thursday morning, the newspaper reported.

Symptoms ofsalmonellapoisoning include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.Salmonellacan cause life-threatening infections in people in poor health or who have weakened immune systems.

Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities, the FDA said.

Other states reporting peanut butter-linked cases include Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

This outbreak follows major food-borne illness scares in 2006 involving spinach, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce.

One expert said he was not surprised that such outbreaks continue to plague U.S. consumers.

"This is not an unusual event," said Dr. Philip Tierno, the director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Medical Center and author of theThe Secret Life of GermsandProtect Yourself Against Bioterrorism.

"Salmonellais a very prevalent organism," he added.

Tierno said these contamination problems arise because the FDA does not regulate the safety of produce -- and he doubts that the food industry can monitor itself.

"I think the government is moving toward making a change," he said. "Outside monitoring is the way to go."

According to the CDC, there are an estimated 76 million cases of food-borne illness each year in the United States, the vast majority of which are mild and cause symptoms that last a day or two. Some cases are more serious, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually. The most severe cases tend to occur in the very old, the very young, and those with weakened immune systems.

More information

For more information onsalmonella, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Philip Tierno, M.D., Ph.D., director, clinical microbiology and immunology, New York University Medical Center, New York City, and author,The Secret Life of GermsandProtect Yourself Against Bioterrorism;Associated Press; Feb. 15, 2007, FDA press release; ConAgra press release;Boston Globe;Stars and Stripes