That Happened!

New York - Peanut butter is being recalled once again, as salmonella has been found in a container in Minnesota. King Nut is said to be the source.

This specific brand of peanut butter is not sold in grocery stores, it is a bulk product that is usually shipped to places like, schools, hospitals, and other establishments.

“We are very sorry this happened,” said Martin Kanan, president and chief executive officer of King Nut Companies. “We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.”

“Because we don’t manufacture peanut butter, we will do what we can to get this product out of distribution and will work with the manufacturer to inform others of this problem,” Kanan said. “We also distribute peanut butter from this manufacturer under the Parnell’s Pride brand, although we are not the only distributor. However, we have asked our customers to remove this brand as well.”

Salmonella has been an ongoing issue since September, causing at least 399 people to become sick, throughout 42 different states.

There have been reports of 70 people being hospitalized.

The CDC, Agriculture Department, Food and Drug Administration and state health officials have not pin pointed peanut butter as the exact source causing the wide spread outbreak, but has suspicions that this could be the culprit!

They are continuing to trace the source. King Nut is sold to distributors in Idaho, Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida.

Those who live in any of these states, will want to keep an eye on their children, or elderly family members, for any symptoms, as they may attend schools, or nursing homes that may have used the product.

The Ohio based food distributor decided to recall two brands of its peanut butter.

This might bring back memories of 2007’s outbreak of salmonella, that caused over 300 people to become ill, from Peter Pan’s peanut butter.

In that case the Georgia based distributor was closed. There have been attempt to contact the Peanut Corporation of America for comments, and they could not be reached.

Salmonella was first discovered by a man named, Theobald Smith in the year 1885. In that case the infection came from pigs. Potential direct sources of Salmonella are animals such as turtles, dogs, cats, farm animals, and birds.

Doing your best to keep clean, and sanitary conditions is the best way to prevent running into salmonella. Washing your hands with soap and water is a huge prevention, as well as making sure foods are cooked thoroughly. It is a good idea to use a cooking thermometer.

Salmonella infections usually end in five to seven days, and in most cases require no treatment unless the patient becomes dehydrated or if the infection spreads from the intestines. Those with severe diarrhea may require receiving hydration, with intravenous fluids.Treatment with antibiotics is not usually necessary.

If the infection spreads from the intestines, or continues, the infection can be treated with Ampicillian, and other various medicines. The length of treatment depends on the extent of a persons illness, and can take anywhere from 14 days to six weeks.