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BookmarkScienceDaily (Jun. 2, 2007) — A large, widespread outbreak of salmonellosis was caused by contaminated Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter and consumers should immediately discard any remaining jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter with a product code beginning with 2111.
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Local and state public health officials in multiple states, with assistance from CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have been investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Tennessee infections associated with peanut butter consumption.
As of May 22, 2007, a total of 628 persons infected with an outbreak strain of Salmonella serotype Tennessee had been reported from 47 states. Investigators determined that illness was strongly associated with consumption of either of two brands (Peter Pan or Great Value) of peanut butter produced at the same plant.
Based on these findings, the plant ceased production and recalled both products on February 14, 2007. New case reports decreased substantially after the product recall. Consumers should immediately discard any remaining jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter with a product code beginning with 2111.
This outbreak demonstrates the potential for widespread illness from a broadly distributed contaminated product, one that had not previously been implicated in a foodborne illness outbreak in the United States.
