Massive Peanut Product Recall Expands to Starbucks, Target, Wal-Mart

Responding to what it called a "fast-moving outbreak" of salmonella-caused sickness in at least 19 states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced recently that a recall of nut butter products made by Sunland Inc. has more than doubled to at least 240 products.

The recall list includes several well-known brands and a variety of peanut butter products as well as almond butter, cashew butter, tahini and roasted blanched peanut products.

Included are:

• Archer Farms Creamy Peanut Butter
• Starbucks Protein Bistro Box
• Fresh & Easy Creamy Peanut Butter Cups
• Harry & David Creamy Caramel Peanut Spread
• Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
• Peanut Butter Newman-O’s Sandwich Crème Cookies
• Sunland Organic Thai Ginger Peanut Butter
• Talenti Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Gelato
• Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter
• Whole Foods Treasure Trove Mix (bulk foods)
• Yogurtland Dark Roast Peanut Butter with Flax

Not every container of the products in the list above or the much longer lists available from the FDA and from Sunland is affected. It depends on the batch, as shown by the UPC or SKU numbers. Those numbers can be found on the recall lists and on product containers.

The recall affects products made at the Sunland facility in Portales, N.M., between March 1, 2010 and Sept. 24, 2012, the FDA said.

Sunland has established a 24-hour, toll-free line that customers can use to contact the company for information about the recall: 1-866-837-1018.

The outbreak strain – Salmonella Bredeney – was identified by the Washington State Department of Agriculture laboratory in a jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Peanut Butter collected from the home of one of 35 people sickened so far, the FDA said.

Trader Joe's has posted a notice to customers about that recall on its website.

The voluntary recalls are being conducted by the manufacturers of the products. 

The recall effort began Sept. 23, when the FDA and the federal Centers for Disease Control briefed Sunland on their findings. On Sept. 24, Sunland expanded the recall to about 100 products, then to 240 products last week.

"Consumers should not eat the recalled products," the FDA said. "This is especially important for children under the age of 5 years, elderly adults, and people with weak immune systems."

Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps occurring 12-72 hours after infection, with the illness usually lasting between four and seven days, according to the FDA. Most people recover without treatment, but some patients can develop severe complications.

Customers with affected products within the current shelf life, or "best-if-used-by" dates, should return them to wherever they were purchased for a refund or discard them, the FDA said. Those past their shelf life should be discarded.

The FDA and CDC are continuing their investigations with cooperation from several state health departments.