Still concerned about peanuts?
The recall of food items containing peanuts and peanut paste produced by Peanut Corp. of America is complicated by the fact that it involves ingredients that are used in thousands of food items sold by more than 200 companies in the U.S. and abroad. Consumers are encouraged to examine the list of ingredients for their favorite cookies, cereal, ice cream and other snacks and pet food because the names of the goodies might not indicate they contain peanut products.
Alby Headrick
Epidemiologist Greg Steele, associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine's Department of Public Health, offers the following tips for keeping salmonella, which can be deadly, off the menu:
- Visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site that includes a searchable database of recalled products. Steele said it can be "overwhelming" to look through the entire list, so he suggests searching for and writing down the brand names of routinely purchased items. The Web site, found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm, contains other information about the recall.
- People who do not use computers should carefully read the ingredients of food items in their homes and in stores, although food affected by the recall should have already been pulled from store shelves. If they have questions about particular products, they should ask grocery store staff if the products are on the recall list.
- Take advantage of available public health resources. In Indiana, for example, the Indiana State Department of Health established a toll-free number (877-499-0017) to help residents with questions related to the peanut recall. The health department reported that after just one day of operation, the phone line had received more than 900 calls. The FDA can be reached toll-free by calling 888-723-3366. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/, that makes information about the recall available in numerous formats, including video, mobile and e-mail. Information also can be obtained from the CDC by calling 800-232-4636 and TTY: 888-232-6348.
- To be "super" safe, avoid foods containing peanut ingredients for the time being. The list of recalled products includes no major national brands of jarred peanut butter found in grocery stores.
Steele said today's food supply involves a lot of major food distributors who are distributing products used in many other food products in the U.S. and abroad -- as in the case of PCA. A large and knowledgeable work force is needed to adequately inspect and monitor food safety. PCA peanut products have been linked to an outbreak of salmonella, which can be deadly. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
To read more articles from the School of Medicine, visit http://newsinfo.iu.edu/cat/page/normal/358.html.
