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Peanuts' Wide Use Complicates Recall

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 24, 2009 10:20 AM CST

(Newser) – The wide range of products containing peanut butter makes the ongoing salmonella outbreak especially tough on regulators and consumers, CNN reports. It's everywhere, from ice cream to energy bars to dog treats. The outbreak has so far sickened nearly 500 people and killed six in 43 states, and investigators expect the list of 125 recalled products to keep growing.

"Peanuts are an all-American food, specifically peanut butter," said a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. The contamination has been traced to a Georgia plant, which distributes peanut butter and paste in bulk for use in other products. “If it goes to a primary source and then gets redistributed to some secondary or even tertiary manufacturers, we're following that all the way down,” one FDA official said.

[Images (4)]

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Jars of Peter Pan peanut butter during the 2007 outbreak. (AP Photo)

In this undated photo provided by the Minnesota Department of Health, a container of King Nut peanut butter is seen. Lab tests found salmonella in the open 5-pound container of peanut butter. (AP Photo)

The Peanut Corp. of America plant. (AP Photo)

Crackers with peanut butter are a popular snack. (AP Photo)

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It is not the responsibility of the consumer to make sure that the product that they receive is a safe product. That is the responsibility of the food industry and with the oversight of the Food and Drug Administration. - Dr. Stephen Sundlof, FDA

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