Peanut Butter Recall January 2009

Q. Is all peanut butter affected by the recall?
A. No. Since the Peanut Corp. of America does not sell directly to the public, jars of peanut butter are safe. The products affected are those that were supplied peanut butter or paste by the PCA.
Q. What products have been recalled?
A. Kellogg Co. confirmed Monday that their Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter was the first product sold to consumers that tested positive for salmonella. Kellogg’s has recalled all Austin and Keebler brand peanut butter crackers, Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies.
Other recalled items include Little Debbie peanut butter crackers (but not their other peanut butter products); Kroger peanut butter ice cream; ZonePerfect and NutriPals bars with peanut butter; Meijer peanut butter crackers and ice cream; Walmart and Food Lion, Lofthouse, Chuck’s and Pastries Plus Gourmet Cookie peanut butter cookies; Perry’s and Wegmans peanut butter ice cream, Hy-Vee Inc. peanut butter cookies and candy; King Nut Co. institutional-size peanut butter; General Mills’ Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp bars; CLIF and LUNA bars with peanut butter; and South Bend Chocolate Co.’s peanut butter fudge and candy. For a complete list, visit the Food and Drug Administration Web site at www.fda.gov.
Q. What products are safe?
A. The following companies have said their products are not affected by the recall: Lance Inc., Tasty Baking Co, Hershey Co. (which makes Reese’s), Mars, ConAgra Foods and Girl Scout Cookies.
Q. Are there particular batches of these products that we should check?
A. All batches of a recalled item should be considered unsafe at this time.
Q. Can I get a refund on these recalled products?
A. Most companies will offer refunds for recalled items, but you will need to contact them directly and should have your product handy for its identification code. For Kellogg’s, call (877) 869-5633, and for Little Debbie, call (800) 522-4499.
Q. If I own a product containing peanut butter that has not been addressed, what should I do with it?
A. The FDA advises consumers not to eat products containing peanut butter or paste until they are cleared. You can hold on to it and see if it is cleared or if you can get a refund.
Q. Where do I go for more information?
A. For news on the recall, visit the FDA Web site at www.fda.gov, or call the FDA at (888) INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).