Start Date for Peanut Butter Recall Moved Back to 2010

By Dan Flynn | October 5, 2012 The peanut butter recall intended to extinguish an multistate outbreak of a rare strain Salmonella continues to evolve. Sunland Inc. Thursday extended its list of recalled products to include all that were manufactured in the Portales, NM peanut butter plant after March 1, 2010 for possible health risks. In addition to covering most of the nation's major retail grocery stores, Sunland Inc.'s recall of peanut and other nut butters now also includes the federal government's Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Recalled products were distributed in New Mexico under the Commodity program in September, but were removed before October's distribution. Still Sunland says it is getting ready to restart its nut processing plant while the nationwide recall continues. In a notice to customers, Jimmie Shearer, Sunland's president and chief executive officer, said peanut shelling and processing have continued without interruption and it is receiving new crop peanuts on a daily basis. Shearer said the company will restart plant operations "consistent with our designation as a Safe Quality Food Level 3 (SQF Level 3) facility." A startup date has not been announced. Sunland has expanded the recall – which now includes cashew butters, tahini and blanched and roasted peanut products – three times. More than 100 products are now on the Sunland recall list, including some that are included as ingredients in the products of others. Those have added to the list of so-called "secondary" recalls. The first Sunland product to be recalled was Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter, which was linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney – a rare strain of the bacteria. The outbreak involved 30 people in 19 states. Two-thirds of the victims were children. Other U.S. retailers who have now had to pull Valencia peanut butter with roasted flaxseeds and almond butter with roasted flaxseeds include Target, Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, Fresh and Easy and Giant Foods among others. Brand names include: Archer Farms; Natural Value; Joseph's; Naturally More;  Open Nature; Peanut Power Butter;  Serious Food, Silly Prices; Sprout's; Sunland; Trader Joe's and others. Recalled products have Best-if-Used-By dates of between May 1, 2013 and September 24, 2013. In another sign of a maturing outbreak, the first victims lawsuits linked to this strain of Salmonella are being filed. A Massachusetts mother and her 4-year-old son Thursday sued Sunland Inc. and Trader Joe's in Worcester County Superior Count. Brandi Henson and her son are represented in their lawsuit against the manufacturer and the retailer by Marler Clark, the food safety law firm that also underwrites Marler Clark. The complaint alleges that Ms. Henson purchased Valencia peanut butter on multiple occasions between May and July. Her child, who regularly ate peanut butter on sandwiches and other items, became ill with nausea, cramps, and diarrhea — all symptoms of Salmonella infection — on July 31, 2012. According to the complaint, the child required two visits to the pediatrician. A stool sample submitted during one of his visits later tested positive for Salmonella Bredeney, the rare strain of Salmonella that public health officials have shown is associated with the consumption of peanut butter made by Sunland. "My client was feeding her family what she believed was a safe product," said Bill Marler, attorney for the Henson family and publisher of Food Safety News. "It's a shame that a staple of nearly every American kid's diet is once again causing illness. More needs to be done to protect our children from Salmonella." Some of the secondary recalls of products using Sunland products as ingredients include: • The Whole Foods Market at 2955 Kirby Drive in Houston recalled its chicken spring rolls and peanut sesame noodles due to possible Salmonella contamination from peanut ingredients. The springs rolls had a sell by date of 10/1 and 10/2, while the noodles had a sold on or sell by date beginning 9/27 and ending 10/2. • Xan Confections recalled 13 gourmet peanut butter chocolate products because they include Sunland ingredients. The products were distributed from May 28 through Sept. 28, 2012 at retail locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Nova Scotia, Canada and also through orders taken online. Product details can be found here. • Gretchen's Shoebox Express recalled expired protein Bistro Boxes that used Justin's Nut Butter. The recall includes Protein Bistro Boxes made under the Starbucks brand and Honey Peanut Butter Blend by Justin's. More details here. © Food Safety News More Headlines from Food Recalls » Tags: peanut butter, Salmonella, Salmonella Bredeney, Sunland, Trader Joe's