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CDC warns military about peanut butter recall

Be careful eating those peanut butter crackers, cookies and candies — including those that you might receive in care packages sent by families, friends and well-meaning community organizations.

In response to the salmonella outbreak related to peanut butter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is putting out the word to the military community to check these packages before you eat them.

The Food and Drug Administration has created a searchable database of products and brands that are affected by the peanut butter recall. It will be updated on a regular basis as the investigation continues.

The Salmonella Typhimurium contamination has been traced by FDA, CDC and state agencies to a Blakely, Ga., plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America, which manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste, according to the FDA.

The company distributes the product to food manufacturers to be used in products including crackers, cakes, cookies, candies, cereal and ice cream.

According to the FDA, the recall does not affect major national brands of peanut butter. The recalled products include some Austin, Keebler, and Little Debbie brand snacks, among others, and some cookies from the Food Lion Bake Shop and Wal-Mart Bakery, among others.

Consumers can call the CDC’s toll-free information line at 800-CDC-INFO (232-4636) and a representative will help them determine if their product is on the recall list, said Marsha Vanderford, director of the CDC’s emergency communication system.

Peanut butter also is used in some institutional settings, such as long-term care facilities and cafeterias — and military dining facilities. Vanderford said officials are asking food service directors to check their products against the recall list.

Information was not immediately available about whether any of the recalled peanut butter was used in military facilities. If consumers are concerned, they should ask food service directors if the product has been checked.

According to the FDA, most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea (sometimes bloody), vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and varies in severity. Infants, the elderly and people with impaired immune systems are more likely to become severely ill. Those who believe they have been infected should consult their doctors.

The CDC and FDA offer these tips:

• Check the FDA Web site or the CDC information line to make sure your food product is not on the recall list.

• Do not eat products that have been recalled, and dispose of them in a manner that will prevent others from eating them.

• Call the consumer hotline number listed on the package to get information directly from the manufacturer.

• If you can’t determine whether or not your food item containing peanut butter is on the recall list, or whether a product containing peanut butter being served to you has been recalled, don’t eat it.