Peanut Corporation of America Provides Additional Information in Salmonealla Outbreak Investigation

IN CONNECTION WITH THE JANUARY 28, 2009 EXPANDED RECALL ANNOUNCEMENT ISSUED BY PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA (PCA), THE COMPANY WISHES TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING SEVERAL OF ITS PRODUCTS.

ON JANUARY 28, 2009, PCA ANNOUNCED IT WAS VOLUNTARILY RECALLING ALL PEANUTS AND PEANUT PRODUCTS PROCESSED IN ITS BLAKELY, GEORGIA FACILITY SINCE JANUARY 1, 2007 BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH SALMONELLA.

SALMONELLA IS AN ORGANISM WHICH CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL INFECTIONS IN YOUNG CHILDREN, FRAIL OR ELDERLY PEOPLE, AND OTHERS WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. HEALTHY PERSONS INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA OFTEN EXPERIENCE FEVER, DIARRHEA (WHICH MAY BE BLOODY), NAUSEA, VOMITING, AND ABDOMINAL PAIN. IN RARE CIRCUMSTANCES, INFECTION WITH SALMONELLA CAN RESULT IN THE ORGANISM GETTING INTO THE BLOODSTREAM AND PRODUCING MORE SEVERE ILLNESSES SUCH AS ARTERIAL INFECTIONS (I.E., INFECTED ANEURISMS), ENDOCARDITIS AND ARTHRITIS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SALMONELLA, PLEASE VISIT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION’S WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV.

PCA HAS NOT MANUFACTURED ANY PRODUCTS IN CANS AND JARS SINCE 2007. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE JANUARY 28TH RECALL NOTICE INDICATED THAT PCA DOES NOT SELL PRODUCTS DIRECTLY TO CONSUMERS IN STORES, AND BECAUSE THE EXPANDED RECALL INCLUDES PCA PRODUCTS MADE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2007, THE POTENTIAL FOR CONFUSION MAY EXIST. THEREFORE, THE COMPANY IS HIGHLIGHTING INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE FORMER RETAIL OFFERINGS TO ASSIST CONSUMERS WHO MAY HAVE PURCHASED THOSE PRODUCTS AND WHO MAY STILL HAVE THEM IN THEIR POSSESSION. THESE PRODUCTS WERE PART OF THE JANUARY 28TH RECALL, BUT HERE, THEY ARE INDIVIDUALLY LISTED. CONSUMERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE LIST BELOW INCLUDES ONLY PCA’S OWN BRANDS THAT WERE SOLD TO CONSUMERS AT RETAIL. THE LIST DOES NOT INCLUDE BRANDS MADE BY PCA FOR OTHER FIRMS. FDA CONTINUES TO UPDATE ITS WEBSITE TO ALERT THE PUBLIC ABOUT ANY NEW RECALLS.

PCA SOLD ITS CASEY’S, PARNELL’S PRIDE, REGGIE, AND ROBINSON CRUSOE LABELS TO 99 CENT STUFF, 99 CENTS ONLY STORES, DOLLAR GENERAL, AND DOLLAR TREE STORES. BELOW IS A LIST OF ITEMS AND UPC CODES THAT WERE SHIPPED TO THESE DISCOUNT RETAIL CHAIN STORES AND OTHER CUSTOMERS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL:

PCA HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS OR REPORTS OF ILLNESS FROM ANY OF THE ITEMS HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS UPDATE.