The FDA’s advice to “postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products” because of possible salmonella contamination caused a flood of statements from companies asserting that they did not contain peanut butter manufactured by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).
The FDA issued the advice on Sunday, January 19, but had amended it by the next day, instead recommending that consumers check its website for a list of recalled products and those supplied by the PCA.
In the meantime, however, many news outlets informed readers of the advice, which could have serious consequences for food manufacturers even if they do not use PCA ingredients. MSBNC, for example, ran with the headline “Stop eating foods containing peanut butter, FDA says”.
Many companies unaffected
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) then issued a statement saying: “It is important for the media and consumers to know that national brands of jarred peanut butter are not affected by the PCA recall, as those companies do not purchase ingredients from PCA.”
The GMA added that many companies that produce foods containing peanut butter ingredients are unaffected “because those companies do not purchase ingredients from PCA, according to company announcements.”
However, the American Peanut Council joined the FDA on Monday in urging consumers to postpone eating products which may contain peanut butter, at least until further information became available about where peanut ingredients were sourced.
Companies to have recalled products include Kellogg’s, Ralcorp Frozen Baker, NutriSystem, Kroger, H-E-B and Hy-Vee, although a full list can be viewed at www.fda.gov.
An updated statement from the FDA is expected today.