Consumers were first warned of a peanut butter recall concerning the products sold at Trader Joe’s. In addition to the original Trader Joe’s peanut butter, a host of organic almond butters and other products were pulled off Trader Joe’s shelves for risk of salmonella contamination. Then, just to be safe, Trader Joe’s started pulling other peanut butters off the shelves and expanding the recall. Other health food stores started pulling similar brands while consumers contacted the FDA to explain that they had contracted salmonella from the salty spread. Eventually, the recall boomed to where it rests now with dozens of peanut butters pulled off of the shelves just to be safe. A New Mexico company called Sunland Inc. extended the recall of their peanut products last week based on the fear of possible salmonella contamination. Now, they have also taken all raw, roasted, shelled and in-shell peanuts from their brand. Hines and Clover Valley, two other peanut companies, also recalled their peanuts for the same fear. Most of these peanuts are sold at Dollar General stores.

In addition to Trader Joe’s and Sunland Inc., Velvet ice cream has recalled a variety of ice cream flavors that include peanuts in the mix. Cascadian Farms has also recalled granola bars that included peanuts that might be contaminated with the salmonella. According to The Columbus Dispatch, all the companies that are recalling products obtained their peanuts from Sunland Inc., which is why the recall has become so widespread. Distributors and manufacturers of food products do not want to face an onslaught of lawsuits coming from salmonella illnesses. Sunland has been hit hard financially by the recall and has many angry clients as a result of the massive mistake. The COE of the Ohio Grocers Association announced in a press release the peanut butter is a component in many different products. He explained that this is why the national recall has affected so many products. Since late September, many grocery stores have had to remove all peanut butters, almond butters, and cookies that use peanut butter in the batter. Among the affected brands are Newman’s Own, Naturally More, and Cascadian. Even some cereals with “peanut butter puffs” have been pulled off of the grocery store shelves for fear of salmonella possibilities.

Wal-Mart also had to take a number of peanut products off the market in the last month. Sunland voluntarily recalled the first butters on September 24. They asked for a voluntarily recall of all trader Joe’s Valencia Cream Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt. They extended the nut butter recall to other products sold at Trader Joe’s on October 4^th. Then on October 19^th, the company recalled all of its peanuts. Because peanut butter does not expire quickly, you will want to check and make sure that the butter in your pantry is not listed in this recall. If it is, the FDA suggests that you throw away the peanut butter or take it back to the store for a recall. Sunland says that products could be affected that are dated as far back as March 2010. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are currently working to investigate the salmonella outbreak and determine where the virus came from. While salmonella is normally a flu-like illness that people can recover from within a week, it can be fatal in young toddlers, frail older people, or those with low immune systems. Contact a personal injury attorney today if you have contracted salmonella as a result of one of the contaminated products and want to seek compensation for the medical bills or lost wages that you had to deal with as a result of the illness.