Backus urges caution following peanut butter contamination
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It seems every day there are more products being linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has been traced to peanut butter, but no patients have been identified at Backus Hospital to date, said Robin Heard, Nurse Epidemiologist and Coordinator of Infectious Disease.
Hundreds of products have been recalled because they have used peanut butter or peanut paste manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely Georgia. But Backus staff have ensured all their products using peanut butter are safe.
"When you are in a place like this there are so many levels of checks and balances from outside and inside the organization that we are confident our food is safe," said Todd Osowski, assistant director of food and nutrition at Backus.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria found in human and animal feces. It is usually associated with foods such as poultry, milk, eggs and beef. However it can be found on any food.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and Ms. Heard report most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness typically lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. As of Jan. 21, there have been 9 confirmed cases of Salmonella infection in Connecticut linked to the current recalls.
Severe cases of Salmonella infection can spread from the intestines to elsewhere in the body and can cause death is not treated with antibiotics. People considered at high risk include the elderly, infants, and people with compromised immune systems.
While hospitals are among the places on high alert for the recall, Osowski said they are also the kind of places most likely to pick up a problem product quickly. Osowski said he deals with vendors and distributors who are also investigating the products they sell to him and others. All of his vendors have traced the source of peanut butter or peanut paste in their products to ensure their safety.
Osowski has also checked the products based on the Food and Drug Administration alerts himself. And he said the hospital's epidemiology department has also checked to ensure the products are safe.
The list of recalled products may be lengthy, but there are also a very large number of products containing peanut butter and peanut paste that are safe, he said.
"Unless something changes, I don't see a need to pull everything," Osowski said. "The items we are selling have been checked and they are safe. But we are continuing to monitor the situation."
For consumers, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC have made the following recommendations:
- Do not eat products that have been recalled and throw them away in a manner that prevents others from eating them.
- To determine if commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter/peanut paste-containing products (such as cookies, crackers, cereal, candy and ice cream) are subject to recall, consumers are urged first to visit FDA's website and check the searchable database of recalled products.
- For information on products containing peanut butter from companies not reporting recalls, consumers may wish to consult the company's website or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging. Information consumers may receive from the companies has not been verified by the FDA.
- If consumers cannot determine if their peanut butter, peanut butter/peanut paste-containing products or institutionally-served peanut butter contains PCA peanut butter/peanut paste, FDA recommends that they do not consume those products.
- Persons who think they may have become ill from eating peanut butter are advised to consult their health care providers.
The link to the FDA's searchable database of all products affected by the recall is http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm.
The CDC has some general guidelines to preventing a Salmonella infection. The CDC urges people to never eat raw or undercooked eggs, poultry and meat. Thoroughly cooking your food kills the Salmonella bacteria.
Uncooked meats should be kept separate from produce, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods. Hands, cutting boards, counters, knives, and other utensils should be washed thoroughly after touching uncooked foods. Hands should be washed before handling food, between handling different food items and after handling food items.