手机版
Federal health authorities on Saturday urged consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about a deadly outbreak of salmonella contamination.
"We urge consumers to postpone eating any products that may contain peanut butter until additional information becomes available," said Stephen Sundlof, head of the Food and Drug Administration's food safety center.
But most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appears to be safe, Sundlof said.
"As of now, there is no indication that the major national name-brand jars of peanut butter sold in retails stores are linked to the recall," Sundlof told reporters in a conference call.
Officials are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Its peanut butter is not sold directly to consumers but distributed to institutions and food companies. But the peanut paste, made from roasted peanuts, is an ingredient in cookies, cakes and other products that people buy in the supermarket.
“This is an excellent illustration of an ingredient-driven outbreak,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, who oversees foodborne illness investigations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, more than 470 people have gotten sick in 43 states, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths are being blamed on the outbreak. Salmonella is a bacteria and the most common source of food poisoning in the U.S., causing diarrhea, cramping and fever.
Officials said new illnesses are still being reported in the outbreak investigation.
The Kellogg Co., which listed Peanut Corp. as one of its suppliers, has recalled 16 products. They include Austin and Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and some snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies. Health officials said consumers who have bought any of those products should throw them away.
Peanut Corp. has recalled all peanut butter produced at the Georgia plant since Aug. 8 and all peanut paste produced since Sept. 26. The plant passed its last state inspection this summer, but recent tests have found salmonella.
Health officials are focusing on 30 companies out of a total of 85 that received peanut products from the Georgia plant. Sundlof said Peanut Corp. is a relatively small supplier on the national scene.
The Midwest supermaket chain Hy-Vee Inc. of West Des Moines, Iowa, said Saturday it was voluntarily recalling products made in its bakery departments with peanut butter because they had the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. The recall covered seven states: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.
The outbreak has triggered a congressional inquiry and renewed calls for reform of food safety laws. For example, the FDA lacks authority to order a recall, and instead must ask companies to voluntarily withdraw products.
“Given the numerous food-borne illness outbreaks over the past several years, it is becoming painfully clear that the current regulatory structure is antiquated and ill-equipped to handle these extensive investigations,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who chairs a panel that oversees the FDA budget.
Seattle-area lawyer William Marler, who specializes in food safety cases, said the government shouldn’t wait for the results of more tests to request recalls.
“At least 30 companies purchased peanut butter or paste from a facility with a documented link to a nationwide salmonella outbreak,” said Marler. “The FDA has the authority actually, the mandate to request recalls if the public health is threatened. Instead, the FDA has asked the companies to test their products and consider voluntary recalls. It is just not enough.”
Health officials in Minnesota and Virginia have linked two deaths each to the outbreak and Idaho has reported one. Four of those five were elderly people, and all had salmonella when they died, although their exact causes of death have not been determined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the salmonella may have contributed.
An elderly North Carolina man died in November from the same strain of salmonella that’s causing the outbreak, officials in that state said Friday.
The CDC said the bacteria behind the outbreak — typhimurium — is common and not an unusually dangerous strain but that the elderly or those with weakened immune systems are more at risk.
联邦卫生组织于周六强烈建议消费者不要吃饼干，蛋糕，冰淇淋和其它含有花生酱的食物。直到当局能够了解更多有关致命沙门菌污染的爆发的情况.
"我们强烈建议消费者停止食用任何含有花生酱的产品,直到新信息变得明朗."Stephen Sundlof,食品和药物管理局食品安全中心领导这样说.
"但是",Sundlof说,大多数的花生酱是以罐装的形式在超市出售的,表面上看上去是安全的.
"直到现在,仍没有迹象表明,在零售店里出售的大多数国产商标命名的花生酱罐头被连带回收."Sundolf在一次电话会议中告诉记者.
官员把重点放在花生糊,也是花生酱的身上,是由美国花生公司拥有的设备,在布雷克.盖,生产的.它们的花生酱不直接卖给消费者,而是批发给机构和食品公司.但是花生酱是由烘烤的花生制成的,它是人们在超市买的饼干,蛋糕和其它食品的主要成分.
"这是由成分引发的污染的很好的例证."Robert Tauxe博士说,他监督疾病控制和防御中心食物引发的疾病的调查.
到目前为止,已有43州超过470人患病.至少有90人住进了医院.至少有六人的死亡归咎于这种细菌的爆发.在美国沙门菌是一种菌类,是大多数食物中毒的来源.它引起腹泻,痉挛和高烧.
卫生官员说,在突发的调查中将继续报告新的疾病.
The Kellogg 公司,榜上有名的花生公司,作为供销商之一已经召回了16种产品,包括Austin和印有Keebler商标的花生酱三明治脆皮.和一些以零食形式包装的Fanous Anos 花生酱饼干和Keebler 柔软的成批的家庭式花生酱饼干,卫生部官员说买了这些产品的消费者应当把它们扔掉.
花生制造公司从8月8日把生产的花生酱和9月26日生产的花生糊回收了.今年夏天工厂通过了最后的州检,但是最近的实验表明已经发现了沙门菌.
卫生部官员集中检查从乔治亚州农场获取的85家公司的30家进行检验.Sundlof 说花生制造公司就全国来说是一个相对很小的一个供应商.
中西部的超市连接着Hy-Vee Inc.西部的第蒙,衣阿华,周六它们自愿召回有花生酱的面包店分部的产品,因为很有可能被沙门菌污染.这次回收覆盖了7个州,衣阿华,伊利诺州,密苏里州,堪萨斯州,内布拉斯加州,南达科塔,明尼苏达州
这次爆发是由议会质询和重新修订食品安全法引起的.例如,FDA没有权利命令回收,而是必须请求公司自愿回收产品.
''在过去的几年里发生了许多因食物引发的疾病的爆发.有一个事实越来越痛楚的表明,目前的立法结构是陈旧的,设备老化不足以应付大规模的调查研究."Rep.Rosa Delauro.DConn,说.他负责专题讨论小组,监督FDA预算开支.
西雅图地方律师Willian Marler,专门负责食品安全案例.他说,政府不应该等更多的检验结果出来才去要求公司回收产品.
至少有30家公司购买了花生酱或者花生糊设备,有根据证明和全国爆发的沙门菌有关.Marler说"如果公共安全受到威胁,FDA实际上有权下达命令回收产品,但是FDA却要求公司检验他们的产品,考虑自愿回收,这是不够的
明尼苏达州和弗吉尼亚的卫生局已经把两例死亡的一例和沙门菌的爆发联系起来.爱达荷州报告了一例.5个是老年人,他们死时都有沙门菌.尽管死亡的确切原因还没有定论.但是疾病和控制防御中心说沙门菌难逃干系.
一位上了年纪的北卡罗来纳州人在9月份死于同一种沙门菌.然后疾病就爆发了.周五这个州的官员如是说.
CDC说,疾病暴发背后的细菌--typhimurium--是平常的并不是有非常的危险,但是对于那些上了年纪的,免疫系统低下的人来说是根相当危险的.
