The Food and Drug Administration has announced that the recall on peanut butter linked to an outbreak of salmonella contamination has been broadened to include Raw and Roasted Peanuts.
The FDA updated its website on Saturday with the following statement:
"The FDA announces that, on October 12, Sunland Inc. expanded its ongoing recall to include raw and roasted shelled and in-shell peanuts sold in quantities from 2 ounces to 50 pounds which are within their current shelf life or have no stated expiration date.
"Since late September, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health officials have been investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney infections linked to a peanut butter made by Sunland Inc. As part of the continuing investigation, the FDA has been inspecting the Sunland Inc. production facilities, which include a building in which peanuts are processed and a separate building in which nut butters are made.
"FDA testing has found the presence of Salmonella in raw peanuts from the peanut processing facility. Environmental samples taken from this building also show the presence of Salmonella. Environmental samples are samples taken from various surfaces in the production or manufacturing facility that would likely harbor bacteria.
"Additionally, FDA analysis has confirmed that environmental samples showing the presence of Salmonella in Sunland’s nut butter facility have a DNA fingerprint that is the same as the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney.
"Sunland Inc. reports that it has ceased the production and distribution of all products from both its nut butter facility and its peanut processing facility."
In an interview with ABC, Robert Tauxe, Deputy Director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Disease of the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, confirmed that all the health issues that have been reported source back to the Sunland Inc. factory in New Mexico.
“All of the illnesses that have been investigated are related to the peanut butter products that are from the one plant," he said.
There have been 35 cases of salmonella reported across 19 states since the outbreak. Click here for a full list of products being pulled by Sunland Inc.
