 |
Peanut-butter Recalls |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
History and definitions
In the United States, an organization called the Food and Drug Administration (or FDA) is in charge of making sure that the food we eat is made safely and in a clean environment.
Unfortunately, sometimes there are still problems with certain foods. This can be due to an inspection that was not thorough enough or ingredients that were thought to be okay but were actually not.
Recent Peanut-butter Problems
Recently, the FDA discovered that a number of people were getting sick from a kind of harmful bacteria called Salmonella. Salmonella is usually found in uncooked foods like meat or eggs, but fully cooking those foods and washing your hands after touching them will normally kill the bacteria and make the foods safe to eat.
However, even though the Salmonella bacteria are usually found in certain foods, they can still sometimes accidentally get into other foods. This is what has happened recently with lots of peanut-butter and peanut-butter products. – The FDA has discovered that some of the peanut-butter which was being made at a certain peanut-butter factory was tainted with Salmonella and making people sick.
People who get sick from Salmonella bacteria usually experience vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Although it can be a dangerous bacteria to contract, most people who get sick from Salmonella will get better within a few days.
Now what?
Because the peanut-butter from this one factory and any products (such as cookies, cereals, or crackers) that were made with it have been determined to be potentially unsafe, the FDA has ordered that all of those products be recalled. This means they will be taken off of grocery store shelves and that people or businesses who might have bought some of these items should throw them away.
What can I do?
You and your family should check the items in your home which contain peanut-butter and reference them with the list of recalled products issued by the FDA. The factory which made all of the contaminated peanut-butter only sold their product in large, bulk quantities, so most likely the jarred peanut-butter you would have in your home would be okay. However, this factory did distribute a lot of their peanut-butter to other companies who then used it to make things like crackers and cookies, so if you have these items in your home then you may need to discard them. Your parents will know how to decide what is safe to keep and what is not!
If you are unsure about something with peanut-butter that you are eating at home or otherwise, remember that it's better to play it safe than sorry! Find another snack if you aren't certain.
Pretty soon, the peanut-butter and peanut-butter products which came from the tainted factory will be gone and new items that you won't have to worry about will be on the shelves and in the stores. Check with your parents about when it is safe to eat all of your favorite treats once again!
In the United States, an organization called the Food and Drug Administration (or FDA) is in charge of making sure that the food we eat is made safely and in a clean environment.
Unfortunately, sometimes there are still problems with certain foods. This can be due to an inspection that was not thorough enough or ingredients that were thought to be okay but were actually not.
Recent Peanut-butter Problems
Recently, the FDA discovered that a number of people were getting sick from a kind of harmful bacteria called Salmonella. Salmonella is usually found in uncooked foods like meat or eggs, but fully cooking those foods and washing your hands after touching them will normally kill the bacteria and make the foods safe to eat.
However, even though the Salmonella bacteria are usually found in certain foods, they can still sometimes accidentally get into other foods. This is what has happened recently with lots of peanut-butter and peanut-butter products. – The FDA has discovered that some of the peanut-butter which was being made at a certain peanut-butter factory was tainted with Salmonella and making people sick.
People who get sick from Salmonella bacteria usually experience vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Although it can be a dangerous bacteria to contract, most people who get sick from Salmonella will get better within a few days.
Now what?
Because the peanut-butter from this one factory and any products (such as cookies, cereals, or crackers) that were made with it have been determined to be potentially unsafe, the FDA has ordered that all of those products be recalled. This means they will be taken off of grocery store shelves and that people or businesses who might have bought some of these items should throw them away.
What can I do?
You and your family should check the items in your home which contain peanut-butter and reference them with the list of recalled products issued by the FDA. The factory which made all of the contaminated peanut-butter only sold their product in large, bulk quantities, so most likely the jarred peanut-butter you would have in your home would be okay. However, this factory did distribute a lot of their peanut-butter to other companies who then used it to make things like crackers and cookies, so if you have these items in your home then you may need to discard them. Your parents will know how to decide what is safe to keep and what is not!
If you are unsure about something with peanut-butter that you are eating at home or otherwise, remember that it's better to play it safe than sorry! Find another snack if you aren't certain.
Pretty soon, the peanut-butter and peanut-butter products which came from the tainted factory will be gone and new items that you won't have to worry about will be on the shelves and in the stores. Check with your parents about when it is safe to eat all of your favorite treats once again!