Call 4 Action: Peanut Butter Recall List Gets Longer

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Many Products Potentially Tainted By Salmonella
PITTSBURGH - The Food and Drug Administration is adding even more products to a massive recall of salmonella-tainted peanut butter.

And health officials are moving to make sure the bad stuff stays off shelves.

Call 4 Action: Peanut Butter Recall List Gets Longer

Channel 4 Action News' Aaron Saykin reported it's important to point out the peanut butter in the jar is safe. But many other products like cookies, crackers and even dog treats containing peanut butter could be tainted.

The news is leaving store owners and health inspectors racing to keep up with an ever-growing recall list.

As the owner of one of the more popular Italian stores in the city, Jimmy Sunseri is used to fielding lots of questions about his authentic food. But these days, many customers are asking about products with peanut butter.

"It's more a matter of making customers truly aware and truly cognizant as to what is really going on with the recall," Sunseri said.

So far the salmonella outbreak has killed eight people and sickened more than 500 others nationwide, including 14 cases in Pennsylvania. One of those cases was in Butler County.

Stores have scrambled to keep tabs on and remove any of the recalled products. And the list just got longer.

"If there was a problem, it should have been rectified. And most definitely, that product should not have been allowed to be shipped," Sunseri said.

Sunseri is referring to a peanut butter plant in Georgia identified as the source of the salmonella. FDA officials now say on multiple occasions, some of its products tested positive for salmonella, but were shipped anyway after a second test came back negative, forcing the FDA to expand the recall by two years..

For Allegheny County health investigators, it means visiting more businesses.

"They're inspecting a few hundred a day. And as part of those inspections they're checking with every establishment to make sure that they're aware of the recall, and that they have the most up-to-date recall list," said Guillermo Cole of the Allegheny County health department.

Shoppers also need to stay abreast of the latest information.

"I put a lot of faith into making sure I'm up on the news and finding out what we need to pay attention to," said Mike Daninhirsch, a shopper in McCandless.

Giant Eagle told Channel 4 it has programmed its registers to block the sale of any recalled item. Costco and Sam's Club recently notified customers who bought potentially tainted items before the recall.

For the full recall list, visit http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html#recalls