Sunday, January 11, 2009

Consumers Warned About Possible Link Between Salmonella Outbreak And Peanut Butter

J. R. Whaley, a Louisiana attorney with Neblett Beard and Arsenault, represented thousands of people sickened in similar outbreak two years ago.

is voluntarily recalling all of their Peanut Butter made for them by Peanut Corporation of America.

Alexandria, LA (PRWEB) January 11, 2009 -- The distributor of King Nut peanut butter announced today that it is voluntarily recalling its peanut butter after health officials in Minnesota announced Friday that they believed King Nut peanut butter was the source of the recent Salmonella typhimurium outbreak. An open container of King Nut peanut butter tested positive for the genetic fingerprint that has sickened nearly 400 people in 42 states and may have contributed to at least one death.

On its website, King Nut announced that it "is voluntarily recalling all of their Peanut Butter made for them by Peanut Corporation of America." King Nut also announced that, "Further tests are being conducted by King Nut and the FDA on closed containers to insure the accuracy of their findings." King Nut encouraged its customers to "put on hold all of their peanut butter in question." King Nut's press release can be found at http://www.kingnut.com/site.cfm/news.cfm.

This report of peanut butter contamination comes almost two years after ConAgra recalled its Peter Pan brand peanut butter, which was eventually linked to at least 625 salmonella cases in 47 states.

J. R. Whaley, an attorney with Neblett Beard and Arsenault in Alexandria, Louisiana, represented thousands of people from across the country that were sickened by salmonella after eating the tainted peanut butter made by ConAgra. "We are seeing the same pattern emerge in this case as we did in the ConAgra case, where salmonella was found in peanut butter," Whaley said. Eating food contaminated with salmonella bacteria can cause abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever. Most recover within 4 to 7 days. Some, however, will face serious, life-long health implications.

"The very young and the very old suffer most severely from salmonella poisoning," Whaley said. "Most victims will recover within a few days, but the elderly and kids typically have a harder time." Because King Nut peanut butter is sold primarily to nursing homes, hospitals and schools, many of the consumers of King Nut peanut butter could be those most severely impacted from salmonella poisoning, Whaley said.

"We have represented a number of elderly people whose simple act of eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cost them months of healthy living and caused them to rack up thousands of dollars in medical bills. It can be tragic."

Victims of the recent salmonella poisoning are urged to seek medical treatment immediately. As with any foodborne illness, a stool sample should be taken to properly diagnose the type of illness. If you still are in possession of the tainted food source, seal it in a bag and store it in a dry, cool place. Officials may need to test the product.

Additional information is available at www.nbalawfirm.com.

About Neblett, Beard & Arsenault

Neblett, Beard & Arsenault is a nationally recognized law firm that represents victims and consumers in a wide range and personal injury and complex litigation. The firm currently represents thousands of victims of foodborne illness throughout the country. For more information, contact Nicole Cerullo at 800-256-1050 or at ncerullo at nbalawfirm dot com.

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