Salmonella Outbreak in the U.S.

January 20, 2009

The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are advising Canadians of a widespread recall in the United States of certain products that contain peanut butter or peanut paste that have been associated with an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella infections. 

Most of the affected products are distributed within the United States. Therefore, Canadians who travel to the U.S. and/or purchase groceries in the U.S. should consult the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) website for the full list of recalled and affected products.

The list of recalled Canadian products is available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website .

The outbreak has resulted so far in 474 cases of illness in 43 U.S. states since September, 2008.  Six deaths in the U.S. have been associated with the outbreak.  In Canada, one illness has been identified in New Brunswick that involved an individual who purchased peanut-based products from the U.S.  That individual has since recovered from the illness.

The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency continue to stay in regular contact with the FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) to track the investigation as it unfolds.

For more information on the symptoms of salmonella poisoning and food safety advice, consult the following web page:

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/salmonellae.shtml

For updates on the outbreak in the U.S., please refer to the CDC website .

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