Peanut Food Poisoning in the USA

The following information was provided courtesy of Food Standards Australia New Zealand and was found in the Food Surveillance News Winter Edition. More information can be found at;
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/foodsurveillancenewsletter/winter2009.cfm
Peanuts

Between November 2008 and March 2009, the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) reported 691 cases of foodborne illness in the US caused by SalmonellaTyphimurium, linked with the consumption of peanuts and peanut products. Illness occurred across 46 states and may have contributed to nine deaths. The affected peanuts were distributed by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).

More than 3,800 peanut containing products were voluntarily recalled in the US. Affected products included peanut butter, peanut paste, crackers, ice cream, cookie dough, confectionery, energy bars, curry sauces, bakery products and pet foods.

In response to this incident, FSANZ worked closely with national and international agencies, as well as industry, to establish whether any contaminated products were imported into Australia. The Australian response was facilitated by timely notifications from the USFDA, which occurred under a pre-existing confidentiality agreement between FSANZ and the USFDA that facilitates food safety information sharing.

To assist in the identification of affected products, FSANZ also collaborated with the Australian Customs Service, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, the International Food Safety Authorities Network, the Food and Beverage Importers Association, the Australian Food and Grocery Council and Australian importers.

A number of products (frozen cookie dough; a protein bar; trail mix and several nutritional bars) manufactured in the US, linked to the outbreak and subject to the US recall were identified as having been exported to Australia and were withdrawn from sale for precautionary purposes.
Australia’s national foodborne illness investigation network, OzFoodNet, did not identify any Australian cases of salmonellosis linked to the consumption of PCA peanut products.

Pistachios

In April 2009, the US reported a large recall of pistachios and pistachio products due to contamination with Salmonella. FSANZ requested information from the USFDA on potential imports of pistachios and pistachio products into Australia, and advised that several potentially contaminated products had been exported to Australia. These products were traced from US records and were recalled from the Australian market.

Salmonella was detected in a pistachio production facility in the US, but cases of illness linked with the consumption of these products were not identified in the US, Australia or other countries. There was no evidence to suggest a link with the earlier contamination of peanuts in the US.