The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued safety guidelines for companies that use peanut products today and said it may seize products that test positive for salmonella bacteria.
While heat-sensitive, salmonella bacteria become heat-resistant in high-fat environments such as peanut butter, according to the FDA guidance.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention government said 683 people in 46 states have been sickened in the outbreak linked to foods that used peanut ingredients made by the now-bankrupt Peanut Corp of America.
The outbreak continues to affect hundreds of the company’s customers and has forced the recall of 3,235 products.
The CDC said illnesses are still being reported among people who ate recalled brands of peanut butter crackers.
Improperly roasted peanuts used to make peanut butter or peanut paste can harbor salmonella bacteria. When used in a product like ice cream, the bacteria would be protected in a cozy clump or swirl of fat, according to the FDA.
Baking peanut butter into cookies and crackers might not be enough to kill bacteria if the temperature is too low or is not maintained at a consistent level.
Peanut Corp had a $12 million insurance policy for personal injury liability, but that will not be enough to cover the claims of people filing personal injury and wrongful death cases.
The company also had a recall insurance policy worth about $7 million.
If you or a family member has been injured because of the fault of someone else; by negligence, personal injury, slip and fall, car accident, medical malpractice, trucking accident, drunk driving, bad product, toxic injury etc then please contact the Fort Worth Texas Personal Injury Attorney Dr. Shezad Malik. For a no obligation, free case analysis, please call 817-255-4001 or Contact Me Online.