Just when consumers were starting to get comfortable with peanut products again, Unilever, the owner of Skippy peanut butter, announced a product recall of their Reduced Fat Creamy and Super Chunk peanut butter spreads for possible contamination with salmonella.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because back in 2007 and 2009, peanut salmonella scares implicated ConAgra Foods and caused the Peanut Corporation of America to go bankrupt. However, this new recall could simply be an isolated case. FDA officials are currently investigating the matter, but state they are in the early stages and have “reached no conclusions as to the source” of the contamination.
The FDA notes that ever since 2009, peanut butter has been considered a high risk food because it can contain and support the growth of salmonella if appropriate precautions are not taken.
The recalled Skippy peanut butter products were distributed to Arkansas, Illinois, Connecticut, Iowa, Delaware, Minnesota, Maine, Missouri, New Hampsire, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Virginia. The affected lot have expiration dates between May 16 and May 21, 2012. The UUPC codes on the 16.3 ounce jars are 048001006812 and 048001006782. Those who believe they have an affected jar are urged to discard the product as soon as possible and call Skippy for a replacement coupon: (800) 453-3432.
We trust food manufacturers and distributors to use the utmost caution when packaging and selling their products to the public. When this trust is compromised, it can have disastrous consequences.
If you have suffered illness or injury as the result of a defective product in one of the states mentioned above, please contact the experienced product recall attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton today to schedule your free case evaluation.
