SEATTLE Starbucks Corp. has temporarily pulled all products containing peanut butter from stores in the United States and Canada after a peanut butter manufacturer was linked to an outbreak of salmonella.
The decision to pull the peanut butter products on Jan. 20 was a precautionary measure. Starbucks officials said Monday they have no reason to believe the coffeehouse chain’s products contained the peanut butter in question. The manufacturer linked to the outbreak, Peanut Corp. of America, or PCA, is not a Starbucks supplier, officials said.
“The safety of our customers and partners [employees] is of the utmost importance, so we are taking this precautionary action until we have additional information,” Starbucks officials said in a statement.
PCA has recalled all of the peanut butter and peanut paste it has produced since mid-summer 2008, and anumber of manufacturers also have recalled their products, including Keebler and Trader Joe’s. Major brands of jarred peanut butter are not believed to be affected, according to the Food and Drug Administration, which is investigating the outbreak with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Jan. 26, 501 people in 43 states have been infected with the strain of salmonella typhimurium, and 22 percent of those sickened have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. Eight deaths may have been associated with the outbreak, the CDC indicated.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].