It is believed to be the first salmonella outbreak associated with peanut butter in U.S. history, said officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 20 percent of the 288 infected people have been hospitalized, but none has died, said Dr. Mike Lynch, a CDC epidemiologist.
About 85 percent of the infected people said they ate peanut butter, CDC officials said.
How salmonella got into peanut butter is still under investigation, Lynch said.
The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter because of the risk of contamination.
The bad jars have the code that begins with "2111." They are recalling all of the jars with that code. The most salmonella cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri. If you have any with this code on it here is the info:
Message from Con Agra
If consumers have this product, they should discard it, but save the product lid. For a full refund, consumers must return the Peter Pan Peanut Butter or Great Value Peanut Butter product lid along with their name and mailing address to ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 57078, Irvine, CA 92619-7078.
Consumers with questions or concerns about the recall can call the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 866-344-6970.
