Food Poisoning, Salmonella | featured news

The Agriculture Department shipped possibly contaminated peanut butter and other foods to schools in at least three states under a contract with the Georgia company blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

The U.S. peanut company at the center of a salmonella outbreak said on Wednesday federal and state regulators regularly visited a plant in Georgia that has been identified as the source of the contamination.

Peanut butter makers move to reassure consumers about their products in the wake of a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 500 people.

Hershey Co (HSY.N), maker of Reese's peanut butter cups candy, reiterated on Thursday that it does not buy peanut butter or other products from a company at the center of a major salmonella outbreak.

A South Georgia peanut processing plant linked to a national outbreak of salmonella had tested its products and found they contained the bacteria, yet still sold the products after retests were negative, federal food and drug officials said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The number of deaths related to the US outbreak of salmonella has risen to seven with the death of a Minnesota woman in her 80s.

From the Girl Scouts to Kraft Foods, a growing list of agencies and firms are rushing to assure consumers their products are safe from a widespread salmonella scare.

General Mills Inc. and grocers Kroger Co., Safeway Inc. and Meijer Inc. have joined the list of companies pulling items with peanut butter amid a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

U.S. food companies recalled more products containing peanut butter as the U.S. government continued its investigation into an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning that have may have contributed to six deaths.

Federal health authorities urged consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about a deadly outbreak of salmonella contamination.