If you have been following the news in recent months, you would be forgiven if you were reluctant to eat food products that contained peanuts or peanut butter. Early in 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a broad recall of foods that contained peanut butter or peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America when a processing plant was linked to a salmonella outbreak. That contamination was suspected in sickening hundreds of people and may be linked to several deaths as well. If you have a hankering for peanutty flavoring in the foods you eat, here is some information from the FDA you will want to know:

• Symptoms of salmonella food poisoning include fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. If you have these symptoms and you recently ate peanut-flavored food, contact your doctor and your local health department right away.
   
• The salmonella contamination involved peanut butter and peanut paste used to flavor ice cream, cookies, crackers, candy, and other foods.
   
• While the food recall included more than 2,100 products, it did not extend to the major brands of jarred peanut butter that you find on the supermarket shelves.
   
• For an updated listed of recalled food products, check the searchable list posted by the FDA at www.fda.gov.
   
• The salmonella contamination could possibly reach pet foods and treats. If you handle pet foods or treats, wash your hands—as well as utensils and food bowls—in soap and hot water. A pet affected by salmonella poisoning could have reduced appetite, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In such cases, contact your vet.
   
• Consumers with questions about the salmonella outbreak among peanut products may call hotlines operated by the FDA at 888-SAFEFOOD or the Centers for Disease Control at 1-800-CDC-INFO.

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