Milling & Baking News - January 27, 2009 - 12

Business

Salmonella outbreak in peanut butter
ensnares snack crackers, cookies
WASHINGTON -A recall of peanut
butter linked to a food-borne illness
outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium
has spread widely as food companies that bought peanut butter paste
from the Peanut Corporation of
America (P.C.A.) have recalled
products that may contain ingredients manufactured at the
company's Blakely, Ga., facility. Last week, the Food and
Drug Administration, through
tests conducted by the Minnesota and Connecticut departments of health, confirmed
that the source of the outbreak
is peanut butter and peanut
paste produced by P.C.A. at its
Blakely processing plant.
The findings by the F.D.A.
led to a spate of product recalls over
the past week that included some
of the industry's largest companies,
including the Kellogg Co., Battle
Creek, Mich., and General Mills,
Inc., Minneapolis. On Jan. 16, Kellogg announced the recall of Austin
and Keebler brand peanut butter
sandwich crackers as well as some
Famous Amos branded products. On
Jan. 19, Kellogg confirmed that F.D.A.
testing had identified the presence of
Salmonella in one package of its Austin branded snacks.
"The food industry upholds certain operating standards, and we
are proud that we exceed these standards in our facilities," said David
Mackay, president and chief executive officer of Kellogg. "Events of the
last week suggest there was a breach
in a supplier's process that is unacceptable to Kellogg, our customers
and our consumers."

General Mills is recalling its Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie flavor
snack bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack
bars, because the peanut butter in
the products was sourced from the

'The food industry
upholds certain
operating standards and
we are proud that we
exceed these standards
in our facilities.'
- David Mackay, president
and chief executive officer of Kellogg

P.C.A. General Mills emphasized no
illnesses have been reported in connection with the products involved
in the recall.
Other food manufacturers recalling products include:
* Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products,
Inc., Downers Grove, Ill., is recalling
Wal-Mart Bakery brand peanut butter cookies and Food Lion Bake Shop
peanut butter cookies.
* Clif Bar & Co., Berkeley, Calif., is
recalling Clif and Luna branded bars
containing peanut butter.
* Nature's Path Organic Foods,
Richmond, B.C., is recalling its Peanut Butter Optimum Energy Bars.
* McKee Foods Corp., Collegedale,
Tenn., is recalling Little Debbie Peanut Butter Toasty and Peanut Butter
Cheese Sandwich Crackers.
Several retailers also have been
caught up in the recall, including:
* The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, is

AHD International introduces chia
flour for baked goods
ATLANTA - AHD International, a
supplier of nutraceutical ingredients
and functional food products, has
introduced chia flour, an alternative
to white flour that the company said
may be used in bread, baked snacks,
cakes, cookies and brownies. The
gluten-free flour is rich in omega-3
fatty acids and fiber.
"Chia flour allows baked goods
manufacturers to expand offerings
targeted toward consumers suffering
12 / January 27, 2009

Milling & Baking News

pulling its Private Selection Peanut
Butter ice cream from store shelves.
* Safeway, Inc., Pleasanton, Calif.,
is recalling products manufactured
by Ready Pac Produce Inc. and Orchard Valley Harvest.
* H.E.B., San Antonio, is recalling
H.E.B. Buddy snack packs.
* Meijer, Grand Rapids, Mich., is recalling two types of its Meijer brand

from gluten intolerance or celiac disease, as well as those looking for an
enhanced nutritional profile in their
favorite comfort foods and baked
desserts," said John Alkire, president
of AHD International. "Because of
our exclusive distribution partnership with Australia-based The Chia
Co., AHD is able to ensure the safest
sourcing and highest quality control
measures through every step of the
supply chain." MBN

crackers and two types of its private
label ice cream.
For an updated list of recalled
products, please visit www.fda.gov.
In addition, the number of companies announcing they are not a
part of the recall has grown longer
as the J.M. Smucker Co., Orrville,
Ohio; Lance, Inc., Charlotte, N.C.;
Tasty Baking Co., Philadelphia; The
Hershey Co., Hershey, Pa.; Quaker
Oats North America, Chicago; and
Barbara's Bakery, Petaluma, Calif.,
have all issued statements noting
they do not source product from the
P.C.A. In addition, both bakers of
Girl Scout cookies - Virginia-based
ABC Bakers and Kentucky-based
Little Brownie Bakers - said all peanut butter Girl Scout cookies are safe
to eat.
As of Jan. 20, 486 people in 43 states
had been infected with the outbreak
strain of Salmonella Typhimurium,
according to the C.D.C. In addition,
six deaths have been linked to the
outbreak. MBN

Grupo Bimbo completes
Weston acquisition
MEXICO CITY - Grupo Bimbo has
completed its acquisition of the U.S.
fresh bakery business of Weston
Foods, Inc. The acquisition was first
announced on Dec. 10.
Grupo Bimbo also is acquiring
related assets. The combined value of the acquisition is about $2.5
billion. MBN

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com
http://www.fda.gov http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com
Milling & Baking News - January 27, 2009

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