Consumers shouldn't eat any peanuts or peanut products sold by Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. (Westco/Westcott), because they may be contaminated with salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday.
Peanuts used in the Westco products may have come from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). The PCA plant in Blakely, Ga., has been identified as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak that's sickened 691 people and may have contributed to nine deaths.
The FDA told Irvington, N.J.-based Westco/Westcott to voluntarily recall all its products containing peanuts from PCA. Westco/Westcott sold these peanuts in various sizes and packaging configurations, and also used them as an ingredient in a variety of mixed nut products and trail mix produced between Nov. 19, 2008, and mid-Feb. 2009.
Consumers who have Westco/Westcott peanuts or peanut products in their homes should dispose of the products by placing them in a plastic bag with bleach. Seal the bag properly and place it in a trash bin. Consumers should then was their hands, the FDA said.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.