Peanut Butter Recall Estimated to Cost Close to $1 Billion

A price tag of nearly $1 billion has recently been associated with the peanut butter recall, with the cost affecting both manufacturers and health officials as well as consumers, according to reports deriving from the Peanut Butter Corp of America Congressional hearings and Associated Press reports.

According to local news reports, Michigan has spent nearly $400,000 with monitoring the peanut butter and products entering state lines. The Public News Service also released a list of additional peanut butter recall products.

Peanut Butter Recall

The recall began January 13 and has sickened more than 700 individuals across 46 states as well as resulted in the death of approximately nine Americans. On January 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated an investigation at the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) plant, which is located in Blakely, Georgia. On January 27, by the time more than 400 individuals were sickened, the FDA concluded that improper methods had been used when monitoring and testing the peanut butter for salmonella.

Following the initial peanut butter recall on January 13, the PCA made another voluntary recall on January 28 for products made in the previous two years, all of which could have been tainted with salmonella, according to FDA public health advisories. On February 5, the FDA posted an amendment to its initial reports involving PCA records and stated that the information given to them by the PCA was not consistent with the information the FDA uncovered during their investigation. Congressional hearings were then set to further investigate the salmonella infections among many Americans. Dealing With Peanut Butter Risks While hundreds of Americans were reportedly affected by the peanut butter recall of 2009, health officials anticipate that number to be much higher as many individuals likely were sickened by tainted peanut butter without knowledge of their actually condition.

It is imperative that individuals who feel as if they were sickened by salmonella because of the peanut butter recall that they contact a medical organization to receive an accurate diagnosis. Additionally, individuals who have suffered from a salmonella diagnosis are encouraged to speak with a food safety law firm in order to better understand the details for a potential peanut butter recall lawsuit, which could result in the award of monetary compensation for salmonella poisoning victims. Individuals need to acquire compensation for the pain and suffering involved in a peanut butter recall.