THURSDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The list of recalled products resulting from the recent Salmonella typhimurium outbreak has grown, and officials believe a processing plant in Blakely, Ga., may be the source of the outbreak, according to officials speaking at a teleconference conducted Jan. 21 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, the CDC has confirmed that more than 480 people from 43 states and Canada have been sickened in the outbreak. In addition, six deaths that may be tied to the outbreak have been reported. Products recently added to the recall list include Kellogg's Austin and Keebler brand peanut butter sandwich crackers and PetSmart's Great Choice dog biscuits.
Officials have confirmed that Salmonella has been found at a plant in Blakely, Ga., owned by Peanut Corporation of America. The plant has shut down its operations as the investigation continues, the FDA reports. Although the strain of the bacteria found at the plant is different from the strain causing the outbreak, officials still believe the Blakely plant is the source of the outbreak.
"Our assumption at this point is that the Blakely, Ga., plant is the source of the national outbreak. The fact that the strains don't match is not relevant from a regulatory standpoint. [Salmonella contamination] is not supposed to happen," Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said at the teleconference.
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