Nine Missourians sickened from salmonella outbreak
JEFFERSON CITY -- You can now add some energy bars to the list of recalled products that contain peanut butter.
Nature's Path Optimum Energy Bars and some Clif Bars were recalled Tuesday. At least six people have died so far from the salmonella-tained peanut butter paste. That paste was used by dozens of food manufacturers to make everything from cookies and crackers to ice cream.
Health officials say jars of peanut butter aren't affected.
"These are the crackers I ate," Charles Houston said taking a box of Austin peanut butter crackers out of his kitchen cabinet.
Houston is a big fan of peanut butter crackers. Unfortunately, his favorite kind was recently recalled - two days after he ate them.
"It's just like a bloated feeling and little pains through my stomach," he said describing the pain. "I wasn't feeling like this until after I ate them."
It's believed the deadly outbreak started at a Georgia plantowned by the Peanut Corp. of America.
"I am a little concerned," Houston said. "People have died from this...so I am very concerned."
Peanut butter crackers are one of many food items that have health experts worried. So far the outbreak has sickened almost 500 people from 43 states, including Missouri. Health officials confirmed nine salmonella cases in Missouri. Four resulted in the patient being hospitalized but all are expected to make full recoveries.
Despite the recall, KRCG News recently found several stores still selling recalled products, like Famous Amos peanut butter cookies and Keebler peanut butter crackers. The stores removed all recalled items after we brought it to their attention.
"It's not something to be overly concerned about or lose sleep over," Mo. Department of Health spokesman Brian Quinn said about the recent salmonella outbreak. "But because it can, in some cases, be deadly, can become life threatening, it's not something to take lightly."
Experts say a healthy person could recover in a few days. It's the elderly, the very young and those with weakened immune systems that need to be most concerned.
"Until we have a better picture of what's going on," Quinn said, "The best thing for people to do is just be safe and not risk it and eat the products that could be contaminated."
We checked into Girl Scout cookies that just went on sales. GIrl Scouts of America says it's Tagalongs and Do-si-dos peanut butter cookies are safe. They buy their peanut butter paste from a different supplier.
As for Charles Houston - he's throwing out his peanut butter snacks, hoping he won't be another statistic.