A jelly sandwich just isn’t the same, but two D.C. agencies have pulled peanut butter and all products containing peanut butter from their food programs.
Responding to the national recall of peanut butter produced by the Peanut Corporation of America at its Blakely, Ga., processing plant, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation announced Friday that it will no longer offer any peanut butter products in meals served through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The program is managed by DPR’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services.
The D.C. Public Schools also has halted the use of all peanut butter “as a precautionary measure,” said schools spokeswoman Dena Iverson. None of the products involved in the peanut butter-related recalls was used in DCPS kitchens, Iverson said.
The Food and Drug Administration ordered the recall after laboratory testing confirmed that the sources of a salmonella outbreak was peanut putter and peanut paste produced by PCA. The affected products are sold wholesale in large containers, not directly to consumers. But PCA distributed potentially contaminated product to more than 70 firms for use as an ingredient in hundreds of different foods, from cookies to candy to ice cream.
The latest salmonella outbreak has sickened 488 people in 43 states since Jan. 9, according to the FDA. The bacteria causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within three days of infection, and a severe case can cause death unless a person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
The parks department’s food program provides 1,500 meals Monday through Friday at recreation centers, child care facilities and after-school program sites. In a news release, the agency said it will “consider returning peanut butter products” to its menu once the FDA investigation is complete.
