Peanut Butter Recalled After US Salmonella Outbreak

State health and agriculture officials said last week they had found salmonella bacteria in a 5-pound package of King Nut peanut butter at a nursing facility in Minnesota. Officials tested the bacteria over the weekend and found a genetic match with the bacterial strain that has led to 30 illnesses in Minnesota and others across the country.

Minnesota officials did not immediately identify the company that manufactures the peanut butter or say where else it is distributed.

The product apparently is not sold in grocery stores, but is distributed in Minnesota to long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, restaurants, delis, cafeterias and bakeries.

State officials urged establishments that have the product to avoid serving it, pending further instructions as the investigation progresses.

King Nut's president, Martin Kanan, said Sunday that the recall involved approximately 1,000 cases of peanut butter. He said he did not know the names of the company's customers, but he planned to release more details Monday.

"We don't know exactly where they sell to," Kanan said. "They could sell cross-state, too."

"We just want everybody to know that safety is our highest priority," Kanan said. "We just wanted to recall it right away."

King Nut Companies said in a statement that it asked customers to stop distributing all peanut butter under its King Nut and Parnell's Pride brands with a lot code that begins with the numeral "8." The peanut butter was distributed only through food service providers and was not sold directly to consumers.