Peanut butter now suspected in 20 Va. illnesses

Twenty illnesses and two deaths in Virginia are suspected to have been caused by peanut butter potentially contaminated with salmonella, the state health department said Friday.

Both deaths happened in November. One was in the northwest part of the state; the other was in southwest Virginia, said Phil Giaramita, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Health.

“We can’t confirm … that those deaths were caused by salmonella,” he said. “The only thing that we can say is they were salmonella patients who died.”

The illnesses happened between October and late December, he said. None of them was in Hampton Roads.

Kellogg Co., which gets some of its peanut paste from the company, announced a voluntary recall Friday of certain Austin and Keebler branded peanut butter crackers and select snack-size packs of Famous Amos peanut butter cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle peanut butter cookies. No other products are involved in this recall.

Some peanut butter at a Georgia plant shows signs of contamination, but officials said Thursday they don’t know if it’s linked to the salmonella outbreak, which has sickened hundreds and prompted Kellogg to pull crackers from store shelves, The Associated Press reported Friday.

Peanut Corp. of America has recalled 21 lots of peanut butter made at the plant since July 1 because of possible salmonella contamination. Peanut Corp. said in a news release Thursday that it has also temporarily suspended peanut butter processing at the Blakely plant but work on other products there was continuing.

The peanut butter is sold to institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes, Giaramita said.

Kellogg Co., which gets some of its peanut paste from the company, asked stores late Wednesday to stop selling some of its peanut butter sandwich crackers until the company can ensure the paste is OK for people to eat.

Contaminated peanut butter is suspected in more than 450 illnesses nationwide. In addition to the two deaths in Virginia, Minnesota has reported two deaths and Idaho has reported one. Four of the five dead were elderly.

Of the Virginia illnesses, six were in southwest Virginia, four were in northwest Virginia, four were in Northern Virginia, three were in central Virginia and three were in eastern Virginia, Giaramita said.

It was not clear if schools in Virginia have purchased any of the peanut butter, which is sold under the brand names Parnell's Pride and King Nut. A spokeswoman for Virginia Beach schools, the largest division in Hampton Roads, said the division does not buy those brands.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.