Salmonella in Snack Crackers

The list of companies recalling snack crackers, candy, ice cream and other products that contain peanut butter or peanut butter paste sold by the Peanut Corporation of America for fear of salmonella contamination continues to grow; check the FDA site for an updated list. The FDA cautions

Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing.

There's no evidence as yet that anyone's been sickened by such products, though salmonella's presence has been confirmed in at least one package of crackers. (It's the peanut butter sold in big containers to hospitals, schools and other institutions that has been implicated in the current outbreak, which has claimed three lives.)

The possible contamination of such items as processed, packaged snacks adds a new dimension to the salmonella scene. We've come to accept that fresh produce, raw eggs, chicken, ground beef, pet food, and even peanut butter itself may carry salmonella bacteria. But a packet of crackers? They've seemed so stable, so safe. It's unsettling.