COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio distributor says it has recalled two brands of its peanut butter — apparently neither sold in Washington state — after an open container tested positive for salmonella bacteria.
There was no immediate indication whether the brands were linked to a national salmonella outbreak.
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.
The company sells the peanut butter to distributors in Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida.
Preliminary laboratory testing found salmonella bacteria in a 5-pound container of King Nut brand creamy peanut butter, the Minnesota Department of Health said Friday.
The Minnesota tests had not linked it to the type of salmonella in the outbreak that has sickened almost 400 people in 42 states, but the department said additional results are expected early next week.
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 today.
“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, based in Solon, Ohio, said it canceled all orders with the manufacturer of its two peanut butter brands, Peanut Corporation of America, based in Lynchburg, Va.
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