At least 42 people in 20 states have fallen ill with Salmonella in the outbreak linked to peanut butter made by Sunland Inc. in Portales, N.M., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak is believed to have ended. One new case has been reported in North Carolina since the previous update on November 8. The final case count by state is as follows: Arizona (1), California (7), Connecticut (3), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), New York (2), Nevada (1), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (1), Texas (5), Virginia (2) and West Virginia (2). The outbreak was first reported in September, after a number of patients fell ill with Salmonella that was traced back to Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter, manufactured by Sunland. On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suspended the registration of Sunland to prevent it from selling its products anywhere in the U.S. until proving they are produced safely. It was the first time the agency has used that authority since being granted with the passing of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act in January 2011.
