The salmonella bredeney outbreak stemming from tainted peanut butter that sickened more than 40 people in 20 states appears to be over, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.
The initial infection was traced back to Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter, manufactured by Sunland Inc. in its Portales, N.M. plant.
On Sept. 22, Trader Joe's recalled the Valencia Peanut Butter and removed the product from store shelves, according to the CDC. Two days later, Sunland recalled numerous peanut butter and other nut products produced for big name retailers like Target, Sprouts and Whole Foods and under Sunland's own brand.
That recall was expanded on Oct. 4 and again on Oct. 12 to include more than 300 products. In addition, dozens of companies initiated their own recalls of ice cream, chocolates and even birdseed containing the contaminated nut products.
On Nov. 26, the Food and Drug Administration suspended the food facility registration from Sunland's New Mexico plant, which bans the plant from producing food to sell.
In all, the CDC received reports of 42 people contracting the salmonella strain linked to the infected peanut butter. Ten were hospitalized, though nobody died. Sixty-one percent of those who fell ill were younger than 10 years old.
Despite its announcement that the outbreak is over, the CDC said people should still check their peanut and nut products at home to see if they're on the recall list, as the products have a long shelf life.
