Trader Joe's corporate officials say they are acting "out of an abundance of caution" and ordering the recall of one type of its house brand peanut butter over salmonella concerns.
"Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter" should not be eaten, the Monrovia-based specialty grocery chain said in a statement.
"We have no confirmed information that suggests this peanut butter is unsafe to eat," the company stated. But the food should not be eaten "pending health-related inquiries."
The recalled peanut butter is packaged in 16-ounce plastic jars with the expiration date stamped below the lid. All jars of the peanut butter are included in the recall.
The company, which removed the affected variety of peanut butter from its shelves before announcing the recall, encouraged customers to throw out or return the product to the nearest Trader Joe's, according to the statement.
"Production and distribution of the item has been suspended while the FDA and the Valencia Peanut Butter supplier continue their investigations," the company said.
The Food and Drug Administration posted the company's voluntary recall on its web site, but did not comment on the company's statement.
The potential salmonella contamination could cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly or others with compromised immune systems. Healthy persons who get infected with salmonella experience fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and a most unpleasant distress of the lower intestinal system.
For more information on the recall, contact Trader Joe's Customers Relations at 626-599-3817.
In the South Bay, Trader Joe's has a store in Redondo Beach's Riviera Village, a store off Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance and two stores in Rancho Palos Verdes.
—City News Service contributed to this report.
