Kellogg To Consumers, Stores: Don't Eat, Remove Peanut Butter Crackers

January 15, 2009 12:04 a.m. EST

Battle Creek, MI (AHN) - Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Corp. on Wednesday called on consumers not to eat its brands of peanut butter crackers and urged stores to remove the said products from their shelves.

The Michigan-based firm made the call through its website as a precautionary measure against possible food poisoning because one of its suppliers of peanut butter has been linked to the salmonella outbreak in 43 states that sickened 434 people since September.

The Kellogg warning and recall covers the Austin and Keebler brands of toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers, cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers and peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers.

Along with the warning posted on its website, the firm said it has not received any report or complaints of consumers getting ill from eating the said crackers.

"Nonetheless, Kellogg Company is taking precautionary measures including putting a hold on any inventory in its control, removing product from retail store shelves, and encouraging customers and consumers to hold and not eat these products until regulatory officials complete their investigation of PCA and Kellogg provides further information as to the resolution of this issue," the firm said.

PCA refers to the Peanut Corporation of America based in Virginia. An Ohio distributor removed 1,000 cases of PCA's King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butter with the lot code "8" on Saturday after lab tests by the Minnesota Department of Health found one product contaminated with the salmonella strain that caused the outbreak.