February 20, 2006: The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) is warning consumers not to eat jars of Peter Pan and Great Value butter that have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number "2111". The warning spans both companies because of a single manufacturing Congra facility in Georgia. The warning specifically asks that "If consumers have any of this Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter in their home that has been purchased since May 2006, they should discard it." The full warning is available online at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01563.html

The tainted product is believed to be contaminated with Salmonella which can lead to fever, diarrhea and abdominal problems in otherwise healthy individuals or life threatening infections in individuals with weakened immunity.

According to the release by the FDA, the product is being recalled by Congra and the company will cease production until the exact cause of contamination can be identified and eliminated.

Often tempted to dismiss product warnings in the United States to being restricted to its borders, Caribbean consumers must be vigilant to such warnings since most foods in the islands are imported from their northern neighbor.

The image above shows a half finished jar of Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut butter stocked in a household shelf in Nassau, Bahamas. The product (code 21116011001345A) was purchased in 2006 from a major food chain on that island.