Turlock Boy May Be Salmonella Victim
By Michael R. Shea, The Modesto Bee, Calif.
Feb. 21–TURLOCK — Peanut butter and crackers was 7-year-old Sean Reid’s favorite after-school snack, but now his parents suspect that salmonella in a jar of Great Value peanut butter kept him sick at home for more than a week.
ConAgra Foods, the manufacturer behind such household brands as Hunt’s, Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee and Slim Jim, announced last Wednesday that it would recall all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter made at its Sylvester, Ga., plant. Federal officials have linked the peanut butter to an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened almost 300 people nationwide since August. No deaths have been reported.
On Tuesday, Sean had a glass of milk and macaroni and cheese after school.
“I’m never going to eat peanut butter again,” he said while sporting a prominent milk moustache, fork in hand. “I don’t want to get sick.”
At 50 pounds soaking wet, the blond-haired, blue-eyed first-grader is the only one of six siblings who liked peanut butter, said his mom, Kathleen Reid. Early in the month he came down with flulike symptoms, vomiting, diarrhea and heavy fatigue. She kept him out of Dennis Earl Elementary for a few days, and about a week later, he was feeling better.
“Because he was sick, he didn’t really eat anything. But once he felt better, he was right back to the peanut butter,” Reid said.
Sick again, Sean spent a few more days out of school, on the couch and miserable.
“We thought maybe it was the Valentine’s candy. They had a party in his class, and he said another boy was sick,” his mother said.
Saturday night, Sean’s parents saw a newscast about the outbreak and, sure enough, their jar of Great Value peanut butter, bought at the Wal-Mart store on Countryside Drive, had the 2111 serial number stamped on the lid, indicating it was part of the recall. They took Sean to Turlock Medical Clinic on Sunday.
The doctor said it sounds like salmonella, Reid said.
Yet from the government perspective, whether it was salmonella remains unclear.
“We don’t have any information of a Turlock resident with salmonella,” said Dr. John Walker, public health officer with Stanislaus County, which reports disease outbreaks to the federal government. “There are many species of salmonella, and it’s necessary to actually fingerprint it to relate it to the national outbreak. We haven’t received any samples, so we can’t do that.”
Federal medical reporting practices break infectious disease into three categories: immediate, one-day and within seven calendar days, said Craig Baize, marketing manager for Sutter Gould Medical Foundation. Salmonella falls into the one-day category.
Baize refused to comment on the specific case or why it wasn’t reported other than, “If there was a reportable case, our physicians reported it,” he said. “They follow the protocol for disease reporting.”
Turlock Medical Clinic is a Sutter affiliate.
San Diego and Orange County have the two officially reported cases in the state. Exactly how many people have been affected remains unknown.
Although the recall was issued last Wednesday, some suspected jars were found on Bay Area shelves as late as Saturday.
Tuesday at the Wal-Mart in Turlock, Great Value and Peter Pan brands weren’t on the shelf.
Also Tuesday, Omaha-based ConAgra said the recall will cost $50 million to $60 million, hurting its earnings.
Already, several lawsuits have been filed across the country, including a class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Seattle. ConAgra officials wouldn’t comment on the lawsuits, but said consumers with medical costs associated with the outbreak will be compensated.
“We will work with them to compensate consumers where appropriate,” said Stephanie Childs, director of communication with ConAgra.
Those affected can start the process by calling 866-344-6970, she said. Peanut butter refunds are offered as well.
How salmonella, which typically comes from animal feces, got into the processed peanut butter remains a mystery.
The Reids have their jar of Great Value in a zippered plastic bag. As evidence, maybe. The family has been contacted by at least one attorney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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