Are You Really Entitled to a Peanut Butter Refund

Did You Find Lot 2111 in Your House? I Did but I'm Not Getting a Refund

When ConAgra Foods Inc. of Nebraska disclosed that certain jars of its Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter had been linked to outbreaks of salmonella that made people in 39 states sick, markets across the nation began pulling the peanut butter off its shelves. Schools also took action. In Houston, where I live, Houston Independent School District (HISD) not only confiscated all peanut butter sandwiches that were brought in by schoolchildren and gave them free sandwiches from the cafeteria, they also called all the parents on the phone to warn them to look at any peanut butter jars that may be in their home. The brands, Peter Pan and Great Value (Walmart's brand), were the ones that needed to be thrown away, but only if the lot number was 2111.

States reporting cases of salmonella food poisoning linked to peanut butter are Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia, with the highest number reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.

While there have been no deaths reported, approximately 20 percent of those who fell ill after eating peanut butter were sick enough to require hospitalization. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.

I was very surprised to find that I DID have a half-eaten jar of Peter Pan peanut butter bearing lot no. 2111 in the pantry. I live in Houston pretty near to a Walmart, but then again, everyone in Houston lives pretty near to a Walmart. I called my son up. He lives in New Jersey and he told me that he already knew about the recall and also had a jar of the same lot. He had already disposed of it by the time I called.