Starbucks has pulled six peanut butter products from its Canadian shelves in the wake of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning about the consumption of peanut butter products.
The FDA is currently investigating a salmonella outbreak that has been traced to a Georgia plant owned by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) that manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste.
According to the FDA, the peanut company does not sell its products directly to consumers, but only to food manufacturers and institutions. And the company has recalled all of its affected products.
The FDA is advising the public to check its website to determine if selected peanut butter products are subject to recall. If consumers cannot determine if their products contain Peanut Corporation of America peanut butter or peanut paste, they are advised not to consume those products.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is advising Canadians to check the list of peanut butter products recalled in the United States -- especially if they are travelling there. The CFIA has also made a list of products, sold in Canada, that are affected by the American recall.
In a statement sent to CTV.ca, Starbucks says "it is important to note that Starbucks products are not affected by this recall as the Peanut Corporation of America is not a Starbucks supplier."
But "due to the serious nature" of the FDA warning, Starbucks has "decided to voluntarily pull all products containing peanut butter from company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada and stop using peanut butter in those products until further notice."
As a result of the coffee company's decision, the following items will not be available in Canadian Starbucks outlets for the immediate future:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bar
- Granola Bar
- Peanut Butter Cookie
- Peanut Butter Oatcake
- Protein Plate
- Peanut Butter Portion Pack (w/Bagels)
CFIA recall officer Garfield Balsom told CTV's Newsnet on Thursday that Canada has not had any outbreak problems and only a very "limited amount of product" was imported into Canada that is being recalled by the FDA.
"We have no outbreak in Canada," he said.
"There is a big outbreak in the United States...we do not have that outbreak in Canada. There have been no illnesses associated with any product and at this point there's a limited amount of product that has come into Canada that was manufactured using the affected peanut butter."
