Salmonella found; product recall grows

PORTALES, N.M. (KRQE) - The Food and Drug Administration confirmed Friday investigators found salmonella at Sunland, Inc., the New Mexico peanut butter factory linked to a nationwide outbreak.

And it's not the first time the plant has been in trouble.

A jar of Sunland's Trader Joe's peanut butter also tested positive for the bacteria.

The FDA found what it's calling "objectionable conditions" at the Portales plant before.

More online: Expanded product recall list Oct. 5, 2012

Sunland's products are sold under dozens of different brands found at Target, Sprouts, Costco and Trader Joe's.

The products are being recalled across the country after 35 people in 19 states got sick with salmonella. The illness started three months ago.

On Friday the FDA revealed this isn't the first time the plant has had problems. Agency records show inspections in 2009 and 2010 found "objectionable conditions."

The agency told the plant what needed to be corrected but would not say why Sunland was cited twice in two years.

Recent test results also show the bacteria popped up on different surfaces in the plant and in an opened jar of peanut butter from a salmonella victim's home in Washington state.

That jar is the link to other victims involved in the outbreak. It's a Creamy Valencia Salty Peanut Butter with Sea Salt sold at Trader Joe's.

Sunland would not comment on the issue but told KRQE News 13 earlier in the week it was dismantling all the machines inside the plant, doing more tests and rebuilding everything from scratch.

Sunland is now recalling all of its products made since March of 2010. That's a list of more than 240 items that includes peanuts, peanut butter, cashew butter and almond butter.

Production at the plant has been shut down for the last two weeks.

No victims have been reported in New Mexico, and no one has died from the outbreak so far. Most of the people that are sick around the country are under the age of 10.