The Food and Drug Administration on Friday broadened its early warning about salmonella-contaminated peanut butter, saying that all Peter Pan peanut butter bought since May 2006 should be discarded as lawsuits are being filed against ConAgra Foods Inc., the maker of the affected peanut butter.

On Wednesday, the FDA urged consumers not to eat Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter with a product code printed on the lid of the jar starting with 2111 due to the risk of salmonella contamination.

After the FDA got notified by the CDC of the peanut butter poisoning outbreak, the food and drug watchdog said on Wednesday that certain batches of Peter Pan butter may be tainted with salmonella and that all products with the particular product code on the lid of the jar are being recalled.

The FDA issued the initial warning after it was informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than 290 people from 39 states became ill after eating either of the noted peanut butters.

The food poisoning outbreak with the first case traced back to consumption of peanut butter in August 2006 has resulted in hospitalization of 46 people, but no cases of death, according to the FDA.

The feds are still investigating the source of the salmonella contamination in a facility ConAgra Foods Inc. uses to make the affected peanut butter with the support of the affected company.

The affected brand of peanut butter is Peter Pan, but the Great Value peanut butter with a product code starting with 2111, which is custom made for retailer Wal-Mart may be affected as both products are produced in the same facility.

Great Value peanut butter produced by other manufacturers in other facilities is not affected in the outbreak, according to the FDA.

“Although Great Value peanut butter with the specified product code has not been linked by CDC to the cases of Salmonella Tennessee infection, the product is manufactured in the same plant as Peter Pan peanut butter and, thus, is believed to be at similar risk of contamination,” the FDA says in a statement.

“FDA laboratory personnel will analyze samples collected from the manufacturing plant,” the agency said.

The bacteria causing the outbreak was identified by the CDC as a strain of Salmonella Tennessee, one of many strains of salmonella bacteria that can cause an illness known as salmonellosis.

People who are infected with the bacteria may experience nausea, diarrhea and other symptoms. The illness is considered low risk and usually the patients can recover without medical intervention in less than a week.

After becoming aware of the salmonella outbreak in peanut butter, The FDA said it pursued ConAgra to recall the peanut butter on Wednesday.

On the same day, ConAgra posted on its website an announcement of a recall reminding consumers of the potential risk associated with eating the contaminated peanut butter under the noted brands. The company offered refund for the affected products.

The last major salmonella food poisoning occurred in the United States was in November 2006 and was linked to tomatoes, sickening 183 in 22 states and Canada.

Salmonella outbreak in peanut butter is rare. Often times, the poisoning was associated with foods such as raw meats, poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products, fish, shrimp, frog legs, yeast, coconut, sauces and salad dressing, cake mixes, cream-filled desserts and toppings, dried gelatin, cocoa, and chocolate.

According to the government’s statistics, an estimated 40,000 people suffer from salmonella poisoning and 600 die of this disease each year in the United States.

In response to the peanut butter poisoning, consumer groups has complained that the FDA, the CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture do not work together efficiently enough to strengthen the food safety in the country, Reuters reported today.

“If we cannot protect the nation’s supply of peanut butter, one must ask how prepared we are for a terrorist attack on our nation’s food supply,” Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak was quoted by Reuters as saying on Friday.

“As Chairman of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I have already been working with Commerce Committee Chairman (John) Dingell to open an investigation into the adequacy of the FDA’s efforts to protect our nation’s food supply.”

The tainted peanut butter incident has already prompted some patients who were sickened by consuming the tainted peanut butter to file lawsuit against the ConAgra.

In one case, Susanna and Brian Cox of St. Joseph filed a lawsuit in federal court in Kansas City claiming that Susanna and the couple’s two children became sick in October after eating Great Value Peanut Butter made by the Defendant. The two children needed urgent medical attention, according to the lawsuit.

Seattle-based attorney William Marler who specializes in food poisoning litigation on Friday filed another lawsuit in federal court in Rochester, NY on behalf of a New York family. The couple claimed that the father and 2-year old son became seriously ill after eating sandwiches with Peter Pan peanut butter.

Still another lawsuit was filed Friday by a Texas couple against ConAgra in Texas. The plaintiff claimed that their 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son became sick after eating Peter Pan peanut butter.

A scientist affiliated with foodconsumer.org suggests that salmonella poisoning does not occur commonly in peanut butter, but it is not realistic for consumers to demand any product with a zero-risk for any food poisoning. — foodconsumer.org