Peanut butter is a paste made from roasted peanuts. It may also include oil, salt and occasionally sugar. Peanut butter was created by Dr. John Kellogg, the maker of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, in 1890 as a protein source for patients with no teeth.

In January 2009, Centers for Disease Control reported a new outbreak of salmonella which was later linked to peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America. On February 9, 2009, FBI agents raided the rural Georgia peanut butter plant and sealed it off that day. The Peanut Corporation of America allegedly knowingly shipping tainted products which have been linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, across more than 40 states in the United States.

In January 2009, the Centers for Disease Control reported a new outbreak of salmonella which has reportedly sickened over 500 people across the U.S. since September 2008. FDA, together with the Department of Justice, opened a criminal investigation into the company after FDA found out it knowingly shipped and sold peanut butter contaminated with salmonella in 2007 and 2008.Washington Post: PB-Salmonella Sandwich Update (February 2, 2009) President Barack Obama has also announced he is ordering a review of FDA because it did not detect the shipments.msnbc: Obama to order full review of FDA operations (February 2, 2009)CDC: Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Typhimurium 2008-2009 Washington Post: PB-Salmonella Sandwich Update (February 2, 2009) The outbreak was later linked to peanut butter produced by the company Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).Washington Post: PB-Salmonella Sandwich Update (February 2, 2009)

PCA does not sell peanut butter to directly to consumers; its product is sold to institutions such as schools and hospitals, and to companies who use its peanut butter in other products.The Washington Post: Peanut Butter Eyed as Source of Salmonella Outbreak (January 10, 2009) One such customer is Kellogg's.CNN: Kellogg Warns Not to Eat Its Peanut Butter Crackers (January 14, 2009)All products made during the last two years with peanuts processed at the PCA plant in Georgia have been recalled.Washington Post: FDA Investigating Peanut Company Behind Recall (January 31, 2009)

Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, stated for the first time by a public official, that the response for a recall came too late, adding: "you all have got to figure out some way to speed up the process." The comments came during a questioning by the agriculture committee on February 5, 2009.The Washington Post: Health Official Admits Faster Action... (February 5, 2009)

FDA, together with the Department of Justice, is opening a criminal investigation into Peanut Corporation of America, after it was found that the company knowingly shipped and sold peanut butter contaminated with salmonella in 2007 and 2008.Washington Post: PB-Salmonella Sandwich Update (February 2, 2009) President Barack Obama has announced he is ordering a review of FDA because it did not detect the shipments.msnbc: Obama to order full review of FDA operations (February 2, 2009)