An Ohio peanut butter distributor issued a voluntary recall Saturday for two brands of peanut butter after health officials in Minnesota on Friday said they had found salmonella bacteria in a tub of peanut butter that is distributed to schools and hospitals.

The recall, and the Minnesota report, could be the breakthrough in the search for the source of a salmonella outbreak that has struck in 42 states so far.
Officials from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture issued a product warning Friday after preliminary laboratory testing indicated the presence of salmonella in a container of creamy peanut butter from King Nut, according to published reports.
Late Saturday, King Nut Companies of Solon, Ohio, announced it had issued a recall of all peanut butter distributed under its label and manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America, of Lynchburg, Va. The company also recalled its distribution of Parnell's Pride peanut butter, which is also made by Peanut Corporation, according to a prepared statement by King Nut.
King Nut, in its statement, said it took the action after salmonella was found in an open five-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter.
King Nut distributes peanut butter through food service accounts and does not sell it directly to consumers, the statement said.
""We are very sorry this happened,"" said Martin Kanan, president and chief executive officer of King Nut Companies. ""We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.""
Peanut Corporation of America issued its own statement on its Web site late Saturday, confirming ""the salmonella was found in an open container of King Nut peanut butter at a nursing facility"" in Minnesota.
The statement added, however, that the finding ""leaves open the possibility of cross-contamination from another source. PCA is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies to determine whether the current illness outbreak could be at all related to products made in the PCA facility.""
U.S. health officials had formed a task force last week to seek the source of the latest outbreak, which began last fall and so far has sickened 399 Americans, according to the latest numbers issued Friday by the CDC.
The strain of salmonella has been identified as Salmonella Typhimurium, the most common of the more than 2,500 types of salmonella bacteria in the United States. It's often found in uncooked eggs and meats, said officials with the CDC, who have been investigating the outbreak for several weeks.
""Cases are continuing to occur, and it is an ongoing investigation,"" Dr. Rajal Mody, a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, said earlier Friday. ""The first people began getting ill in September, but it usually takes several weeks before enough cases have been reported to start noticing a possible outbreak.""
Mody said he suspects a food item, possibly produce or a prepared packaged food.
(Source: HealthDay News)