Grenadians have been urged to discard their Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter products following an outbreak of food borne illness linked to contamination with salmonella Tennessee.

Thousands of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter products were recalled from the shelves of shops and supermarkets last week after the Grenada Bureau of Standards confirmed that approximately five people in Grenada were hospitalized and reports from the region indicate that more than 60 people in Trinidad suffered the same fate.

The alert on the two products was first raised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which recently broadened its warning against eating Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter, some of which is contaminated by Salmonella bacteria.

Last week, the FDA in the United States warned consumers against eating peanut butter from jars of the two brands with a product code starting with "2111" on the lid of the jar. The FDA also asked consumers to discard all Peter Pan peanut butter purchased after May 2006. It did not change its warning regarding Great Value.

The agency also said it has identified 290 people in 39 States, including Texas, who have become sick as a result of eating the tainted peanut butter. Jars with the "2111" product code prefix were found in Fort Bend County stores. Those jars have since been pulled from local grocers' shelves.

Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, the FDA said. People in poor health or with weakened immune systems can contract life threatening infections due to Salmonella exposure.

Anyone who has recently consumed these products and has experienced any of the above symptoms, should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately.

Manufacturers of the products - ConAgra Foods are said to be destroying all affected products in their possession. The company reported that it will cease production until the exact cause of contamination can be identified and eliminated.