Posted: February 26th, 2009 - 10:04am by Doug Powell

Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of food safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the national salmonella outbreak linked to more than 2,600 peanut products could last as long as two years, adding,

“We’re really concerned. This is not over yet.”

That’s because peanut products, seemingly harmless as they linger in homes and the marketplace, can have a relatively long shelf life, officials said.

The national outbreak has now sickened 666 people in 45 states and is suspected of causing at least nine deaths.