State Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo said today there have been no salmonella cases in Hawai'i linked to a national warning that says an outbreak of salmonella cases on the Mainland may be tied to contaminated peanut butter.

There have been three confirmed cases of salmonella recently in Hawai'i, but the sources of the illness have not been determined, she said

"At this time we cannot say that any of the cases here were caused by peanut butter," she said today.

Federal health authorities today urged consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about the deadly outbreak of salmonella contamination.

Most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appears to be safe, said Stephen Sundlof, head of the Food and Drug Administration's food safety center.

"As of now, there is no indication that the major national name-brand jars of peanut butter sold in retails stores are linked to the recall," Sundlof told reporters in a conference call.

Officials are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Its peanut butter is not sold directly to consumers but distributed to institutions and food companies. But the peanut paste, made from roasted peanuts, is an ingredient in cookies, cakes and other products that people buy in the supermarket.