F.D.A. Critical of Peanut Butter Plant
The plant in Georgia that produced the tainted peanut butter tied to a deadly, nationwide salmonella outbreak had reason to believe that some batches of its products were contaminated with strains of the bacteria but shipped them anyway, federal officials said.
The company that owns the plant, the Peanut Corporation of America, based in Lynchburg, Va., had found on at least 12 occasions in 2007 and 2008 that samples of its peanut butter and peanut paste contained salmonella, the Food and Drug Administration said. But rather than destroy the tainted batches and take other remedial action, the agency said, the company in some instances sought out additional tests from private laboratories. When those additional tests came back negative, the company shipped out the products to manufacturers across the country, the agency said.
Agency officials said that the company should have cleaned its facilities after its discoveries, and called its decision to ship the contaminated products a violation of good manufacturing practices. The agency is expected to post the findings of its investigation on its Web site on Wednesday.
If this is the standards for the peanut industry then how do we know all peanut butter isn’t bad? Just because they haven’t been caught yet? 43 states are reporting salmonella in peanut products. If we boycot all peanut butter we will force the peanut butter industry to beg for regulation and testing. Any industry that ignores the health and safety of the consumer deserves punishment.
#31, gm,
Say, you’re working with crab meat. You are charged with eliminating listeria entirely from your plant …
Everyday plants package crab meat as well as thousands of other food products in listeria free environments. If you are incapable of properly cleaning the facility then maybe you should find another line of work. Don’t give me the crap “well, it is endemic, we can’t eradicate it”.
Since you worked in Quality Control maybe you understand a little history. 40 years ago some Ford executive decided that the placement of the gas tank would remain where it was even though it could explode if rear ended. A study was conducted on the cost / benefit of lives lost vs the cost of retooling for safety.
Well, the problem came about that some passengers in one of those cars were rear ended. They weren’t killed. They were horribly burned though. And they sued. And they won big, real big. When the Appeal Court handed down their decision they were quite explicit in condemning the concept that people’s lives could be reduced to numbers on a balance sheet.
In short, if you aren’t competent to do the job then get out of the way and let someone that can do it. It is too hard is not a legal defense.
#31, gm,
The best stuff is never made in a sterile environment only relatively sterile.
Oh, really? For an example let us take your yogurt. Yes, it does have bacteria in it. Specific bacteria though. It is not some random salmonella or typhus. Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are the two most common yogurt cultures. If another bacteria is added the culture would spoil and the yogurt would be bad.
Beer? You want to add something besides the yeast to the batch? Ya right, Either you don’t drink beer or don’t care what you do drink.
Home canning? I’ve been canning my own fruits for several years now. The only, and I said ONLY one I’ve ever lost is ONE jar of spaghetti sauce that lost its seal. But I follow the recommended instructions for home canning. Of course my kitchen doesn’t meet health standards of cleanliness. But then my preserves are not for sale; I, along with my family eat them.
I was going to stick my tongue firmly in my cheek and write something like:
“See? This proves that de-regulation is the way to go and the Free Market will correct all ills and – – – oh, wait…”
But someone beat me to it when # 12 Dave W said, in part:
“The last time an industry cried out for regulation, we got the Pure Food and Drug Act, with all the damage it has caused over the past century or so.”
Yes, damage like the millions of kids who made it to adulthood because they weren’t fed contaminated, watered-down, laced-with-chalk (or melamine) milk.
He added:
“Better would be ongoing testing and certification by a well respected testing firm. Publish the most recent results on your label.”
I’m sure the labs where the company sent samples of their contaminated batches for a clean bill of health are “well respected,” at least by companies to whom profits are paramount.
I’m not arguing that profits are evil; selling for profit is part of human nature; commerce is as old as language; but squeezing out an extra 0.0043% at the cost of avoidable sickness and death is.
the world is a scary place greed and ignorance rule for now ….but i have been a total vegi for 45years yes 45years time to watch and change harry