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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 01/29/2009 : 02:09:11
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In a case of alleged "lab shopping," the Peanut Corporation of America first had deadly salmonella bacteria detected by one lab, but instead of destroying the contaminated batches or cleaning up its plant, it instead just had another laboratory test the material. When the second lab conveniently reported no contamination, the peanut products were shipped to distributors.
As a result 502 people became ill from Salmonella food poisoning, and eight died.
[Edit: Corrected "Peanut Company of America" to Peanut Corporation of America.]
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/30/2009 17:55:08
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2009 : 10:02:30 [Permalink]
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Wow... that's bad.
It must also go against their own good practice chart.
And, I am a bit surprised about how the second lab might have missed it, unless purposely... |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2009 : 10:19:55 [Permalink]
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Sounds like we need to line up the guilty party(ies) for lunch, and hand them a picnic basket full of
peanut butter sandwiches to eat. See how they'd feel then being on the receiving end of the stick.
Hard to imagine how culpable they are with all these illnesses and death. Am sure there will be quite a bit
of jail time to go around. And rightfully so. |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 21:40:40 [Permalink]
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Just to show how vast the problem that has been created by just this one peanut product company, here's the FDA's list of recalled retail products. Notice that all those companies either had no testing process of their own -- or else they sent their purchased peanut products to labs like the one the Peanut Corporation of America used as their "second-chance" testing lab.
The American Peanut Council has published a shorter list of products that aren't affected by the recall.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/30/2009 21:46:17 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 00:59:41 [Permalink]
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Excellent! Skippy is "safe."
I note that Peter Pan is on the safe list, too, but it hasn't re-appeared on my local store shelves since it was recalled two years ago or so, and I was forced to switch brands. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 02:04:02 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Excellent! Skippy is "safe." |
Yeah, unless that "safe" list is made up mainly of untested (or "retested") peanut products. If one company has been this cavalier with the health of millions, it's virtually unimaginable to me that others haven't as well. But of course I'm sure you are thinking of this, too.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 06:06:05 [Permalink]
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Maybe I should still pass on the peanuts 'n prunes "Mega De-Stresser" bar.
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"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 11:38:37 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Randy
Maybe I should still pass on the peanuts 'n prunes "Mega De-Stresser" bar.
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Or at least get the pruneless version. You won't need those.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 12:32:31 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Excellent! Skippy is "safe."
I note that Peter Pan is on the safe list, too, but it hasn't re-appeared on my local store shelves since it was recalled two years ago or so, and I was forced to switch brands.
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Most, if not all store bought peanut butter and products made from peanuts are safe. And that was true from the beginning of this crisis. The bummer is that this companies peanuts went to processors that supply hospitals, nursing homes, school cafeteria products and, you know, almost target the most vulnerable and least likely to be able to fight off salmonella poisnining.
They should have their ass handed to them, but they are not close to being the only peanut distributor in America. |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 12:40:14 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Originally posted by Dave W.
Excellent! Skippy is "safe." |
Yeah, unless that "safe" list is made up mainly of untested (or "retested") peanut products. If one company has been this cavalier with the health of millions, it's virtually unimaginable to me that others haven't as well. But of course I'm sure you are thinking of this, too.
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Sure, but it's not in the best interest of the company or the companies they serve to poison people. The company that did this was selling to companies that mostly deal in institutional or store brands. They look for the cheapest supplies available. And that is what they got. Salmonella and all.
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 15:06:12 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Kil
Most, if not all store bought peanut butter and products made from peanuts are safe. And that was true from the beginning of this crisis. |
Yes, this time around. The last time, it pretty much began and ended with just Peter Pan retail products.
And that's what's worrisome. I don't remember any salmonella peanut butter contaminations prior to Feb 14, 2007. And now we've had two in the last two years. Why? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 23:30:06 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
And that's what's worrisome. I don't remember any salmonella peanut butter contaminations prior to Feb 14, 2007. And now we've had two in the last two years. Why?
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Coincidence? |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 23:41:24 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Simon
Coincidence? |
When peanut butter is a major part of your diet, coincidence isn't good enough. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2009 : 03:06:51 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Originally posted by Simon
Coincidence? |
When peanut butter is a major part of your diet, coincidence isn't good enough.
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Simply put, FDA inspectors should have been crawling all over every peanut processing plant since the 2007 outbreak. Instead, PCA apparently felt it was safely profitable for them to go for re-dos once Salmonella turned up in their own testing. And then not report the positive tests to the FDA or to their clients.
If Peanut Corporation of America felt that such a awful behavior was practical, it means two things: 1) PCA cares far more for immediate profit than for the lives of kids, and 2) they were relying upon the fact that the Federal inspection process is broke.
Peanut butter, when it is produced wholesomely, is a very good, protein-filled food, both cheap and tasty. Millions eat peanut products (or did) every day.
I'm hopeful that at least manslaughter charges will be brought against PCA officials, and perhaps against their "lab of last resort." (Of course, it's possible the lab is innocent. PCA might have sent that lab only clean samples not from contaminated batches, just to have good tests on the record.)
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2009 : 07:01:25 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Originally posted by Simon
Coincidence? |
When peanut butter is a major part of your diet, coincidence isn't good enough.
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But, until further information comes up, the skeptical thing to do is to suppose that the two events are independent and that their propinquity is merely a coincidence... |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
| Edited by - Simon on 02/02/2009 08:58:21 |
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Peanut company ships after contamination found
