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Jan.
15, 2009 (BusinessPundit
delivered by Newstex) -- First there was a plain ol peanut butter recall, now its time for peanut butter
crackers to come off the shelves.
The
Washington Post reports: Cereal giant Kellogg has asked stores to stop
selling its popular Keebler and Austin brand peanut butter crackers, as
health officials reported two more deaths in the nationwide salmonella
outbreak that is linked to peanut butter. Kellogg, of Battle Creek, Mich., said
it hadnt received any complaints or discovered
any problems with the crackers, but took the action as a śprecautionary measure after one of its peanut paste
suppliers, Peanut Corp. of America, announced a nationwide recall of peanut
butter made in a Georgia plant. The crackers are Toasted Peanut Butter
Sandwich Crackers, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Crackers, Cheese and
Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sandwich
Crackers. The article says that the strain originated from a plant
belonging to a supplier named Peanut Corp. Peanut Corp. issued a statement
from its owner and president, Stewart Parnell, according to the AP. śWe deeply regret that this has happened, Parnell said.
śOut of an abundance of
caution, we are voluntarily withdrawing this produce and contacting our
customers. The strain of Salmonella found in the peanut butter, S. Typhimurium, is often found in uncooked meat and eggs,
according to a CDC quote in the article. How Does Peanut Butter, a
Processed Food, Get Salmonella In It?
Scientific American has an articleexplaining how salmonella makes its way into peanut
butter. Feces from some animal is a strong
possibility. A leak in the roof, for example, caused one of the early
outbreaks. How salmonella got into the water that was on the roof, no one
knows for sure. Maybe birds, for instance, which accumulate around peanut
butter processing plants. The roasting of peanuts is the only step that
will kill the salmonella. If contamination occurs after the roasting
process, the game is over and salmonella is going to survive. Studies have
shown that salmonella can survive for many months in peanut butter once its present. Fatty foods are also more protective of
salmonella, so when it gets into the acid of the stomach
” which is our first line of defense ” it may not get destroyed.
Peanut butter, being a highly fatty food, could survive better. How could
bird droppings leak into a food manufacturing plant? SciAm
says its because many plants are more than 30
years old. They were airtight when they opened, but not any more. They say
the FDA is a troublesome organization. Heres more
proof that it needs to get its act together. The corporation was probably
aware that its plant was old, but salmonella infesting peanut butter is
very rare, so they didnt think anything of it.
The regulatory organization, however, is tasked with ensuring that food
safety measures in its place. I hope that the FDA takes a hint from this
latest failure. Newstex ID: BPUN-0001-31079056
January
16, 2009
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