Once again, peanut butter is in the news for all the wrong reasons – as opposed to all the right reasons it is usually in the news.
For those who have been living in a cave, a salmonella outbreak has led to the recall of nearly every product containing peanuts – peanut butter, peanut paste and Styrofoam packing peanuts.
Several news stories have suggested that the salmonella found in some products may be traced to animal feces, particularly bird feces.
And while I know what you’re thinking, Hey, at least they’re not charging us extra, the thought of bird crap in my food is a bit unsettling.
While every local news outlet is all over the story, teasing us with graphics of dead people stacked in piles outside peanut butter factories, they one question they seem to be glossing over is the one which seems to be right on the tip of my tongue…
How the hell does bird feces get into peanut butter?!
Well, this Scientific American article sheds some light on the question.
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.
Now companies are running scared trying to ensure their products are safe and more importantly, that consumers believe the products to be safe.
Several companies are stressing that salmonella has not been found in regular peanut butter jars that most people have in their homes.
Not so lucky if you happen to buy your peanut butter in industrial-sized containers like I do.
In 2007, a salmonella outbreak was traced to Peter Pan peanut butter.
Following a recall, the product’s maker, ConAgra, brought the peanut butter back to store shelves with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
A 100% satisfaction guarantee?
Yeah, that should resolve the whole deadly salmonella thing.
Desperate to avoid bad publicity with the current salmonella outbreak, ConAgra is launching a series of print ads this week to clarify that their product is safe.
* Note: Obviously, that isn’t a real ad.
Random stuff
I’ve been sick for much of the week, so look for Taking Up Space to update tomorrow sometime.
I’ll post back here when I’m done.
I had my best week ever in this week’s BlogToFit Wednesday Weigh-in.
(The new post should be up sometime Wed. morning).
Writer Dad is launching his bid to become the best writer on the net as he tries out some cool SEO tactics.
