More Putrid Peanut woes.. this time Texas.. All items from Texas plant recalled over salmonella

[SoCalDem]

http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/health/ny-hssalm1312457457feb13,0,870076.story



THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS - Texas health officials ordered the recall yesterday of peanut products from a plant operated by the company at the center of a national salmonella outbreak, days after tests indicated the likely presence of the bacteria there.

All products ever shipped from the Peanut Corp. of America plant in Plainview were recalled after the Texas Department of State Health Services said it found dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in a crawl space above a production area on Wednesday.

Recalls from the plant, which operated unlicensed and uninspected for nearly four years, are the latest bad news for the company being investigated over an outbreak that has sickened at least 636 people in 44 states and been linked to at least nine deaths. The number of New York cases rose to 28 yesterday. Federal investigators last month identified the firm's Blakely, Ga., processing plant as the source of the salmonella outbreak.

snip...

Texas inspectors also found the air handling system was pulling debris from the infested crawl space into production areas at the Plainview plant, which processes peanut meal, granulated peanuts and roasted peanuts. The plant, which shut voluntarily Monday, was also ordered to stop producing and distributing food products.

snip.....

Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

[murielm99]

1. The economy is trashed, the Constitution has been used

as toilet paper, and now we lose an all-American staple, peanut butter.

If I had grandchildren, I would be afraid to give them peanut butter or peanut products. Children are more susceptible than adults to becoming seriously ill from salmonella.

I have a suppressed immune system. Peanut products are out of the question for me, too.

I hate to blame every ill in the world on republicans, but we know they are behind this. As far as they are concerned, profits come before people. They allowed the inspection system to go to hell.

[Critters2]

2. Exactly! Uninspected and unlicensed for 4 years! Someone knew

that plant was there, buying peanuts and shipping them. Or they would have, with an adequate inspection apparatus in place.

[murielm99]

4. We have a friend who lives in a county close to yours.

He farms a small tract of land that my husband owns. (Only forty acres tillable). His full-time job is meat inspector.

This guy is close to retirement. He has always been proud of his job. Now he can't wait to retire. He says that new people have not been hired to replace many of those retiring. Those few who are hired are not properly trained. The people the feds send in to supervise simply stand around.

Even though we don't talk politics, I think this guy is a republican. He feels that the inspection process has been weakened by the people in power for the last eight years.

I know this is anecdotal, but he is the only meat inspector I know. I don't know much else about the industry. There is no reason not to believe him.

[alittlelark]

3. I am, for once, happy that I have an anaphalactic peanut allergy!

:silly:

[4lbs]

5. Skippy and JIF are still safe to eat. They aren't affiliated with Peanut Corp.

Skippy is distributed from Alameda after being made in Little Rock, AR by Unilever, and JIF is part of the Smucker's brand, made in Lexington, KY.

I ate some Skippy peanut butter earlier this week. No problems.

[Critters2]

7. It's at moments like this that I get nervous about house brands.

Ever since the pet food recall, when nearly every grocery store "private label" dog or cat food was on the recall list, I've pretty much stayed away from foods that say "distributed by..." on the label. If they won't tell me who manufactured it, I won't buy it. More expensive, yes. But I'll bet treatment for salmonella costs a pretty penny. If you survive to get the bill.

[4lbs]

8. True. A lot of the tainted products were found here at my locale in cheaper, smaller stores,

like 99 cent stores.

JIF, owned by Smucker's, is made in their Lexington, Kentucky plant.

Skippy, was owned Rosefield Packing Co., now Unilever. It is made in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The can of Skippy I bought here in Southern Cal was distributed from the Alameda warehouse.

[vaberella]

6. Why are these people trying to kill us?! And people wonder why others don't by American.

Fuck..and I love peanut and raisin snacks.