Peanut Butter Recalled in Salmonella Scare

Firm linked to salmonella outbreak suspends operations at 2nd facility

(AP) - The peanut company at the center of an investigation into a deadly national salmonella outbreak said today that it has suspended operations at a second processing plant. Peanut Corp. of America said in a statement that it was voluntarily suspending operations at its Plainview, Texas, plant while state and federal health officials complete an investigation into procedures and food-safety records there. More»

Preplanned inspections, loose oversight kept company in business

(NEWSER) - Angry salmonella victims and their families are asking how the government missed the Peanut Corporation of America's flagrant health violations that killed eight people, reports the New York Times. The company and government inspectors overlooked rodents, leaky roofs and lukewarm roasters, while minimum-wage temporary workers paid little attention to health code procedures, according to reports. More»

CDC shows plateau in food sickenings over the last three years

(NEWSER) - The safety of the US food supply from disease or contamination has not significantly improved in recent years, the New York Times reports today. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that occurrences of major illnesses from tainted food have held steady for the past 3 years, with a statistically insignificant rise in salmonella infections. More»

Food poisoning outbreaks traced back to dangers cut-price auditors missed

(NEWSER) - The job of monitoring America's food plants is falling more and more to private inspectors who often miss hazards, a New York Times investigation finds. Plants hire such auditors to reassure customers and reduce liability, but the companies often pick the cheapest and least rigorous audits available. Some of the largest food poisoning outbreaks in recent years can be traced to plants where private auditors failed to spot problems. More»

(NEWSER) - A third of US states do not require testing of the salmonella bacteria involved in reported illnesses, possibly hampering national efforts to identify outbreaks, MSNBC reports. If testing were mandatory, proponents say, a strain’s widespread dissemination could be more quickly identified and the source more easily pinpointed. But states without mandatory testing say their methods are just as effective and more economical. More»