Salmonella Scare Rattles Peanut County

Earlier Ga. salmonella scare also thought caused by rainwater

(NEWSER) - A leaky roof at the Peanut Corporation of America’s Georgia plant is seen as a possible culprit for the recent salmonella outbreak, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Not only is water necessary to activate salmonella, but rain could have washed salmonella-carrying bird droppings into the plant. “Allowing water to get into a dry processing environment would be like putting gas on a fire,” one expert said. More»

9 killed in outbreak; Peanut Corp cited in all 'clusters of infections'

(NEWSER) - Peanut-linked salmonella has sickened 666 people and counting, despite a massive food recall, Reuters reports. The illness has killed nine. “To date, 19 clusters of infections in five states have been reported in schools and other institutions,” said a health official. “King Nut brand peanut butter was present in all facilities.” King Nut and all tainted peanut butter has been traced to now-bankrupt Peanut Corporation of America. More»

(NEWSER) - The latest victim of the nationwide salmonella outbreak is the Peanut Corporation of America, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy today, the Lynchburg News & Advance reports. “Given the events of the past month, including the broad-based recalls, the company has no alternative but to cease operations,” a lawyer for the scandal-plagued firm said. More»

(NEWSER) - Nonfarm payrolls plunged 598,000 in January, the Labor Department announced today, bringing the total job losses to 3.6 million since the recession began in December 2007. The drop was significantly worse than analysts anticipated, and the worst since December 1974, the Wall Street Journal reports. The jobless rate jumped to 7.6% for the month, a 16-year high. Included in the report were revisions showing that the US lost about 3 million jobs last year, up from the 2.6 million previously estimated. More»

People warned to throw out packets in salmonella scare

(NEWSER) - FEMA food kits given to storm victims in Arkansas and Kentucky may have contained peanut butter contaminated with salmonella, CNN reports. The kits came from a company hit by a nationwide recall following a salmonella outbreak. FEMA warns that anyone who received a meal kit should immediately throw away any included packets of peanut butter. More»