Minnesota May Have Saved Your Innards

Crusaders of old were willing to risk their lives

(NEWSER) - Ho-hum: Alfalfa sprouts sickened nearly 150 people earlier this month. Sadly, we've come to expect these kinds of outbreaks, writes Deborah Blum in Slate . What we need is a modern-day Harvey Washington Wiley, she suggests. He's the USDA scientist who created high-profile "poison squads" in the early 1900s, in which young volunteers taste-tested suspect food additives. 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»

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»

(NEWSER) - The plant in Georgia implicated in the latest salmonella outbreak knowingly sold peanut products even after its own tests turned up evidence of the bacteria, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The plant's internal labs showed evidence of salmonella 12 times in the past two years, but the company sold the products after an outside lab deemed them safe, say federal investigators. More»

(AP) - Federal health authorities today urged consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream, and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about a deadly outbreak of salmonella contamination. Most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appears to be safe. More than 470 people have gotten sick in 43 states, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths are blamed on the outbreak. More»