Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 2/2/2009 11:29:55 AM (GMT-5)

FDA helped unleash salmonella-laced peanuts on public

Do you know why the FDA is in charge of keeping America's food supply safe?

Because no other nation would have them.

That's the thought I'm left with after learning… and this was no big surprise… that the FDA played a larger role than we thought in allowing a salmonella outbreak to sweep through the nation, sickening hundreds and possibly killing 8 people.

I knew there would be more to this story.

By now you know that the salmonella outbreak has been tied to Peanut Corp.'s peanut processing facility in Georgia. I was surprised that our normally-bungling FDA was able to identify the source so quickly. Now I know why.

It turns out that the FDA knew for nine months that there were unsanitary practices going on at this facility. Nine months!

You see, Peanut Corp. tried to ship some peanuts into Canada back in April 2008. The shipment was rejected for having a "filthy, putrid or decomposed substance," and ended up in the FDA's possession.

They never tested it. After some back and forth with Peanut Corp., the FDA decided it had some serious concerns about the adequacy of the company's testing practices. It destroyed the shipment… and that was it.

No follow up. No testing of the rejected food. No asking Peanut Corp. to stop selling products until it got conditions at its plant back under control.

The FDA did what it does best. It got out of the way. It let a company that wasn't producing food suitable for Canadians keep selling to Americans.

And the story isn't over. It seems like every day the number of sick increases, and a new batch of products is recalled. Meanwhile, the FDA wants us to believe they're on top of the problem.

They're more than on top of the problem – they're party to blame for it.

 Don't count on food conglomerates or the FDA to look out for your health and safety. Buy locally and grow your own food when you can. Folks who do those two things always seem to come out of these public health messes just fine.

I buy as much organic as i can, If you don't buy the organics it will disappear from the shelves. Vote with your buying power.

Good news, bad news with new online salmonella resource

If there's one thing the FDA is good at – and this may be the only thing – it's documenting its own incompetence. After monumentally fouling something up, the FDA often does a nice job of helping folks like us understand the scope of the agency's incompetence.

The FDA has created a pretty useful online tool where you can see exactly which products have been recalled because of the salmonella scare. Maybe you've just been avoiding peanut butter and trying to ride this thing out, but there are now more than 125 products on the recall list – and some of them may be sitting in your home.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/8s3mwr and you'll see the complete list, even separated by product type.

It's a nice resource, and the FDA owes us that at least. As I told you a few days ago, news has surfaced that the FDA knew about the unsanitary conditions at Peanut Corp.'s Georgia processing facility for 10 months and let them keep selling peanut products.

That facility has now been linked to the salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds in more than 40 states, and may even be responsible for several deaths.

So, anyway, thanks to the FDA for a useful resource… you should check it out right away. It's just a shame they had to unleash a public health crisis in order to bring it to us.