Killer Peanut Butter: What Can We do?

Coffee Brown, MD, University of New Mexico, for Talk Radio News Service

The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee examined the current salmonella outbreak as a bellwether for food safety in America. Noting that “This is the ninth time we’ve had to do this in two years,” Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) made clear that there will be new legislation in response. “It’s Upton Sinclair (”The Jungle”) all over again, 100 years later.”
There have been nine deaths – the ninth was reported during the hearing- and 600-800 illnesses attributed to the same source: the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). 1500 peanut based products have been added to the FDA’s recall list, and consumers are likely to shun even those peanut products which are not implicated, because it’s hard to know for sure. The cost in dollars and lost employment is not known.
Stupak said there were failures at every level, including oversight, monitoring, inspections, and lack of FDA authority, but he placed the blame squarely on PCA. He produced e-mails showing that Stewart Parnell, owner and president, was aware{, at least for 18 months prior to being sent out, that the lab tests showed salmonella.} of lab tests showing salmonella in the batch before he sent it out, and for at least 18 months prior.. Parnell and plant manager Sammy Lightsey both declined to answer questions, citing their fifth amendment rights. Stupak stated he had more evidence than could be made public, because of an ongoing criminal investigation of the matter by the Justice Department.
Families of the victims testified:
Jeff Almer’s mother beat cancer twice: “Cancer couldn’t claim her, but peanut butter did.” He further stated that we need a system that is proactive, not reactive.
Lou Tousignant’s father died after eating contaminated peanut butter. He presented an eloquent memorial DVD and list of recommendations very similar to those being considered.
Peter Hurley is a police officer and father of a three-year-old, Jacob, who was seriously ill for 11 days. His salmonella infection was proven by DNA match to be due to peanut butter snacks made from PCA products. “It was like they were playing Russian roulette with the very young and the elderly,” he said.
Rep John Dingell (D-MI), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is sponsoring the FDA Globalization Act, which would provide increased funding, authority, and responsibility for the FDA. It would empower the FDA to mandate recalls, increase some penalties, and add “other safety provisions.”
It came to light during the hearing, that surveillance studies (testing samples for contamination), are ordered at the discretion of the food manufacturers, and collected by them. The testing lab knows nothing about the sample except what the manufacturer tells them. There is also no requirement, or routine process, for reporting contaminated samples to any health agency. The bill by Dingell would address these types of issues.

Sound: Chairman Bart Stupak (D-MI): PCA peanut products had tested positive for salmonella at least 12 times since June 2007.

 

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