Peanut Recall is Total

There is a new sheriff in town and it looks like the food industry realizes that it is not the same as it was when it comes to food safety. We all have ample evidence that the FDA under Bush never bothered to look into problems with food safety very seriously or at all. The good news is that there are signs that industry knows it's a different environment now that Obama is in the White House. You would not have seen the following in a Bush administration.

The Peanut Corp. of America has recalled all peanuts and peanut products processed at its Blakely, Ga., facility since Jan. 1, 2007.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the expanded recall includes all lots that begin with the number 7, 8 or 9 of dry and oil roasted peanuts and peanut butter, paste, meal and granules. Previously, PCA announced a recall of only peanut butter and peanut paste.

The Georgia PCA plant, which sells its products to institutional and industrial users for service in large institutions or for further processing by other companies, has been identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak that has resulted in the death of eight people and more than 500 cases of illness. PCA does not sell peanuts or peanut products directly to consumers in stores.