Salmonella outbreak prompts demands for more scrutiny of food processing plants

Following the deadly Peanut Corporation of America salmonella outbreak that killed 9 and sickened 691 across 46 states, the article examines calls for comprehensive food safety reform. Cheri Markos, a Shoreline, Washington chiropractor, received a warning letter from Kellogg's about contaminated peanut butter sandwich crackers purchased at Costco—but only after she'd already consumed them. The outbreak prompted recalls of over 3,000 products, with Kellogg's forced to recall both Austin and Keebler cracker brands. Marler criticizes how big-box retailers like Costco and Walmart force distributors to cut corners through price pressures. He calls private food safety audits a "bad joke," as microbiologist Mansour Samadpour notes scores are unreasonably high. Despite Kellogg's auditor rating the PCA Georgia plant "SUPERIOR" in March 2008, federal investigators later found it dripped rainwater and stored peanuts unsanitarily. President Obama blamed the FDA, stating "we should be able to count on our government keeping our kids safe when they eat peanut butter."