Peanut Corporation of America Knew About Salmonella and Continued Shipments

According to an FDA report, Peanut Corporation of America has been aware of salmonella contamination of its products since 2007.

The company's own internal testing program detected strains of the bacteria 12 times from 2007-2008 in peanut paste, peanut butter, peanut meal, peanut granules and oil-roasted, salted peanuts. Most troubling was the fact that "after the firm retested the product and received a negative status, the product was shipped." Other findings at the plant include mildew growth and cockroach infestation.

According to the investigators, "no steps were taken in terms of cleaning or cross-contamination," allowing the spread of an outbreak that has sickened 502 people and been linked to 8 deaths. According to the National Peanut Board, the average American consumes over 6 pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products per year.

The list of recalled products now exceeds 300, and consumers are urged to dispose of any items whose safety is in question.

"'The outbreak highlights how food production has become more centralized,' said Jaydee Hanson, a policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety. 'The peanuts come from a variety of farms, then are processed at a central location into ingredients disbursed for use in many products,' he said."
Source: CNN

As a result of the investigation, the PCA plant shut down production on January 9, and this week laid off most all but three of its 46 workers.

Peanut Butter, Too!

Yet another thing to watch out for... The FDA has tracked the source of the recent Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak to Peanut Corporation of America, based in Blakely, Georgia. Many people might not recognize the name and ignore the news, but this company actually produces enormous quantities of peanut butter and peanut paste that go into processed foods produced by Keebler, Sam's Choice, Austin Quality Foods and Little Debbie, to name just a few.

You might be surprised as you read the FDA's recalled product list that even Walmart Bakery, H-E-Buddy, NutriSystem and Trader Joe's make an appearance. And all of this from a single production plant – you can't say it's not efficient...

You may want to scan that pantry one more time.

One Step At a Time

Every year I go through a meditative period, where I evaluate all my past and present goals and determine which ones are worth keeping. I narrow my list and focus on those that are aligned with my beliefs. And although sustainability and the pursuit of health and fitness have been my priority for many years, I am always looking for the next physical challenge. It keeps thing interesting and gives me the opportunity to set new personal records.

This year our good friends, Tom and Maxine Yunker, have inspired us to take on the new challenge of running our first marathon. Tom and Maxine have been avid runners for some time, and as the subject came up frequently, it awakened a desire within us to start running.

Early this month we bought our running shoes and gear. We found a training plan that matched our fitness levels and started a 10 week preliminary training program. The goal during these 10 weeks is to be able to run for 30 continuous minutes at a comfortable pace, and build endurance for the 18 week training program that follows.

We have been working out for many years, but during all this time running has never been my cardiovascular exercise of choice. I would always gravitate towards the elliptical machines or the recumbent bicycles, both of which allowed me to log some reading time...a multi-tasker's dream come true!

During my first run I understood the overwhelming challenge ahead of me, as my body protested with every stride. However, I knew from the start that it was going to take time and persistence to get me through the workouts.

After completing my first 2 weeks I felt I had made great progress. I was feeling charged up and motivated, until Adrian burst my bubble, saying "Keep it up, at this pace you'll finish the marathon by dinner time!"

I know that this new challenge will change my life. I will be testing my personal limits, as well as my threshold for fear and pain, in ways that I have never experienced before. Here's to a new level of personal achievement.

Memories of the Fall

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.

– Edwin Way Teale

Autumn was a time for deep introspective thoughts and recovery. We had just emerged from the dark days following Hurricane Ike, and I was feeling gloomy. A lot of conflicting internal dialogs took place during the following months. I questioned the quality of my life, the changes that we had embraced since we started this journey and the reasons and motivations behind the decisions that took us here.

There was a point when I felt I was ready to give up. After the storm, a week without electricity and food had made a lasting dent in my psyche. Adrian, whom I had thought was the most likely to break down in situations like this, was the pillar that held us together. He supported me through every one of those difficult times.

Once we move past those dreadful days, life started looking a little brighter. The change in season brought a new palate of colors, textures and flavors to enjoy. It was a wonderful time to experience the market – the cooler weather brought out many people and each vendor seemed ready to roll out new surprises every week. Seeing and trying the different varieties of gourds, pumpkins, carrots, eggplant and radishes available felt like a splurge. Fuyu persimmons and pomegranates were our fruits of choice. We bought 6-8lbs. of persimmons every week to dehydrate, making our own dried fruit snacks. None of us could get enough of the sweet and tasty flavor.

We also visited some friends at their farms: Cas and Gita Vanwoerden at Animal Farm, Cathy Sullivan at Happy Heart Family Farm and Carlos Meltzer and Sharon Siehl who coordinate an elementary school garden at Recipe for Success...all fascinating people who are inspirational to our community.

Finally, we managed to escape to The Big Apple during Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting museums, parks and landmarks. For our Thanksgiving meal we ate some delicious RAW food at Pure Luck Food and Wine restaurant, and we even got to talk to restaurateur Sarma Melngailis herself.

I was so inspired by Sarma and her philosophy on living foods that upon our return to Houston, I started to incorporate more raw dishes into our weekly menus. We can't get too experimental yet because we are limited by what is at the market, but it's safe to say that this family of carnivores is slowly transitioning to a more vegetarian diet.

A light, mid-December snow flurry helped us say farewell to autumn, and eased us into the winter season.

* Photo by Anna Katerina Arroyos.