Omnivore Atlanta

A bill was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday that would give the FDA much greater oversight on where food additives come from, what they go into, and who violates cleanliness standards along the way.

The legislation is a response to the salmonella outbreak due to contaminated peanuts that left nine dead earlier this year. Inspectors found that a Georgia plant for the Peanut Corporation of America had not been inspected for seven years, and that the company had not disclosed contaminants when they found them in their products.

Under the new bill, the FDA will charge every food facility $1000 to pay for the new system of checks. Private laboratories used to test products will report to the governmental agency, and manufacturers and handlers will have to identify and document contamination risks. The hope is that the FDA will be able to trace any product from source to a consumer’ stomach — the lack of such ability was one of the major issues in the recent salmonella outbreak.

(Photo by Alice Welch)

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This just in from the FDA:

Dekalb Farmers Market announced today that it is voluntarily recalling ROASTED SALTED PISTACHIO WHOLE KERNELS, sold from their retail store located in GA. The pistachios may be part of the recall by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. due to contamination with the Salmonella organism.

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At least 453 people nationwide have gotten sick from salmonella-tainted peanut butter and five have died, according to Bloomberg.com. The offending peanut butter was made in Georgia, apparently:

The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration are focusing their investigation on a Blakely, Georgia, plant where closely held Peanut Corp. of America makes peanut butter and peanut paste. Kellogg Co. and King Nut Cos. halted sales of products made from Peanut Corp. ingredients this week. Officials urged 32 companies supplied by Peanut Corp. to take similar precautions.

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NPR’s “Morning Edition” featured a piece about salmonella and tomatoes this morning:

McDonald’s “Big N’ Tasty” sandwich is a little smaller Tuesday, and the Chicken Ranch BLT has temporarily lost its “T.” Tomatoes are under scrutiny as the possible culprit in a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 145 people in more than a dozen states.

Federal health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of the contamination, and in the meantime, several restaurant chains, including McDonald’s and Chipotle Mexican Grill, have stopped using fresh tomatoes altogether as a precaution. Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie and other supermarkets have also pulled some types of tomatoes from their produce aisles.

You can read or listen to the whole report here. The report also includes tips from the FDA for avoiding poisonous tomatoes.

(Image from Tomatoes Are Evil.)

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In fact, don’t even touch ‘em. You could get salmonella poisoning, according to the CDC.

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