Found A Peanut

Remember that song, Found a Peanut? Where you find it, eat it, it was rotten, got sick, called the doctor, died anyway? Yeah. Who knew it could be a morality lesson?

At least 8 people dead, hundreds sickened, from salmonella-tainted peanut butter that was distributed to manufacturers of everything from toddlers nutrition bars to ice cream. And now, the worst news of all: it should have come as no surprise to the owners and management of the plant in Georgia, because they not only knew their plant was riddled with salmonella (among other things), they actively tried to sell the paste they made that they knew was contaminated. Aside from there being a special place in hell reserved for those folks, there is now a call for a criminal investigation into the plant. At the minimum, these people deserve to be charged with negligent homicide for the people who died.

It's time for us to remember our past: Upton Sinclair wrote a book in 1906 that exposed the meat packing industry in our country, The Jungle . At that time, the conditions within the plants themselves, the sanitation of the meat, and the treatment of the workers themselves were all beyond today's ability to comprehend. Rotten meat was sometimes dyed red and sold to unsuspecting customers, the filth was unchecked, and no one was paying attention. The publication of his book led to legislation requiring sanitary conditions in factories and also led to great reforms within the labor movement.

Currently, the FDA has no ability to shut down manufacturers who do not meet minimum cleanliness standards. That needs to change, immediately. If a city can padlock the doors on a restaurant for unsafe food conditions, why can't the FDA? They have no ability to call for mandatory recalls of unsafe products, either, though mostly producers agree because the liability is so high once word gets out.

It is incredible to me that we can no longer even feel safe about purchasing peanut butter for our children without the fear that it could have a bacteria that comes from animal's intestinal tract. One of the products affected by the voluntary recall was labeled "organic". I guess, if you count poop, mold and deadly bacteria as an organic substances. We can't rely on manufacturers to police themselves, no more than we can rely on Wall Street, mondo corporations and lenders to do so. And frankly, there's no better place to start than the safety of the food supply.

As an aside, this whole food chain supply issue is a large reason why our family subscribes to a CSA farm. The bulk of the meat and eggs we eat is from the farm: pasture-fed beef, heirloom pork, and truly free range chicken and eggs. Nutritionally, these products are far superior to what is sold in the grocery store - "elevated concentrations of beta-carotene and a-tocopherol, increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a more desirable omega-3:omega-6 ratio, and increased levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)". The theory suggests that in part the conversion from family farm to factory farm has contributed significantly to heart disease in this country because the natural sources of these critical fatty acids have evaporated.

An old friend once told me he became a vegan after reading The Jungle in junior high. Read if for yourself, and while I don't advocate veganism (because it's twigs and berries and life is too short for that), it wouldn't hurt for you to think about where you food is coming from and, more importantly, where it's been.

My Inaugural Entry

At the suggestion of some Facebook friends, I have created an outlet for my frequent opinions, occasional outrages, and general observations. I wrote a weekly opinion column for several years in college - it will be interesting to see if I can keep this up with any degree of regularity.

Today was, well, filled with new experiences. But not like skydiving or trying sushi- more like, getting a catheter or contracting e coli. I had both kids home all day, due to ice and snow, and Declan (the baby) became an opportunist.

While I was putting Cian (the 3-yr-old) down for a theoretical nap/forced confinement, Declan moved some barricades around the end table and nabbed my Starbucks-Venti-Iced-Mocha-8 pumps-Light Ice-Whole Milk-With Whip and poured it all over himself and the floor. I found him in a puddle on the hardwood floor, sucking the end of the straw and licking his hands joyfully.

After I stripped him down, I put him in San Quentin Playpen and started mopping. A couple of minutes later, I notice something large and green hanging out of Declan's mouth: GAH! It's the toy lizard Cian got at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday with the babysitter - one of those squeezy, bulgy things that seems to stretch endlessly. It does, however, have a weakness: baby fangs. Declan had punctured it, and fluid was leaking out of it. Panic ensues, poison control is called, pediatrician is called, nurse practitioner friend gets cornered when she makes the mistake of calling during aforementioned panic. And before you roll your eyes at my panic, let me say: the thing was made in CHINA. Yes, home of melamine formula, toxic paint and lead filled jewelry.

As an aside, poison control was pretty worthless. I sort of expect more from a trained professional than, "Well, we don't know what's in it. Just watch him." Oh, I feel so much better now. Thanks for the game plan.

I've never had to call poison control before, since Cian has never been one to eat random objects. Declan, on the other hand, thinks anything can be food if it can fit in his mouth. He ate an entire business card last month...nothing left but a teensy soggy crumb. I foresee lots of calls to poison control in the years to come, in spite of their underwhelming performance today.

All's well that ends well, I suppose. Someone told me one time that as a stay at home mom of little children, my sole responsibility was to have living children at the end of each day. In that respect, today was successful. It's small praise, but I'll take it.