The Human Cost of the Peanut Butter Recall Part Two
According to a Bloomberg report, over 100 companies, including Kellogg Company., The Kroger Co., and Unilever plc expect to post losses as a result of the Peanut Company of America debacle. Although it is not specified in the article, I presume these are mainly public companies who have statutory obligations to post information about their expected losses. A CNN report suggests, however, that the real cost may be far greater.
What CNN's story indicates is that even though there is no evidence to suggest that there is anything wrong with peanuts, peanut butter or peanut butter-based products sourced from anywhere other than PCA's facility, consumers are becoming extra cautious and in many cases avoiding peanut butter altogether. It quotes Dr. Douglas Powell, an associate professor at Kansas State University and the creator of the International Food Safety Network as well as the less formal but more memorably named Barfblog. Dr. Powell sympathized with the consumers who aren't buying peanut butter.
If you're a parent packing a lunch and you have all the hectic things going on in the morning, is it really realistic to say, hey, before you put that peanut snack cracker individually wrapped item into your kid's lunch, you're going to go onto the Internet and check a Web site? I think that's a bit much. I think it's prudent to avoid this stuff until we see where this is going.
I expressed similar sentiments in a recent blog entry, so I am not disagreeing with Dr. Powell. Certainly, no one should eat, or give to anyone else to eat, anything that about which they have reason to be concerned as to its safety.
The question is: what should responsible people be saying? The CNN report quotes from spokespeople for ConAgra Foods, the makers of Peter Pan peanut butter, and J.M. Smucker, the makers of Jif peanut butter, in each case describing how their peanut butter products do not and have not used products from PCA. As USA Today reports that PCA's Plainview, Texas plant is shut down after inspectors found salmonella there, and amidst reports we have already blogged about indicating that PCA's actions were exactly the sort that lead to criminal prosecutions, what is the responsible course for dealing with this crisis?
The 100 public companies Bloomberg referred are, I would ask you to remember, the mere tip of the iceberg. Peanut butter products are sold at every mom and pop grocery store, every convenience store, nearly anywhere that sells food. Kellogg's, I dare say, can absorb its losses. In these days when thousands are losing their jobs daily where there is no highly-publicized recall adding to the current economic woes, how many more will be thrown out of work because of lost sales of peanut butter products that are not subject to suspicion?
In subsequent entries, we will be exploring some of the legal consequences of product recalls, as affected buyers try to recover their losses up the distribution chain.
Lengthy List of Products NOT Affected By Peanut Butter Recall
UPDATE to "Avoiding the Panic" - The American Peanut Butter Council has a website that lists products it knows are UNAFFECTED by the peanut butter recall associated with the current Salmonella outbreak. The list of unaffected products is lengthy and growing. Lets hope the media is successful at assisting consumers avoid the panic by providing them with the information to consume safely the products they enjoy.
Peanut Butter - Avoiding The Panic
Marler Blog and some of the press have been sounding the alarm on all peanut butter products. True the FDA and CDC have been investigating a multi-state Salmonella outbreak and that there may be a connection with certain peanut butter products. But does this mean that consumers, restaurants and food sellers should avoid all peanut butter products? The answer is NO.
For example. the CDC has stated that:
Preliminary analysis of an epidemiologic study conducted by CDC and public health officials in multiple states comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has suggested peanut butter as a likely source of the bacteria causing the infections. To date, no association has been found with major national brand name jars of peanut butter sold in grocery stores.
One thing that any restaurant or food seller can do is to educate their customers about the safety of their products. CNN has a great article up today in their Consumer Tips section. Based on information available to date, the article provides the following guidance for the consumer:
1. Is it safe to make my child a peanut butter sandwich? The FDA says as of Sunday there is no indication that brand name peanut butter sold in grocery stores is linked to the outbreak.
2. What about the peanut butter served at schools? The peanut butter found to contain salmonella bacteria was made by the Peanut Corporation of America. They make peanut butter for institutional use in places like prisons, schools and nursing homes. As a precaution, the Peanut Corporation of America has recalled all peanut butter and peanut paste made in its Blakely, Georgia, plant. That means institutions should no longer be serving it.
3. What about other food made with peanut butter? Officials say for right now, hold off on eating foods that contain peanut butter or peanut paste. Peanut paste is found in commercially made cakes, candies, crackers, cookies and ice cream. The Kellog Co. announced a voluntary recall of 16 products, including Keebler and Famous Amos peanut butter cookies, because they contain peanut butter that could be connected to the Peanut Corporation of America.
4. How do I know if I have been infected by salmonella? According to the Centers for Disease Control, most people infected by salmonella bacteria develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after the infection. Most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases salmonellosis, as the infection is called, can be deadly. The infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and on to other body parts. Antibiotics need to be administered immediately. The elderly, infants and people with impaired immune systems are more likely to get seriously sick. If you think you may have infected with salmonella, go to the doctor immediately. The doctor can perform lab tests to determine if you have it.
To keep current on the list of products recalled as a result of the recall, sign-up for FDA email alerts and keep in close communication with suppliers.
