NUTS! SH*T! TOGETHER!

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DON'T EAT PISTACHIOS: THEY HAVE RATSH*T IN THEM

MMMMMMM RATSH*T!



Let's See How Obama Handles Food Safety (Couldn't Be Any Worse Than Bush)

So far, so good. They're at least PRETENDING they know the source of the poisoned nut products. But do they? Or is this just the beginning of yet another endless round of bullsh*t? It took Bushco and his corporate masters six months to a year to respond to the poisoned tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, etc. How long before the Democrats sort this out? Is their response so far just bullsh*t? Ratsh*t plus bullsh*t, bad combo.

The food industry is running scared. Having lost billions in previous food poisoning scandals, they are finally beginning to recognize that food safety is in their own best interest. After years of railing against "government regulation," some food companies are now asking for more inspections, and a more robust food safety system. How far this will get once the Republicans and Blue Dog conservative Democrats in Congress get involved is up to you, the voter.

Let your representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House know that you want your food supply secured, right now. Don't wait until you get sick, get arthritis, or lose a child, a senior or a person already in poor health, just because of poorly-inspected foods: Hundreds of thousands are sickened, and nobody knows how many of them die every year from food-borne pathogens in the United States of America. Food safety is do-able. But we're just not doing it. Demand that we do.


CONTACTING THE CONGRESS
"Online Directory for the 111th Congress"
Please write your representatives in Washington today: Just input your zip code.

WHITEHOUSE.GOV
"CONTACT US"
Let the new Administrationknow how you feel about food safety.

YAHOO NEWS
"FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare"
At least they're not waiting until people die, this time.

' Federal food safety officials warned Monday that consumers should stop eating all foods containing pistachios while they figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination. Because Setton Pistachio shipped tote bags of nuts weighing up to 2,000 pounds to 36 wholesalers across the country, it will take weeks to figure out how many products could be affected, said Jeff Farrar, chief of the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Public Health. "It will be safe to assume based on the volume that this will be an ingredient in a lot of different products, and that may possibly include things like ice cream and cake mixes," Farrar said. "The firm is already turning around trucks in transit to bring those back to the facility." Salmonella, the most common cause of food-borne illness, is a bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever and cramping. Most people recover, but the infection can be life-threatening for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. For nuts, roasting is supposed to kill the bacteria. But problems can occur if the roasting is not done correctly or if roasted nuts are re-contaminated. That can happen if mice, rats or birds get into the facility. '

CNN
"FDA: Hang on to your pistachios"
Are they fixing the underlying problems, or not?

' If you have a stash of pistachios in your house, pistachio ice cream in your freezer or trail mix in your backpack, don't eat any of it. Wait until an inquiry into possible salmonella contamination is further along, advises FDA Associate Commissioner David Acheson. He said the FDA is "ahead of the curve" in the current investigation. "I want to emphasize that this recall was not triggered because of an outbreak, in contrast to some of the previous situations, for example, like the peanuts where people were getting sick and it was determined that peanuts, peanut butter was the likely cause," Acheson said. "This is a situation that the recall is being triggered because of ... action taken on the part of the food industry," he added. "What we're doing here is getting out ahead of the curve. It's a proactive approach by the FDA and the California Department of Health." Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the advocacy organization Center for Science in the Public Interest, had a mixed reaction to Acheson's comments. "I think it's partly the case," Cronin said. "It's good that the FDA is proactively issuing advice to consumers." But "this still begets the question of 'how did this contamination happen in the first place?' Is this an isolated problem, or are we going to be hearing the same kind of horror stories that we heard about ... the company that produced the peanuts?" He said he wondered when was the last time the FDA visited Setton Farms and whether it had known of problems there. In February, the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered the recall of all products shipped from the Peanut Corporation of America's plant in Plainview, Texas, after discovering dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in the plant. The company's peanut butter and peanut paste products produced at its plant in Blakely, Georgia, were linked to a nationwide outbreak of salmonella poisoning that affected 600 people, nine of whom died. According to state health officials and many experts, the deadly outbreak of salmonella was fueled by poor oversight by food safety regulators and a slow response by federal agencies. The first problem is that almost nothing can stop companies from shipping contaminated food, William Hubbard, a former FDA associate commissioner, told a U.S. Senate committee in February. He also said there are not enough federal inspections. '

GUARDIAN ONLINE
"US food safety officials issue pistachio nut recall"
Beef? Global? Iran? There's a LOT we don't know about pistachios! We have a feeling we're about to get educated.

' US food safety officials have recalled more than 1m pounds (454,000 kilograms) of pistachio nuts from more than 30 states after traces of salmonella were found in batches sold by a California company. The agency said it first learned of the problem last week, when food industry giant Kraft Foods traced salmonella contamination in a brand of trail mix back to Setton. The agency warned the recall could affect many products because the nuts are widely used as a food ingredient in everything from beef dishes to ice cream. The recall covers a fraction of the more than 400m pounds of pistachios grown every year in California, which accounts for 98% of US production. In 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the US was the world's second-largest producer of pistachios behind Iran, according to the United Nations. The US is also a top exporter of pistachios, accounting for about 14% of global trade. '

CONSUMER AFFAIRS.COM
"Kraft Recalls Trail Mix Containing Pistachio Nuts"
So, you can get arthritis from eating health food? That explains all the old fogies limping around the health food store.

' “Our advice to consumers is that they avoid eating pistachio products, and that they hold onto those products,” Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for food safety, said. “The number of products that are going to be recalled over the coming days will grow, simply because these pistachio nuts have then been repackaged into consumer-level containers.” FDA officials said they learned just a few days ago, on March 24, that Kraft Foods’ Back to Nature Trail Mix had tested positive for salmonella. Kraft identified the source of the contamination as pistachios from Setton and notified the FDA. Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. also recalled the Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the following day. In rare circumstances, the organism can get into the bloodstream and cause more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis, and arthritis. '

US FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION
"Pistachio Product Recalls: Salmonella"
They're makin' a list, checkin' it twice, the FDA knows who's naughty or nice...

' List of Latest Company Recalls: * Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. Announces Nationwide Recall of Pistachios Because of Possible Health Risk * The Georgia Nut Company Issues Voluntary Recall of Certain Snack Products Containing Shelled Pistachio Nuts Because of Possible Health Risk * Back to Nature Foods Company Conducts Nationwide Recall of Nantucket Blend Trail Mix Containing Pistachio Nuts Because of Possible Health Risk * Kroger Recalls Shelled Pistachios Due to Possible Health Risk '

US CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
"About Salmonella"
"Salmonellosis"
Salmonella has it's own home page! Who knew! Your tax dollars at work, we guess. Does it have a FaceBook page, though?

' -What is salmonellosis? Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness. -Are there long term consequences to a Salmonella infection? Persons with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several months before their bowel habits are entirely normal. A small number of persons with Salmonella develop pain in their joints, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. This is called Reiter's syndrome. It can last for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis which is difficult to treat. Antibiotic treatment does not make a difference in whether or not the person develops arthritis. '

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