Just when you thought it was safe to make a PB&J, health officials have linked the recent salmonella outbreak to peanut butter.  And while I’m glad they may have found the cause, we need to seriously consider the sloppy practices of industrial agriculture that create breeding grounds for bacterial infection.

This most recent outbreak, which we discussed last week, has sickened over 400 people in 42 states and may be responsible for 3 deaths.  Investigators found evidence of the bacteria in Ohio-based King Nut and Parnell peanut butter, which is distributed to institutions like hospitals, schools, nursing homes and other vulnerable places.  The companies suggest that the infections may have come from people using the same cutlery on raw chicken as the peanut butter, but when was the last time you made a raw chicken and peanut butter sandwich?  While this outbreak has not been linked to brand names found in stores, Reuters reports:

An outbreak of salmonella was linked to Peter Pan brand peanut butter in 2007. ConAgra Foods Inc. closed a Georgia plant after more than 300 people became ill.

These companies should be thoroughly investigated, but we should also consider the initial cause of the contamination, which many believe to be linked to industrial meat production.  As may have been the case with the recent E. coli outbreaks, the animal waste from large farms (or CAFOs) are not properly managed, leading to huge cesspools of waste that leech into water used for crop irrigation.  As disgusting as this sounds, the practice is widespread and puts countless people at risk, not to mention the harm it causes animals and the environment.

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