Profit over Safety
How many times in a country where the knowledge of food safety is readily available to companies, does the recall of tainted foods have to go on? These unsafe foods cause sickness, and yes death. This is unacceptable!
Right now we are in the throes of having one of societies best loved foods, Peanut Butter, recalled due to 508 cases of illness and eight deaths. And one family pet was also a victim.
The company that is responsible is Blakely Georgia Company. I watched the television interview of a young man fired for whistle blowing about the filth found in the plant. He stated that there were often rat droppings around and that the roach problem was huge. He also stated that he saw a rat roasted with the peanuts. For reporting this, he lost his job. The company had been cited for past infractions of cleanliness problems but failed to clean up their act.
Why was nothing done? Was it a case of having to spend too much money to solve the problem or was it just a case of indifference? Whatever the reason, the penalties should be stiff and swift. No small monetary fine is appropriate. Maybe a charge of attempted murder would make it more real to do the right thing!
Peanut butter is the stable of young children everywhere as well as older fok who don’t want to cook. This same group of people are the ones whose systems can’t take the onslaught of an attack of Salmonella.
There has got to be a better way to make sure companies are not killing those we love. Hire more inspectors and shut down plants that don’t make the grade.