Peanuts & Pistachios

A friend indicated his second bout with a bad intestinal illness. The first occurred around the time of peanut salmonella outbreak. I wondered if food made him and his wife sick. The news indicated pistachios as the latest dangerous product foisted on the American people. Reuters reported:

Because the pistachios were used as ingredients in a variety of foods, the FDA said the recall is likely to impact many products.

The supply chain is so fragmented that many companies don't know their supplier. Managers employ practices that encourage shipment of goods for profit, not for safety. Fortunately, Kraft Foods tested pistachios, finding four serotypes of salmonella. Over 1 million pounds of potentially bad nuts are being tracked for recall.

While the FDA dickers, citizens must look for pistachio ingredients on the label. Let's hope producers figure out how to deliver quality products to consumers. Hint, it involves profound knowledge.