Recent news reveals that Peter Pan peanut butter somehow has salmonella.

How did this happen?

Wikipedia’s article on salmonellosis lists the ways that salmonella is typically spread.

The type of salmonella usually associated with infections in humans is called Non-Typhoidal Salmonella. It is usually contracted by ingesting raw or undercooked eggs, or from animals such as:

  • Chickens and cattles, if the meat is prepared incorrectly or becomes infected with the bacteria somehow.
  • Infected eggs and milk, as well as egg products, when not prepared, handled, or refrigerated correctly.
  • Reptiles such as turtles, lizards, and snakes, as they can carry the bacteria on their skin.

Another, rarer form of salmonella is called Typhoidal Salmonella. It is carried by humans only and is usually contracted through direct contact with the fecal matter of an infected person. This kind of salmonella infection can lead to typhoid fever. It therefore mainly occurs in developing and undeveloped countries that do not have appropriate systems for handling human waste.

If I remember clearly, peanut butter is supposed to be made of peanuts, often with salt and sometimes a bit of sugar. That’s it. What, exactly, is ConAgra doing to the stuff to enable salmonella to invade peanut butter jars that have been sent across the entire country?

So far, this peanut butter induced sickness has affected more than 300 people — and that’s just what has been reported! It must be more than one or two individuals not washing their hands.

What else is in your other processed foods that you may not know about?