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(Washington Post)   Contaminated peanut butter factory found salmonella 12 times in two years of internal tests... and still kept shipping. But don't worry, industry will police itself   (washingtonpost.com) divider line
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6695 clicks; posted to Main » on 28 Jan 2009 at 5:35 AM (14 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



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UNC_Samurai
2009-01-27 11:29:55 PM  
Isn't this already the FDA's job?
 
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener
2009-01-27 11:49:46 PM  
I'm sure they'll get it fixed in a Jif.
 
oldebayer
2009-01-28 12:42:57 AM  
This will either Peter out, or Pan out.
 
Alacritous
2009-01-28 1:04:00 AM  
Well, no. You have to wait until one of them screws up enough to kill someone, then word gets around then people stop buying from the company that killed people. Unless of course that companies parent company owns a few TV stations, or the owner plays golf with the owner of a media company. You know how it is.
 
BackAssward
2009-01-28 3:48:22 AM  

UNC_Samurai: Isn't this already the FDA's job?


You should RTFA genius...

Companies are not required to disclose their internal tests to either the FDA or state regulators, so health officials did not know of the problem.


But we all know regulation is bad, the market sorts itself out, and we are all better for it.

/Retards who think business will work for them.
 
mxwjs
2009-01-28 5:40:08 AM  

Alacritous: Well, no. You have to wait until one of them screws up enough to kill someone, then word gets around then people stop buying from the company that killed people. Unless of course that companies parent company owns a few TV stations, or the owner plays golf with the owner of a media company. You know how it is.


right, free market. that will fix everything.
/hey it works at a lemonade stand, it must work with everything!
 
Hiro's Protagonist
2009-01-28 5:44:32 AM  
Paging GaryPDX
 
myspamhere
2009-01-28 5:47:50 AM  

mxwjs:
right, free market. that will fix everything.
/hey it works at a lemonade stand, it must work with everything!


Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.
 
Matthew Keene
2009-01-28 5:49:07 AM  

oldebayer: This will either Peter out, or Pan out.


So Peanut Corporation of America should start a TV network? Peanut Broadcasting System? PBS. Oh, wait That's already taken.
 
Ow My Balls
2009-01-28 5:53:03 AM  

myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.


It needs to happen before 500 are sickened and 8 die.
 
Man On Pink Corner
2009-01-28 5:58:40 AM  
Death penalty for the CEO.

The Chinese have the right idea here.
 
myspamhere
2009-01-28 6:00:17 AM  

Ow My Balls: myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.

It needs to happen before 500 are sickened and 8 die.


True it should have, but now that company is basically gone. You can't mess with consumers like that.
Can you image if it was a government food production plant? no one would take responsibility and the buyers would have no recourse.
The free market is self monitoring
 
Vern the Worm
2009-01-28 6:02:08 AM  

oldebayer: This will either Peter out, or Pan out.


Or Peter in, Peter out.
 
Spielman
2009-01-28 6:02:36 AM  

Ow My Balls: myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.

It needs to happen before 500 are sickened and 8 die.


That doesn't matter to the true market fundie.
 
Nakito
2009-01-28 6:06:50 AM  
And yet people despise tort lawyers.
 
Iron Chef Scottish
2009-01-28 6:10:41 AM  
myspamhere "The free market is self monitoring"

comedy gold
 
wildhalcyon
2009-01-28 6:13:06 AM  

myspamhere: Ow My Balls: myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.

It needs to happen before 500 are sickened and 8 die.

True it should have, but now that company is basically gone. You can't mess with consumers like that.
Can you image if it was a government food production plant? no one would take responsibility and the buyers would have no recourse.
The free market is self monitoring


That's a bit of a false dichotomy. No one is suggesting that the government handle all food production. Merely that there's regulation and oversight within free market production. I have no interest in how peanut butter plants run their business as long as they remain salmonella free and don't kill anyone.

The free market is only self monitoring when it has incentive to do so. Laws that prohibit dangerous operations such as salmonella poisoning is a good incentive, but not if its not enforced.
 
number8
2009-01-28 6:16:27 AM  

Ow My Balls: myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.

It needs to happen before 500 are sickened and 8 die.


You're right, because government regulations and intervention sure stopped this before 500 people were sickened and 8 died...

/wait, what?
 
Control_this
2009-01-28 6:17:38 AM  
I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
 
Unknown_Poltroon
2009-01-28 6:22:24 AM  
Look, lets get down to the real question here:

WHO KEEPS shiatTING IN THE PEANUT BUTTER MACHINE?????
 
scottyvr6
2009-01-28 6:26:05 AM  
boston.comView Full Size


/hot as the jungle
 
Bendal
2009-01-28 6:27:09 AM  

BackAssward: UNC_Samurai: Isn't this already the FDA's job?

You should RTFA genius...

Companies are not required to disclose their internal tests to either the FDA or state regulators, so health officials did not know of the problem.


But we all know regulation is bad, the market sorts itself out, and we are all better for it.

/Retards who think business will work for them.


THIS

THIS is what we get for 8 years of demonizing scientific studies, 8 years of deregulation every industry that Bush could get his hands on, 8 years of subverting and undermining safety, health and environmental rules and regulations. Businesses exist to make money, and if they can make more money by cutting corners and ignoring safety regulations, they damn well will do it. That's why regulation is needed, to make sure they follow the rules.
 
The Grasshopper
2009-01-28 6:27:17 AM  
Please, Please, Please, DO teach your employee's to wash their hands AFTER they shat. My God man!

/me suspects illegal labor force
//may sound racist, but it isn't
 
suggestive_eye_movement
2009-01-28 6:27:21 AM  
Yay Ayn Rand.
 
Frow
2009-01-28 6:28:28 AM  

BackAssward: UNC_Samurai: Isn't this already the FDA's job?

You should RTFA genius...

Companies are not required to disclose their internal tests to either the FDA or state regulators, so health officials did not know of the problem.


But we all know regulation is bad, the market sorts itself out, and we are all better for it.

/Retards who think business will work for them.


Regardless of what the article says there Mr. internet tough guy the FDA's job, in their own words, is to protect the nation's food supply.

Companies not having to disclose internal tests is dumb, especially when this all happened before and will inevitable happen again soon.

/Still hasn't touched Peanut Butter since the Peter Pan debacle
//Never felt so horrible in my life...ugh
 
Unknown_Poltroon
2009-01-28 6:30:10 AM  

The Grasshopper: Please, Please, Please, DO teach your employee's to wash their hands AFTER they shat. My God man!

/me suspects illegal labor force
//may sound racist, but it isn't


First, please train them NOT TO SHIAT IN THE PEANUT BUTTER MACHINE!!
 
BuzzBoy
2009-01-28 6:31:18 AM  
What PCA was doing was "lab-shopping". If a test sample came back positive for contamination, they would send another sample to another lab to be tested until it came back negative for contamination. They then destroyed all previous tests and went with the good one, good for them, bad for customers.
 
Impudent Domain
2009-01-28 6:34:21 AM  
I wonder what serious person ever said that there was no reason to ever have any regulations?

Submitard is of course making a strawman argument to try and attack those who believe in limited government.

/maybe if the government were not trying to do everything else that it has no business getting involved in we could have enough inspectors to do something important like inspect food places.
 
lunkhed
2009-01-28 6:34:37 AM  
We have shared with them every record that they have asked for that is in our possession
And made sure the incriminating ones are in someone else's possession // concealed every record that they haven't asked for.
 
opiumpoopy
2009-01-28 6:36:07 AM  

BackAssward: Companies are not required to disclose their internal tests to either the FDA or state regulators, so health officials did not know of the problem.

But we all know regulation is bad, the market sorts itself out, and we are all better for it.

/Retards who think business will work for them.


?!? You don't need to have the FDA review the quality inspection paperwork of every food firm in the US. You just need a law requiring food firms to report whenever they have a major potential health incident... say, a salmonella outbreak at the factory.

If this isn't already in place in all states, your state legislators are dumbasses.

Nakito: And yet people despise tort lawyers.


Tort lawyers will have to wait. Knowingly shipping contaminated food looks like a criminal prosecution to me, if there's enough evidence.

/ They execute the factory superintendent in China for that sort of thing...
 
The Grasshopper
2009-01-28 6:37:10 AM  

Unknown_Poltroon: The Grasshopper: Please, Please, Please, DO teach your employee's to wash their hands AFTER they shat. My God man!

/me suspects illegal labor force
//may sound racist, but it isn't

First, please train them NOT TO SHIAT IN THE PEANUT BUTTER MACHINE!!



also, please let them know that peanut butter and shat are not the same thing. Geesh. WTF? how in the hell is this kinda thing still happening. I think the labor force needs to be examined for country of origin and education. I think they go hand in hand. It should be soap in hand in hand!
 
Befuddled
2009-01-28 6:37:42 AM  

myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?


So first people must die totally preventable deaths, then things become safe for a while. Or the slimey company just renames itself and pretends to be different, like how Philip Morris is now Altria.

Libertarianism sounds swell.
 
The Grasshopper
2009-01-28 6:38:47 AM  

Impudent Domain: I wonder what serious person ever said that there was no reason to ever have any regulations?

Submitard is of course making a strawman argument to try and attack those who believe in limited government.

/maybe if the government were not trying to do everything else that it has no business getting involved in we could have enough inspectors to do something important like inspect food places.


If you lived near me, I'd buy you a beer.

/totally agree
 
Brockway
2009-01-28 6:38:50 AM  
If there were government oversight, this would never have happened. Look, for example, of the stellar job the SEC did in oversight of Madoff.
 
Elmo Jones
2009-01-28 6:43:59 AM  

Man On Pink Corner: Death penalty for the CEO.

The Chinese have the right idea here.


You're damned skippy, they have the right idea.

Impudent Domain: I wonder what serious person ever said that there was no reason to ever have any regulations?

Submitard is of course making a strawman argument to try and attack those who believe in limited government.

/maybe if the government were not trying to do everything else that it has no business getting involved in we could have enough inspectors to do something important like inspect food places.


In what respect, Charlie?
 
mattyc
2009-01-28 6:46:28 AM  
The fail is strong with this thread already.
 
Zap_Rowsdower
2009-01-28 6:49:28 AM  
I used to work as an industrial microbiologist. My favorite practice (I never did it, but I knew other companies that freely admitted it) was when a batch tested too high for some nasty bacteria, instead of destroying it, they'd mix it with a clean batch and retest it. Sure enough, the mixed batch's bacteria levels were below the limit, and off it went. Perfectly legal.
 
Befuddled
2009-01-28 6:50:41 AM  
If you really want corporate responsiblity, confiscate then sell off corporations that do these criminal things. Once a few corporations go that route and investors lose everything, you'll get investors starting to care about a lot more than just how much money they hope to make. Unless something drastic like that happens when things go wrong, there is basically no hope of self-regulation.
 
Dilbert J. Galt
2009-01-28 6:53:59 AM  
I really wish people would learn the difference between regulation and law enforcement. This isn't a regulatory problem. We need the police to investigate this as, at least, reckless endangerment (or negligent manslaughter) and deal with these people in the criminal courts. A jury in a courtroom is likely to take this a bit more seriously than a regulator on the golf course.
 
I_C_Weener [TotalFark]
2009-01-28 6:56:20 AM  
submitter: Contaminated peanut butter factory found salmonella 12 times in two years of internal tests... and still kept shipping. But don't worry, industry will police itself

Settle down. Its a typo. Those were the 12 times they had to find, and in fact did find, Sam and Ella from accounting. Its okay though. They only had sex in the broom closets, and they have been put on probation.
 
Unknown_Poltroon
2009-01-28 6:57:09 AM  

Zap_Rowsdower: I used to work as an industrial microbiologist. My favorite practice (I never did it, but I knew other companies that freely admitted it) was when a batch tested too high for some nasty bacteria, instead of destroying it, they'd mix it with a clean batch and retest it. Sure enough, the mixed batch's bacteria levels were below the limit, and off it went. Perfectly legal.


I hope you go to the special hell. After dying of singing maggots eating your balls.


/Would have done the same thing.
 
No Such Agency
2009-01-28 6:57:33 AM  
Ow My Balls:
myspamhere: Yes it will, The big companies that order from this supplier, will likely take their business elsewhere. This company will either go bankrupt, or seriously downsize. Do you think that if they produce any other products, other companies would want to buy them?
This is how the free market works.

It needs to happen before 500 are sickened and 8 die.

I'd say a few dead is a small price to pay for liberty and free markets. It's a lot less people than the millions who were killed by Stalin under communism. I'd say the capitalist system is still coming out way ahead, FTW.

And if the government wasn't likely to punish industries, they'd probably come clean with things like this, settle with the victims, and move on. Instead they try to cover it up for fear of prosecution.

Also, if you eat sandwiches from a gas station and get listeriosis, you are an untermenschen who probably wasn't fit to live anyway.
 
Unknown_Poltroon
2009-01-28 6:58:21 AM  

I_C_Weener: submitter: Contaminated peanut butter factory found salmonella 12 times in two years of internal tests... and still kept shipping. But don't worry, industry will police itself

Settle down. Its a typo. Those were the 12 times they had to find, and in fact did find, Sam and Ella from accounting. Its okay though. They only had sex in the broom closets, and they have been put on probation.


then tell them not to put the peanut butter they used as lube back in the vat.
 
cindy47452
2009-01-28 7:02:06 AM  
Companies are not required to disclose their internal tests to either the FDA or state regulators, so health officials did not know of the problem.

Well, maybe if these companies were required to disclose their internal tests, health officials would know of the problem. D'oh
 
cantsleep
2009-01-28 7:04:12 AM  
The regulations are already in place, this is a problem with enforcement.
 
Unknown_Poltroon
2009-01-28 7:05:49 AM  

cantsleep: The regulations are already in place, this is a problem with enforcement.


Ding Ding Ding!!!

But they can send 50 federal agents to bust a medical marijuana clinic in california.
 
BigBooper
2009-01-28 7:07:13 AM  

Nakito: And yet people despise tort lawyers.


Yes, because they will demand a million dollars for each person sickened, and 1 billion dollars for each person killed. And while the company that is the source of the contamination may deserve to be put out of business, the lawyers involved will sue anyone and everyone who was remotely involved in any contaminated product. Why does the grocery store, the trucking company, and the stock boy who put these products on the shelves deserve to be destroyed?

Or maybe you think this should result in ANOTHER class action suit that results in the lawyers involved getting paid millions; while the consumer gets a coupon for a free box of cookies.
 
TripSixes
2009-01-28 7:12:32 AM  
I'm never eating food again.
 
betona
2009-01-28 7:15:02 AM  
Good thing I hate peanut butter.
 
Man On Pink Corner
2009-01-28 7:16:09 AM  
wildhalcyon: The free market is only self monitoring when it has incentive to do so.

Protip: Not losing your business and getting sued for forty brazillion dollars can be thought of as "incentive."
 
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