And thinking about it for a quick second or two, Burgess was making a lot of sense, as he pointed out that in 2007, the House held hearings about salmonella in peanut butter as well.
"Just like today, in 2007, it was the state of Georgia that was the source of salmonella in peanut based products. So it's not just a bad movie script, it's a deadly one."
I went back for a quick look in my story files, and it is nothing new.
July 30, 2008, I wrote about salmonella in tomatoes (it turned out to be Mexican peppers.)
December 3, 2007, I wrote about hearings on major meat recalls.
October of 2007, it was action on salmonella in pot pies.
April 25, 2007 there was a hearing that covered salmonella in peanut butter, ecoli on spinach and more.
Each time, we heard the refrain that we heard yesterday in a House committee, that the Food and Drug Administration needs more food inspectors and needs to do a better job.
There was one gigantic difference though about this instance, and that was the actions of the Peanut Corporation of America.
Internal email traffic involving the company's owner was released which showed him telling managers to send out peanut products even after positive tests of salmonella from their facilities.
"Turn them loose," he wrote in one email, referring to peanuts on hold because of mixed salmonella tests.
PCA owner Stewart Parnell was probably lucky that there were law enforcement personnel in the room, or else we might have had some mob justice.
Even before he took the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions, lamwakers were sizing Parnell up for a striped outfit up the river.
"Justice will catch up to you and you will pay," said Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia.
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