The Great Peanut Scares

[Webmaster]

What do you make of the peanut scare? I mean, it's pretty disconcerting that those things happen, though I am fairly certain it's really happening in many other industries as well and we just don't hear about it. So when something happens, it's big news, the press and media go into overdrive, lawyers get dollar signs in their eyes, and industries are shut down.

And as if messy factory conditions weren't enough for the poor peanuts, they also have to contend with folks who are allergic to them. CNN reports:

"Delta says it will make accommodations for those with peanut allergies, if a request is made. "We'll create a buffer zone of three rows in front of and three rows behind your seat," the airline's Web site says. "We'll also advise cabin service to board additional nonpeanut snacks, which will allow our flight attendants to serve these snack items to everyone within this area."

That's really nice, but what about those of us who are allergic to no legroom, dry air, surly flight attendants, hacking and coughing passengers, stinky toilets, or the sight and smell of CranApple cans? Let alone obnoxious security personnel, lost luggage, and folks using the wrong underarm deodorant? One would hope all of those offending conditions be fixed on the double.

Gawd! The problems we have!

[Jane]

Messy? Rat droppings, dead rats and feathers is messy?

This CEO made the choice to ship knowingly contaminated product to improve the bottom line. They had the test results back, positive. I think he should go to prison for murder. But since corporate personhood makes that unlikely, even if he is prosecuted, I in no way, shape, or form feel sorry for the poor corporation getting sued.

You know, I just think people are more important than corporaations.

[SamanthaNY]

How fortunate for you that you know no one with a deadly peanut allergy. It's so offensive when their deaths ruin a day's plans.

And those nine people that died from salmonella - well aren't they just the selfish ones to cause that peanut plant to shut down.

[Dravenhawk]

I just want to know what the difference is between a person who knowingly puts poision in peanut butter and a person who knowingly sells poision peanut butter?

Both should see the gallows

Dravenhawk

[Miss Vickie]

Comparing not having enough leg room to anaphylactic shock from peanuts is just.... wow. One is irritating. The other? Deadly. And there are more and more people with peanut allergies that are, yes, that bad. I can't think of any reason why airlines "must" provide peanuts to customers. Why not almonds? Why not pretzels? Both are tasty without the potential for disaster that peanuts have. And from a purely selfish point of view... how "inconvenient" would it be to have to have the plane turned around because of a medical emergency?

[Webmaster]

I know, lots of things are deadly, and to folks affected, for real or just in their imagination, it's not fun. That's not the point. The point is that as a society we've becoming ultra-hyper-bending-overbackward obsessed with such things to the exclusion of much more important matters. We've become so afraid of getting sued over every little boo-boo and of everyone who displays self-righteous indignation and outrage over not having the world cater to them that we've become a nation of victims and lawsuits. I am all for fairness and common sense, but there's a point where it all becomes ridiculous.

[Miss Vickie]

Originally Posted by Webmaster

I know, lots of things are deadly, and to folks affected, for real or just in their imagination, it's not fun. That's not the point. The point is that as a society we've becoming ultra-hyper-bending-overbackward obsessed with such things to the exclusion of much more important matters. We've become so afraid of getting sued over every little boo-boo and of everyone who displays self-righteous indignation and outrage over not having the world cater to them that we've become a nation of victims and lawsuits. I am all for fairness and common sense, but there's a point where it all becomes ridiculous.

I agree with you completely that it's getting a little crazy, but I suppose it all depends on your point of view. To the person who's allergic to peanuts, this is a life or death issue. But does that mean peanuts should be banned? No, of course not. However, to some our desire to be treated fairly at any weight, to have accommodations made for us at any weight, not to be charged more for airline tickets, even though we may take up two seats, etc etc etc would be considered "ridiculous". It just depends, doesn't it, on your point of view? One person's "ridiculous" is another person's need to just live a normal life without being harmed, emotionally or physically.

[Jane]

It is crazy only because people are allowed to hide behind their corporations. If they were forced to face up to the results of their idiotic and criminal decisions, they might think twice about the products they foist on the public.

[Miss Vickie]

Originally Posted by Jane

It is crazy only because people are allowed to hide behind their corporations. If they were forced to face up to the results of their idiotic and criminal decisions, they might think twice about the products they foist on the public.

Yes. Those asswipes who knowingly sold tainted milk that led to the deaths of little babies in China are paying with their lives. I almost wish such a thing were possible here in the US, for the people who knowingly endanger people's lives, even though they didn't use a gun or knife to do it. They are no less culpable and should pay some sort of price, rather than walk away as the vast majority do.

[GenericGeek]

Conrad, peanut allergy is so pervasive now that Delta probably felt it was in their best financial interest to make a show of providing "reasonable accommodation" for those poor folks who suffer from it, rather than waiting until they got slapped with a lawsuit citing the ADA, and all the attendant bad publicity that would entail.

I do wonder how folks who have less-common food allergies -- like to bananas -- manage in this world, though. It seems like both bananas and peanuts are SO pervasive, you'd be living in fear all of the time ...

(And Vickie, please remember that "too little legroom" can be much more than an inconvenience -- it can kill people, too, especially on those long trans-oceanic flights, when deep vein thrombosis sets in...)

[moore2me]

My take on "peanut gate". I used to love rare hamburger meat. A little salt, a little braising and serve it to me while it's still bleeding. All the warnings and deaths from contaminated hamburgers not being cooked to a well done state spoiled my appetite for that treat.

Several years ago, they (the food police, the CDC) told me to stop eating raw oysters. Seems the tasty morsels were sucking in nasty sea water that would in turn give me hepatitis. But, I still remember how good the little guys were raw with a little hot sauce & lemon, and served on a cracker.

I also loved my eggs over easy or soft boiled with the yolks runny. You guessed it. All the warnings about salmonella in uncooked egg yolks has pretty much ruined that treat for me too. I even feel guilty when I make soft scrambled eggs.

Then came the toxic raw tomatoes. In the south, there is no better summer snack than homegrown tomatoes sliced and served on white bread with mao. Now I have another monkey on my back when I indulge in raw tomatoes.

And horror of horrors, now they are coming after my peanut butter. Is nothing sacred? For decades factories and housewives (thanks to George Washington Carver) have made peanut butter without incident. Afterall, we're not exactly splitting the atom here. Hubby and I probably have PB & J sandwiches for at least two meals a week. But now, I am seriously thinking about making my own peanut butter. Okay, I thought about it. No, can't do it - too much work. I would rather the heartless bastards (or morons) that ran the peanut butter factory get their act together.

I live a relatively simple life. I don't ask much. Clean hamburger meat. Clean eggs. Clean tomatoes. Clean peanut butter. However, I also understand that there are other risks I take in my daily life that are a lot more dangerous than any "poison" groceries. Risks such as driving my car, having a high BMI, not getting enough exercise, and taking some of my medications that have some scary side effects are what I really should worry about.

[AZ_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jane

This CEO made the choice to ship knowingly contaminated product to improve the bottom line. They had the test results back, positive. I think he should go to prison for murder. But since corporate personhood makes that unlikely, even if he is prosecuted, I in no way, shape, or form feel sorry for the poor corporation getting sued.

You know, I just think people are more important than corporaations.

Yes. Without any talk about peanut allergies, this just floors me. Their products failed, they knew it, they knew they were dangerous, and they still kept shipping 'em out because they wanted to keep making money.

I think everyone involved in that decision should be taken to court and charged with first degree murder. Given that the rich and corporations generally get the 'luxe treatment' in our legal system, I certainly don't dare dream that this will happen, but I certainly hope they get some time behind bars, at the least.

[Tooz]

Originally Posted by moore2me

ut now, I am seriously thinking about making my own peanut butter. Okay, I thought about it. No, can't do it - too much work.

Uh few things in this world are easier to make than peanut butter.

[ThatIsThat]

In America we have a 'victim' culture, yes, but when something poses a serious health risk, it's not just self-obsessed complaining. On the flights I've been on recently, most people take the cheese crackers or granola bars over the peanuts anyway, so what's the big deal with just not serving peanuts?

[moore2me]

Originally Posted by Tooz

Uh few things in this world are easier to make than peanut butter.

Perhaps Tooz, But the thought of trying to clean peanut butter out of a blender scares me.

[moore2me]

Originally Posted by Tooz

Uh few things in this world are easier to make than peanut butter.

Perhaps Tooz, But the thought of cleaning out a blender with peanut butter ureally scares me.

[Miss Vickie]

Unless you grow your own peanuts, are you really any better off grinding your own? I'm not sure. Was it a problem with the peanuts that arrived at that plant, or were they somehow contaminated at the plant? Given how peanuts grow, I suspect that it happened while they were growing, and so it could happen to any peanuts anywhere.

My understanding is that garden variety peanut butter is safe. We use the Adams kind at our house, but from time to time I try the "grind it yourself" kind at the grocery store, which is good, too. I'm not really concerned about eating peanut butter per se, but I was relieved to see that the Zone and Clif and Mojo bars with peanut butter in them were taken off the shelves. We eat them -- or rather we used to eat them. Now? Not so much.

[Tooz]

Originally Posted by moore2me

Perhaps Tooz, But the thought of cleaning out a blender with peanut butter ureally scares me.

Well, the thing that makes PB sticky is the oil. If you just chuck some nuts in a food processor, it's actually pretty easy to clean. Hot tap water will rinse the residue away.

[katorade]

Originally Posted by moore2me

I also loved my eggs over easy or soft boiled with the yolks runny. You guessed it. All the warnings about salmonella in uncooked egg yolks has pretty much ruined that treat for me too. I even feel guilty when I make soft scrambled eggs.

Fortunately, your chances these days of getting salmonella from raw eggs is very, very low. About one in 30,000 eggs is contaminated with salmonella, and even then most adults are healthy enough that minor salmonella exposure would lead to some mild discomfort and diarrhea at the most.

As far as airplane peanuts are concerned, screw those guys. First off, they give you this crazy small handful of peanuts in a bag that's impossible to open, so you only get enough peanuts to actually get a craving going. Then you've eaten this handful of peanuts and the only thing you have to wash it down is this sad little dixie cup of soda or juice, which almost cuts the thirst, but not quite. Then, as Murphy's law would have it, the guy sitting next to you gets some weird rancid peanut breath and falls asleep and breathes peanutty air in your face for the next four hours.

Shit.

Give me some carrot sticks or something.

[CleverBomb]

Originally Posted by Jane

Messy? Rat droppings, dead rats and feathers is messy?

This CEO made the choice to ship knowingly contaminated product to improve the bottom line. They had the test results back, positive. I think he should go to prison for murder. But since corporate personhood makes that unlikely, even if he is prosecuted, I in no way, shape, or form feel sorry for the poor corporation getting sued.

You know, I just think people are more important than corporaations.

That's crazy talk.
You know that consumers are always fully-informed* and always make rational cost/risk decisons! That's the magic of the free market!

Pity about the sick and the dead, though -- they could have been repeat consumers, other than the whole deceased-ness thing.
Bummer.

-Rusty

*They say, "The customer is always right." How could customers be right all the time if they weren't fully informed?

[GenericGeek]

Originally Posted by missaf

A friend on another forum with serious immune system issues just today finally was pronounced salmonella free. She was in and out of the emergency room and hospitalized in ICU - literally almost dead - from her exposure to their products.

She was literally on her death bed for this guy's bottom line. Corporate ethics suck.

"Corporate ethics" is just another oxymoron, especially today.