A How to Guide to Food Safety

We've all heard the bulletins. One company's lettuce sold in a bag was reported to be contaminated with the dreaded E.coli bacteria. Just when we'd resigned ourselves to buying a head of lettuce and making our own salad, we received the next warning. Spinach, too, became a "victim" of the nasty villain, E.coli.

These, however, are rare cases in an industry rich in history and the production of good, tasty products.

Then why has yet another warning been issued in recent days, telling us not to eat Peter Pan Peanut Butter? (I love Peter Pan peanut butter, darn it!) Only a few days later, we grudgingly follow the peanut butter tossed into the trash with our package of Oscar Mayer cooked chicken strips that's may be infected with listeriosis. I thought "cooked" meant "safe" to eat. I guess I was wrong.

The companies who sell these products are good, solid, trustworthy companies. I mean, it's Oscar Mayer, for Pete's sake! I've trusted them for years to maintain a quality food service. Besides, doesn't the fact that they've alerted consumers about these possible threats to our health confirm their reliability? Don't their recalls prove they have our best interests at heart? I believe so. After all, issuing a warning hurts their business, so why do it except to prevent further illnesses and, possible deaths? Sure, some people think they do so because they want to avoid lawsuits, and I'll give them that. I'm sure that's a part of their reasoning. But these executives who issue the recalls also want to stop a problem before it gets worse; before it harms more people.

So is our food going bad? I don't think so.