spicy meats
A ConAgra plant near Raleigh, N.C., that makes and packages
Slim Jim beef jerky was rocked by a huge explosion on Tuesday, killing three employees and sending dozens of workers and three firefighters to hospital with severe burns or "exposure to toxic fumes."
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food safety
As the food supply chain gets longer and harder to control — food companies are basically giving up and placing the responsibility for
food safety on you, the consumer. In fact, one food giant,
General Mills, has essentially conceded that cooking their food in a microwave isn't good enough.
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inflation
The notorious
Grocery Shrink Ray was supposed to help prevent this, or so we were told by apologists for it, but Datamonitor is reporting that Kraft Foods, Kellogg's, ConAgra, Sara Lee, and Tyson "are all expected to announce a hike in the prices of their products" in the near future. Here are some of the hikes you can expect, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
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food
The nation's 4 largest makers of microwave popcorn have all decided to remove diacetyl, the flavoring ingredient that causes "popcorn lung" in workers, from the vast majority of their products, says the AP.
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salmonella
ConAgra is
voluntarily recalling their pot pies while they rewrite vague cooking instructions that led 160 people in 31 states to contract salmonella. ConAgra's current packaging orders hungry consumers to microwave their
pot pies until cooked thoroughly, an instruction most consumers can't follow.
It is relatively easy to figure out when a hamburger is well done by checking to see that it is no longer pink. But it's preposterous to expect consumers to know how the cooking power of their microwave compares with others.
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hazards
Wayne Watson, the man who loved microwave popcorn so much he ate it twice a day for 10 years is speaking out about his condition for the first time.
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health
A Denver man who
snarfed microwaved popcorn at least twice a day for over a decade has been diagnosed with the first consumer case of "popcorn lung" an asthma-like condition that results from over-exposure to popcorn fumes,
NYT reports.
"When he broke open the bags, after the steam came out, he would often inhale the fragrance because he liked it so much," Dr. Rose said. "That's heated diacetyl, which we know from the workers' studies is the highest risk."
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lawsuits
39 individuals who contracted salmonella after consuming Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have slapped ConAgra with a $5 million class action suit. An additional 2,200 people have expressed interest in joining the action against the agribusiness giant. From the Daily Report:
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fda
Remember that spinach and peanut butter that got recalled? Turns out the FDA knew of the dangers to the food supply for years but, understaffed and underfunded, they only took tiny steps to address the problems.
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recalls
Hey guys, the episode of House, M.D is over! A leaky roof was the source of a salmonella outbreak that sickened 400 people. From the AP:
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recalls
Walmart Customer Service Blogger "Behind The Counter" has issued a report from the front lines of the ConAgra Peanut Butter Recall. As you may know, jars of Peter Pan and
Great Value (Walmart) brand peanut butter with product code 2111 on them have been linked to a salmonella outbreak. Consumers were supposed to contact ConAgra for a refund. Did they listen? No, they went to Walmart and ruined poor "Behind the Counter's" life:
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peanut butter
ConAgra is telling consumers to throw away Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter, as it has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened
about 300 people nationwide. From the Boston Globe:
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Consumerist
snacks
food safety
minor tweaks
