So, have you ever had a dill pickle and peanut butter sandwich? They're gooood! I was reading this article from February talking about how Salmonella outbreaks in peanut butter products have reduced sales of peanut butter by 25%. If the peanut butter was recalled, why the public scare? Apparently, the FDA doesn't require written documentation regarding food testing nor does it require any findings to be made public. Why? Because "Federal courts, the FDA said, had ruled that if manufacturers turned over material in response to a formal request from the government, those documents could not be used as evidence in a criminal prosecution against them." Why? Apparently, the argument is that it's not the FDA's responsibility to criminally prosecute food companies. So who's job is it then?

This reminds me of the incident with Herba Ephedra. In Chinese Medicine it's called Ma Huang. Remember when it was being put into diet products and caffeine drinks? In Chinese Medicine, it's primarily used to fight colds, reduce wheezing, and rid the body of edema. It can also be used to raise blood pressure. This can be an alternative for people suffering from hypotension who don't want to use western medication. By bringing a person's blood pressure to normal levels, the result is an increase in energy. I remember the media's spin was that the herb is dangerous and should be banned. Well, here's the thing they didn't mention. The dosage that was being used in these products was 50 times the highest recommended dosage. How did I find this out? I read the label. Also, it is contraindicated to use the herb with patients who suffer from hypertension. Now, wouldn't it be plausible that the people who are drinking diet drinks might be seriously overweight and isn't that often coupled with hypertension? If someone in the food industry would've bought the Materia Medica from my school for a $150, they would've known this. Or did they? I guess we'll never know. But isn't it interesting that that was the plant used? Maybe they did read the book after all. What do you think? Seriously, I want to know. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/uploads/image/PeanutButter_baby.jpg&imgrefurl=http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/tags/peanut-butter/&h=412&w=500&sz=37&tbnid=_SCjPgQbtnftcM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpeanut%2Bbutter&usg=__yJwLjTaD_r1VPFB0GbgV5mzHklU=&ei=FHrxSpTkB4aKsgOn54z4AQ&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=23&ct=image&ved=0CGUQ9QEwFg