Nancy Shute, expert writer on all things parenting for US News and World Report, has just described the current salmonella outbreak as the ‘scariest’ she’s ever seen.  Her fears don’t stem from the number of people sickened (491 and counting) or killed (seven so far) or the widespread geographical scope of the outbreak (43 states and Canada).  Her concern is for the extremely large number of common supermarket items that are made from peanuts, peanut butter, or peanut paste.

Many items under suspicion of contamination are common products easily kept at room temperature, don’t require cooking, and are packaged to make them so easy to keep handy.  Those same characteristics create an ideal living environment for the bacteria that is making so many people so sick.

The salmonella bacteria, and many other dangerous microorganisms as well, thrive at room temperature.  They also require a steady supply of protein on which to feed.  These needs are met perfectly by protein-rich peanut butter-based food products and the packaging all those pre-made, ready-to-eat products come in.  Temperatures above 140 degrees kill bacteria in food but it just isn’t practical to heat so many of these products in question, especially the ice creams and chocolates being recalled.  Or the doggie treats.

Shute quotes Michelle Morrone, an Ohio State University associate professor of environmental health sciences, as saying “You can’t assume that packaged food is safe.”  Instead, Morrone, author of the book, ‘Poisons on the Plate,’ suggests rethinking our very strong reliance on packaged food items.

The current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall covers all peanut-flavored products manufactured since July 1, 2008, but food manufacturers rarely list the production date of their food products.  For the highest degree of safety, Shute suggests throwing away all peanut-flavored products in one’s pantry, cupboard, or refrigerator for now.  So far, peanut butter sold in jars is still considered safe but many people are avoiding it, too, until this outbreak has passed.