New Salmonella Issues & Unwanted Horses

New Salmonella Issues & Unwanted Horses plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Federal investigators continue to find salmonella bacteria in “critical areas” of Setton Pistachio’s Terra Bella, California plant. As a result, the second-largest pistachio processor in the nation has significantly expanded its recall of nuts. The company is now recalling all lots of roasted in-shell pistachios, roasted shelled pistachios and raw shelled pistachios that were produced from nuts harvested in 2008.

Law enforcement officers nationwide say with the depressed economy, they’re seeing an increase in the number of unwanted and neglected horses which has renewed the slaughterhouse debate in the U.S. Idaho Brand Inspector Larry Hahurst talks about the increase in abandoned horses and his support of states like Missouri, Montana, and North and South Dakota looking for ways to bring horse slaughterhouses back. 

HAHURST: The horses are the ones that are going to suffer. They should be put down or their a dangerous horse and they should be put down now they’re going to suffer more because there’s nowhere to go for them. It’s a sad deal and I hope that somebody has some common sense and realize what the reality of that is. All you ask them to do – because they think they did the horse a favor, they did not. People pass these laws and they never think it through what the end result is going to be – what the reality of it is. This is idiotic and it’s just insane and your heart bleeds for those animals.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

A recent survey reports that a large percentage of U.S. consumers do not trust the federal government when it comes to ensuring food safety. Truly that comes as no surprise, at least it shouldn’t. After numerous food recalls and salmonella outbreaks, do they really expect the U.S. consumer to continue on their merry way as if nothing has happened? Some administrators in the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Division have stated that “if people are truly concerned about food safety, they need to voice those concerns to the Legislature.” Many of us consumers are starting to feel like Horton’s little friends in “Horton Hears a Who”; we’re shouting with all of our might but no one seems to be listening. Then there is the matter of money; isn’t it always. Food production plants already spend billions on food safety and yet report needing more funds to improve food safety inspections. Does it really take millions or billions to know that animal droppings and unsanitary work areas do not belong in a food production facility? Apparently, it does.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.