The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just issued a salmonella warning for some batches of Peter Pan peanut butter after linking more than 280 cases of food poisoning in 39 different states to the product. Con Agra, the manufacturer of the peanut butter, has already called for a recall, but unlike with the fresh veggies that were affected by an E. coli contamination last fall, the long shelf-life of peanut butter means that people who fail to check their jars at home could face problems at a later time. Fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps are common effects, but for those with autoimmune disorders or other serious medical conditions, salmonella infections can be life threatening.

All of the peanut butters in question are under the brand names "Peter Pan" and "Great Value" and bear the number 2111 at the beginning of the product code on the lid. They were all made at a single factory in Georgia. The first consumer that was affected by the peanut butter-borne salmonella became ill in August of 2006, so if you bought your peanut butter (assuming it's Peter Pan brand) around that time, or even a bit before, it is wise to throw it out and start with something fresh.

All sorts of safety issue plague parents and children these days. Playground equipment and activities are carefully monitored and toys are painstakingly screened, especially if, unlike video games, they involve movable parts that the kids might play with too vigorously, thus injuring themselves, or eat, injuring themselves further. When it comes to food, most safety issues have to do with concerns about food allergies, but perhaps in light of the burns allegedly caused by Starbucks hot chocolate in the hands of a very small child, some groups are looking to ban hot drinks altogether, rather than supervise their consumption.

The Pat-a-Cake Playgroup, which meets at a library in Rawmarsh, South Yorkshire in England, has been "banned from serving tea and toast on health and safety grounds." The risk for burns is, apparently, far to high for the city council's liking, so the parents running the group have been told that they cannot boil water in the room where children are present, and that adults must drink their hot drinks in a separate area, far from the children, if not a separate room entirely.

As you can imagine, the parents are considering disbanding the group to escape from the oversight of the council before they demand that children be outfitted in protective gear at all times to avoid papercuts.

In light of the E. coli and botulism problems over the past few months that have been linked to California growers, there has been a proposal that new standards should be implemented to ensure that consumers will feel safe and comfortable buying California produce. Most growers have already increased the amount of oversight that their produce recieives, but the new plan involves the creaton of a "seal of approval" for all leafy vegetables. The standards for the seal have not yet been determined, but growers and lawmakers plan to iron out the details later this spring. Issues being considered are how to more effectively test irrigation water and how to keep livestock, primarily cattle, away from cropland.

In spite of the fact that there is no actual plan in place yet, the idea of a "seal of approval" is already being met with opposition, with critics saying that "the industry's proposal relies too heavily on policing itself." This could be a strong argument in other industries, but when it comes to food safety, no one wants to make sure consumers are protected more than the growers whose livelihoods depend on consumer satisfaction with, and confidence in, their products.

A large turkey needs to be handled with care to make sure that it is cooked properly. The bird should be completely defrosted before cooking and need to reach a minimum temperature of 165 degrees in the breast before it is considered to be "done" and safe to eat, according to the USDA. But before the big meal isn't the only time that we should give some thought to food safety. Leftovers are often improperly stored, leading to potential hazards in the kitchen, at least as far as your stomach is concerned, and the USDA makes some recommendations for them, too.

First of all, hot food should not be left out and continuously heated and cooled throughout the day. Food, especially hot food, should generally only be left out for an hour or two before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. Turkey meat should be removed from the bones of the bird and stored separately, well-wrapped in airtight containers. It can be kept for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 4 months in the freezer, which is a good storage option if you intend to use it later for soups or other cooked dishes. Most sides can also be kept, well wrapped, for 3 or 4 days. Stuffing and gravy should be in their own containers and will only keep for a day or two in the fridge, although they can also be frozen for a period of time. Gravy will keep for up to six months when frozen.

One final thing to keep in mind is that food may not look or smell bad even though it has gone past its prime, so when it comes to leftovers - no matter how much you love turkey sandwiches - it is better to be safe than sorry later on.

If you're planning on frying up your turkey for Thanksgiving, you probably should avoid propane-powered gas fryers. Although some chefs endorse them, often citing fast heating times as one of their reasons, Consumer Reports and product safety-testing nonprofit Underwriter Laboratories (UL), has found them to be unsafe. Most of the dangers pertain to fire risks because the units are highly combustible and a spillover of oil can cause the whole unit to ignite. Most tip over easily and many have no thermostat controls, which would prevent the cooking oil from coming close to "600 degrees [F],...the flash point of oil."

A safer alternative is an electric fryer. UL endorses the Turk N' Surf, which has a safety shutoff and adjustable thermostat. It is also safe enough to use indoors and produces a finely fried turkey.

If you already have a gas fryer and are not planning to replace it before Thanksgiving, keep some of these safety tips in mind:

• Use outdoors on a flat, fireproof surface, away from buildings, pets and children.
• Never leave it unattended and keep a close watch on the oil temperature.
• Use very well insulated pot holders when touching the unit and wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from to possibility of oil splatter.
• Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby in case anything goes wrong. You might want to have the number for take-out on speed dial, too, as a backup.

[Thanks, Marc!]

Only a few days after we were told that it was once again safe to eat spinach, the FDA issued a recall on lettuce from the Salinas-based Nunes Co. The recall only applies to lettuce purchased from October 3-6 in seven western states: Oregon, Idaho, Montana,California, Nevada, Washington and Arizona, and "the recalled lettuce was packaged as "Green Leaf 24 Count, waxed carton," and "Green Leaf 18 Count, cellophane sleeve, returnable carton." Packaging is stamped with lot code 6SL0024."

The reason that the lettuce was recalled was due to a concern over a possibly E.coli contamination in the water supply to the fields, although no E.coli has been found in any of the lettuce and no people have reported illness. The owner of the family-run company says that they have strict safety protocols, which were strengthened when the "spinach scare" broke out.

At this point, all lettuce covered by the recall should be off shelves, but it could be a good idea to check the bags in your fridge just in case.

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We already heard about the warning against eating raw oysters from the Pacific Northwest, but the USDA has recently extended the warning to include clams. So far, 72 illnesses have been directly linked to the shellfish, with another 105 cases suspected of originating from contaminated seafood. All of the cases have been in Washington, Oregon and New York, where the oysters and clams from the Puget Sound area are widely available.

Symptoms include "diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, [and] usually start within 24 hours and last no more than three days." Cooking can kill the bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, that is linked to the sickness and the symptoms are unpleasant enough that you would be better off not taking any chances until the warning is lifted.

If you are a mushroom lover, sometimes the specimens growing in your yard or in the nearby park look quite tasty. The problem is that it is difficult to determine exactly what kind of mushroom it may be - and since mistakes can be potentially fatal, it's not wise to experiment. This week, a Toronto man plucked a few mushrooms that looked harmless, only to end up hospitalized and in grave condition because they were poisonous.

The man's chances for recovery are uncertain.

The particular species of mushroom actually looks very similar to several nontoxic species, and health officials say that they did not realize that it was growing in the area. The director of Ontario's regional poison center said, "You fry them up, they taste great and the symptoms don't come for 12 hours. You may not connect it to the mushrooms, think it's just gastro [gastroenteritis] and think it'll get better. But it gets worse, and all the while it's eating away at your liver."

Play it safe and stick with the mushrooms for sale at local shops and markets, instead of taking chances with ones growing wild.

In California, there is a small, but growing debate developing over rice cakes - not the dry, crispy cakes that are sold in packages in the grocery store, but traditional Vietnamese rice cakes that consist of sticky rice, filled with seasoned pork and wrapped in a banana leaf. The problem is that the restaurants and shops that sell them are being made to comply with state food safety regulations that go against the way that these buns are normally served. Ken Trieu, whose family has been making and selling the cakes in San Jose for two decades, says that the cakes should be at room temperature and can remain that way for two days. The health department says that the cakes can only remain out at room temperature for 2-4 hours, or need to be in a hot or cold (less than 41F or more than 135F) environment to prevent bacterial growth. Health analyses have shown that the cakes are "potentially hazardous'' at room temperature, as are several other similar rice and pork pairings.

At the moment, vendors are trying to get the cakes, and other traditional foods, re-tested for safety.

The real question is whether you, the consumer, think that foods that are served in a slightly less than traditional manner are losing something in terms of quality or flavor or if the tradeoff for safety is worth a compromise.

The Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit group with over 22,000 members, studied over 20 years' worth of past research on antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance with a group of food scientists and microbiologists and came to the conclusion that using antibiotics to treat animals is not necessarily harmful to humans. The study was intended to provide a contrast to the claims of organic groups that promote antibiotic free foods as being the healthiest option.

While the results will be officially released tomorrow, scientists emphasize that they are not dismissing "concerns about overuse of antibiotics or antimicrobials," which can certainly be unnecessary and their overuse could even lead to the production of new, antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. But the fact remains that the health of many animals would suffer if they were never treated with antibiotics; the cost of meat could increase, perhaps to levels that would be prohibitively expensive for some, if food production dropped and the supply of meat on the market went down.

The study does not say that antibiotics and antimicrobials are unconditionally safe, as they can certainly be overused or misused, but it does serve to reinforce the idea that food production doesn't exist in black and white or good and bad, even if there is a hard line between organic and non-organic.

I recently came across a brief Q&A about mayonnaise and food poisoning on the Mayo Clinic's website. Surely someone at MayoClinic.com must be aware of the irony here. At any rate, with the picnic season gearing up, some of the tips on the page are worth mentioning. I'm not sure how many folks out there make homemade mayo on a regular basis, but according to the Mayo Clinic, homemade is not the way to go if you're planning on using it for your picnic potato salad. Store-bought mayo is made with pasteurized eggs, which, according to the MC, pose a far lower risk of bacterial growth in your side dish than mayo made with raw eggs. Foods with mayonnaise-based dressings should also be kept on ice during serving, just to be on the safe side.

[Photo: Kraft Foods]

In response to ongoing talks of change to established pension plans, the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) union in the UK is considering a five-day strike. If a strike went ahead, the slaughterhouses throughout the country of Scotland, where 150 members of the union are employed, would be forced to close - a move that would definitely hurt small businesses and butchers whose customers look forward to picking up fresh products. There would be no alternative to closing during a strike, because the 900-member MHS union inspects the conditions and quality of meat throughout the production and packaging process. Serious safety and health issues could arise from improperly inspected meat. Sources, according the BBC, are reportedly urging the union to rethink it strike position and keep negotiations open, as business closures could have a long-term, negative impact on the economy. Approximately 200,000 public workers in Scotland went on strike on Tuesday to show solidarity with the MHS.

Figures published last week reveal that in the last twenty years cirrhosis death rates for men in England and Wales have risen by over 60% and the rates for women have increased by nearly 50%. While Austria still has the highest cirrhosis death rates in Europe, followed in an ever-narrowing margin by Scotland, where cirrhosis deaths have doubled in the past two decades, many other countries have seen a 20-30% decline since the 1970s. Excessive and binge drinking - which results in some 22,000 British deaths each year - rates have risen among young men and women, and doctors report treating cirrhosis patients in their twenties, while only two decades ago nearly every patient with the disease was in late middle age.

England switched to 24 hour licensing at the end of last year, which permits clubs and pubs to serve alcohol around the clock. The medical profession is worried that this change will lead to an increase in alcoholism and alcohol and cirrhosis related deaths. They are encouraging the government to put more money into alcohol-treatment programs and to consider putting more restrictions on liquor licensing.

Slashfoodies love their cocktails. Particularly on festive occasions, football games and New Year's Eve, or when we decide to get spirited with our cooking. But we know when to stop and would like to take this opportunity to remind our friends and readers to do the same. Please drink safely, responsibly and in moderation.