# Your peanut butter: Now with nutritious rat excrement! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 13, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627 "2009-02-13T01:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/41 "2009-02-13T17:32:35Z")
Well, now we know the very definition of “rat bastard.” :mad: > [@Bosstone](#): > > Son of a bitch. And here I’ve been happily eating from my jar of peanut butter, purchased well before the salmonella outbreak, and now we get this. Actually, jarred peanut butter is safe-it’s pre-packaged stuff, like peanut butter crackers that you have to worry about. Any one got a list of the types of products? (I tried looking, but the lists are so long and specific, and most of them are PDFs) I think peanut butter cups, and some ice cream with peanut butter swirls are affected. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/42 "2009-02-13T17:49:33Z")
5 dead and over 450 sick. Not a big deal when you consider the size of the population. Profits did very well with lax or no regulation. It is a wash. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/43 "2009-02-13T18:03:55Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I’m suddenly glad I don’t eat peanut butter. Do you like [chocolate](http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg515-700.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/44 "2009-02-13T18:19:00Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Dumb fucking idiot. Not only are you completely wronjg about libertarian theory, but you’re treating reality as though it were a hypothetical. You grumble about what could possibly happen in Libertarian land while you’re looking at the ACTUAL FUCKING EVENT in America land. Yes, an ACTUAL FUCKING EVENT where a lack of government regulation and supervision led to a greedy stupid businessman putting out a substandard product. A product that led to sickness and death. An actual fucking event that gives us a tiny bit of insight into what things would look like in the absence of government regulation and supervision. But then I guess I know squat about Libertarian theory. I believe a Libertarian would think that’s all fine, since the owner was free to make this choice for himself, and he will have to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choice he made. Likewise, the consumers will just have to accept the responsibility for not checking into the quality of the food they bought, and will have to accept the consequences for this choice. Likewise, would not a Libertarian say that a free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner? It’s certainly not efficient to poison your customers. (Unless you’re a greedy, stupid sociopath) Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. Protect voluntary trade - no regulating, no supervising, no government interference with trade. Adjudicate disputes - so the victims can now be compensated for their deaths. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/45 "2009-02-13T18:44:10Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Well, now we know the very definition of “rat bastard.” :mad: > > Actually, jarred peanut butter is safe-it’s pre-packaged stuff, like peanut butter crackers that you have to worry about. > > Any one got a list of the types of products? (I tried looking, but the lists are so long and specific, and most of them are PDFs) I think peanut butter cups, and some ice cream with peanut butter swirls are affected. STOP TALKING OUT OF IGNORANCE If you care to read more current reports, like ones published this week or last, you will find that indeed, some jarred peanut butter has been recalled. Among the types recalled are the ones packaged for dollar stores that are marked on the label for sale for 99 cents. Consumer reports other boutique jarred peanut butter might not be safe. While some types of peanut butter cups that made their way into ice cream and other peanut butter flavored ice cream has been recalled, some peanut butter cups are not only not recalled, but positively not in the affected products. > [@](#): > > [The Hershey Company](http://www.hersheys.com/recall/peanutbutter.asp) Reaffirms that it Does Not Purchase Peanut Butter, Peanuts or Peanut Products from Peanut Corporation of America All Hershey and Reese’s candies are safe to consume. REESES PEANUTBUTTER CUPS ARE SAFE! [Consumer Reports blog](http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2009/02/list-of-peanut-butter-recalls-continues-to-grow.html) from last week has more links, some to other brands declaring their product’s safety, and others to the FDA website and database of recalled products. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/46 "2009-02-13T19:21:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Get perspective, people. Read _The Jungle_. At least PCA doesn’t have employees falling into the vats and going out into the world as jars of Extra Crunchy People Butter. So you’re cool with the rat shit then? This isn’t 1900. It’s 2009. We should expect better. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/47 "2009-02-13T19:40:13Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > You grumble about what could possibly happen in Libertarian land while you’re looking at the ACTUAL FUCKING EVENT in America land. Of course, and the solution to inadequate regulation is obviously no regulation at all. Clear as Jif. > [@neutron star](#): > > So you’re cool with the rat shit then? I’m not just _cool_ with the rat shit, I’m _down_ with the rodent hairs, and the feathers are _the wind beneath my wings_. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/48 "2009-02-13T20:04:03Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Likewise, would not a Libertarian say that a free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner? No, that’s what an anarchocapitalist would say. A libertarian would say that there should be strict regulations against coercive force and deception, which includes representing your products as safe for consumption when in fact they are not. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/49 "2009-02-13T20:34:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic View Post > Likewise, would not a Libertarian say that a free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner? > [@Liberal](#): > > No, that’s what an anarchocapitalist would say. A libertarian would say that there should be strict regulations against coercive force and deception, which includes representing your products as safe for consumption when in fact they are not. Sorry. I feel so stupid now. Perhaps you could ask the Libertarian Party to [Change the wording on their webpage:](http://www.lp.org/platform) > [@](#): > > 2.0 Economic Liberty > > A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, **or to control or manage trade** , are improper in a free society. (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/50 "2009-02-13T20:37:05Z")
[They filed for bankruptcy protection.](http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=9842245) And as if we didn’t have enough to worry about…now you have to worry about [dog treats](http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/2009/02/13/more-dog-treats-added-to-peanut-butter-recall-list.aspx). List of recalled products from the [FDA](http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm). ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/51 "2009-02-13T23:18:12Z")
You got rat shit in my peanut butter! You got peanut butter on my rat shit! This is what happens when the FDA is understaffed and leaves the inspection responsibility up to the state – and the state is _Texas_. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/52 "2009-02-13T23:53:40Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > …This is what happens when the FDA is understaffed and leaves the inspection responsibility up to the state – and the state is _Texas_. I must protest this uncalled for slight against Texas. Sure, Texas may have more chromosomes per capita than any other state in the union, but such people can live very productive lives wiping tables at Whataburger or even as President. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/53 "2009-02-13T23:59:38Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > 5 dead and over 450 sick. Not a big deal when you consider the size of the population. Profits did very well with lax or no regulation. It is a wash. 5 people dead and hundreds sick is a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/54 "2009-02-14T00:20:41Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > 5 people dead and hundreds sick is a big deal. aaaaaaannndddd… WHOOSH! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/55 "2009-02-14T00:59:21Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > aaaaaaannndddd… > WHOOSH! Oh, come on, how am I supposed to be able to tell when it’s **gonzomax**? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/56 "2009-02-14T01:18:31Z")
Er… don’t pretty much all consumer products have a certain amount of cockroach bits and rat droppings in them? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/57 "2009-02-14T02:55:19Z")
> [@lee](#): > > STOP TALKING OUT OF IGNORANCE > > If you care to read more current reports, like ones published this week or last, you will find that indeed, some jarred peanut butter has been recalled. Among the types recalled are the ones packaged for dollar stores that are marked on the label for sale for 99 cents. Consumer reports other boutique jarred peanut butter might not be safe. While some types of peanut butter cups that made their way into ice cream and other peanut butter flavored ice cream has been recalled, some peanut butter cups are not only not recalled, but positively not in the affected products. > REESES PEANUTBUTTER CUPS ARE SAFE! Yeesh, **lee** , chilll. I was going by what I heard on the news this morning. You don’t have to bite my head off. I heard on the news LAST NIGHT that jars were still safe-and that some ice cream was being recalled-I didn’t say any brand specifically. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/58 "2009-02-14T04:08:26Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I must protest this uncalled for slight against Texas. Sure, Texas may have more chromosomes per capita than any other state in the union, but such people can live very productive lives wiping tables at Whataburger or even as President. Or as message board administrators. ::puts two more names on The List\*:: \*Note: the statement between the :s is a JOKE. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/59 "2009-02-14T08:33:24Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Yeesh, **lee** , chilll. I was going by what I heard on the news this morning. You don’t have to bite my head off. I heard on the news LAST NIGHT that jars were still safe-and that some ice cream was being recalled-I didn’t say any brand specifically. Jesus. This is the Straight Dope, we aspire to a higher standard than the evening news. As far as I can tell, their goal is to get you to tune in at 11, and our goal is fighting ignorance, and here you were spewing it all over the page. It was not hard for me to find multiple sites (I only linked a couple; I found many others) that debunked your claim that jarred peanut butter was safe. Are you telling me that you don’t have the time to check your facts before you post? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627/60 "2009-02-14T17:57:07Z")
[It just gets worse, this story:](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/health/policy/11peanut.html?_r=1) > [@](#): > > Kenneth Kendrick, a former assistant plant manager of the Texas facility, said in an interview that the plant had a leaky roof, rodent infestation and poor process controls. A second former employee of the Texas plant, who asked for anonymity because of legal concerns, confirmed Mr. Kendrick’s descriptions of the plant and its processes. Mr. Kendrick left the plant about two years ago. > > “This was a disgusting plant,” Mr. Kendrick said. “We cut corners.” > > The plant always had standing water in its basement, Mr. Kendrick said. The roof leaked so badly that when it rained, workers were instructed to raise tarps to the ceiling to direct the water away from peanuts and plant equipment, the two said. Rain at night went unattended, they said. > > Since bird feces peppered the roof, the leaks were an obvious concern, the two said. Does that sound like an operation that should get within a country mile of certification as producing organic food? [And yet:](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/business/14peanut.html) > [@](#): > > In a related matter, Texas officials said Friday they had fired an inspector who certified the Plainview plant for organic production. The Texas Department of Agriculture said the inspector had indicated that the company had provided proper documentation. The plant was initially certified as organic in November 2005. > > But after the salmonella outbreak unfolded, starting in mid-January, state officials learned that the plant did not have a state health certificate, as required, and “found that the inspector accepted incomplete information,” according to a statement. I’m beginning to think the only solution is to eat nothing except what the [local co-op farm](http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/6429_appleton_farms_community_supported_agriculture.cfm) produces. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-peanut-butter-now-with-nutritious-rat-excrement/485627.md?page=4)