Serious allegations raised in salmonella case

Diarrhea, fever, cramps, nausea, vomiting, chills, headache. The symptoms usually last about four to seven days, and most often go away without treatment.

Most of us would assume it was some common bug and let it go at that.

 But for nearly 600 people in the United States, the symptoms, associated with salmonella infections blamed on peanut products, proved more serious, and about nine died.

Past salmonella outbreaks have been linked to raw hot peppers, peanut butter, vegetable snacks, pet food and pot pies.

Unlike earlier outbreaks that were caused by easily identifiable straight peanut butter, this involved peanut products that found their way into all sorts of other products which wound up being consumed by children and elderly, the most vulnerable people, and others eating institutional food.

China's investigation of the contamination of milk products led to executions in that totalitarian nation. If allegations that the company knew products it was shipping were contaminated, however, it means company officials put profits ahead of customer's lives.

In that case, China's form of justice would not be far from appropriate.

For more information on products recalled in connection with salmonella contamination, go to this Web site.