Peanut Butter Recall Extends to Pets

In conjunction with the salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, PetSmart has voluntarily recalled seven different kinds of its Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits because they contain peanut paste from the Georgia processing plant, believed to be the source.

The exact bar codes and names of the biscuits are listed on the PetSmart web site and the company has promised a full refund if you return the products in question.

The list of recalled products grows by the day and my guess is that you should probably toss any kind of processed food made with peanut butter just to be sure. That goes for pet food as well, which should be pretty much confined to treats and biscuits.

The FDA maintains that jar peanut butter is safe. In our house we prefer the "grind your own" peanut butter available at our local supermarket but we need to inquire about the source of the peanuts used for this purpose.

This episode only reinforces the lack of control the FDA truly has over our food sources. Trust me when I tell you that the lack of government oversight that sent our financial system into a tailspin is equally evident in most government agencies--the old crony system at play--and until Obama gets his new players in place, buyer beware.

In the meantime, toss the peanut butter products.