In a well-documented recent event, the US food industry proved, without a doubt, that it's no better than the Chinese food industry. The US Food and Drug Administration stated the Peanut Corp. of America had been knowingly selling salmonella tainted peanut products since 2007.
I'm an American and I've always felt safer eating foods with an US FDA seal of approval on it. I didn't feel this way because I've personally had bad experiences with food produced and inspected in China, but because of the thousands of people who have. Now, I find myself wondering if I should start looking for food produced and inspected in the EU.
When the powdered milk scandal came to light in China, there was only evidence to show it had been going on for just a few months, 1 year at most (which is still way too long). In addition, melamine is way harder to test for than salmonella. There are records from July 2007 that show that this US peanut company knowingly sold salmonella contaminated products ... 2007, that's disgraceful.
In the milk powder scandal, several people were given death sentences for adding the melamine. The president of the main company involved was given a long prison sentence and a very hefty fine, 20 million RMB (about $2.5 million US), and the company was fined another 50 million RMB.
I don't expect anyone involved in this peanut butter scandal to get the death sentence, but I would be interested in seeing what happens to the company and the decision making management who continued to knowingly sell contaminated products.
