More disappointing news on food safety

The Austin American-Statesman reported this month that The Peanut Corporation of America--single-handedly responsible for poisoning hundreds of Americans and killing at least eight with salmonella--was able to open and operate an uninspected and unlicensed food processing plant in Plainview, Texas for years.  The plant was opened nearly four years ago (in March of 2005) and government inspectors never set foot inside until the company brought attention to itself by poisoning people nationwide. 

Cornell University food sciene professor Joseph Hotchkiss said this problem is "not a completely uncommon occurrence."  Theoretically, Texas requires that food processing plants be inspected every two years.  Peanut Corp. "could not present evidence of a current food manufacturer's license" although it was registered with the toothless and increasingly irrelevant FDA.