We’ve all heard the horror stories – fingers found in fast food chili, E. coli, Salmonella and even mystery objects in packaged foods that clearly shouldn’t be there. And it seems like these mishaps are happening more and more these days.

There have been a couple of instances of food negligence that have deterred me from eating many things I love – and one is worse than the next!

A couple of years ago, a certain brand of peanut butter (hint: he's Tinkerbell’s love interest) recalled thousands of jars due to a salmonella outbreak. Turns out, the manufacturing plant had a leaky roof and the watery goodness had ran into empty jars prior to being filled with peanut butter. Many people became sick as a result. Did someone say lawsuit?

I’m sure a lot of us have experienced or know someone that has had salmonella poisoning or a bacterial food illness; it’s no walk in the park. At the very least, you can bet on setting up shop in the bathroom for a few days. Some even become hospitalized or die. It's no case for Pepto Bismol, that is for sure.

Then just yesterday, I swore off of the beloved Hot Pocket. (Are you singing it high pitched like the commercial? I can't stop...) Nestle recalled 215,660 pounds of Hot Pockets Tuesday morning, citing that the sandwiches may contain “foreign materials”.  I can’t even begin to speculate what that means, but I’m terrified for the masses.

If you think candy is innocent enough, think again. A candy company recently recalled all black licorice because the lead levels were too high. Too high? So, apparently lead in candy is a norm. Why don’t I just suck on a paint chip and call it a day? Check licorice off of the list.

Aside from the overabundance of human food recalls, pet food recalls seem to be popping up more than ever.

Like many other things, a great deal of pet food is imported from China. With the different food and drug guidelines, their ingredients tend to be what we Americans would call “sketchy”. China has been known to use melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers, in pet food to fake higher protein level content. Sadly, it has cost many animals their lives.

If all of these stories have made you paranoid like me, visit the FDA site regularly to keep up with the latest food recalls and updates. Remember, most food recalls DO NOT always make the headlines. 

I’m envisioning a TV show in the works here… “How It’s Made: Foodborne Illness Edition". 

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