• 600 people sickened by peanut butter products from the Peanut Corporation of America;
• 8 dead;
• 1800 products recalled
• When company president, Stewart Parnell, and manager of the plant, Sammy Lightsey, were asked by congress if they would eat any of their own products, they pleaded the 5th Amendment right so as not to incriminate themselves;
• Employees of the company said they would not allow their children to eat any of products associated with the plant;
• The Georgia Dept. of Agriculture, while stating their goal was 2 inspections per year, conducted no inspections of the plant in over a year;
• Email by the plant manager to the company president informed the president of positive salmonella test;
• After being informed of positive Salmonella test, company president, Stewart Parnell, instructed plant manager to ship the products.

Obviously, the saying “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” never crossed the company president’s or the plant manager’s mind.

Before the dust on this tragedy has settled the direct and indirect costs associated with this peanut butter products recall will reach into the billions of dollars.  I mention this because apparently, to the officers and employees of the Peanut Corporation of America, human life only has value if it is your’s or one of your immediate family members.