I believe it's 1 of 2 things
1) no one expecting salmonella in this particular product type so brushing it off in the beginning
2) The FDA has no teeth------------as long as business' are allowed to essentially police themselves (no matter how big) these will continue to happen
My cynical mind is wondering if it was either the peanut butter or the corn syrup that introduced salmonella into the plant
Over the course of this study (April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020), a total of 318 samples of a variety of oats were collected from retail locations in 11 cities across Canada. All samples were tested for Salmonella species (spp.), Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157, and Bacillus cereus (B. cereus). Of the 318 samples, 120 samples were tested for Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and generic E. coli and 198 samples were tested for total coliforms and Aerobic Colony Count (ACC). Generic E. coli, total coliforms and ACC are considered indicator organisms as their presence in food at elevated levels may be an indicator of poor sanitary conditions in the food production chain.
In this study, all samples tested were found to be free of Salmonella spp., E. coli O157, B. cereus (>104 CFU/g), C. perfringens (>104 CFU/g), S. aureus (>104 CFU/g), generic E. coli (>102 MPN/g), total coliforms (>104 CFU/g) and ACC (>106 CFU/g).
Overall, our survey results show that oats available for sale at retail in Canada have been produced under sanitary conditions and are safe for consumption. However, as with all foods, and especially those that are consumed without cooking, safe handling practices are recommended for producers, retailers and consumers.
https://inspection.c...1/1619212161464