April 22, 2009
Washington, DC—As thousands of children from across the country gear up to participate in the national ‘Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” on Thursday, April 23, 2009 Consumers Union (CU), the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, will ask children of CU employees from New York and Washington, D.C. to write President Barack Obama to urge him to ensure peanut butter is safe. Consumers Union is also urging parents in other workplaces to discuss writing similar letters with their children.
“From peanut butter crackers to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches—peanut butter has become an American classic for children of all ages,” said Consumers Union Director of Food Policy Initiatives Jean Halloran. “As dozens of children come to work on Thursday with their parents at Consumers Union, we will give children an opportunity to voice their concern by writing letters to President Obama and asking him to take action on food safety. Last year alone, hundreds of American children got sick by eating contaminated peanut butter products.”
Many Consumers Union employees are involved in ensuring a safe and healthful food supply—from testing chicken for bacterial contamination to lobbying Congress for food safety reform.
Since early 2009, nearly 4,000 peanut butter products have been recalled because of salmonella contamination causing nine deaths, underscoring how important a strong food safety system for all American families.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 76 million Americans get sick, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year because of food borne illnesses.
For more information on the recent peanut butter recall and other food safety issues visit: www.NotInMyFood.org.