The names Jelly Belly, Blue Ribbon Gourmet Cookie Dough and Keebler bring the phrase “scrumptious culinary confections” to mind.But these products have another slightly less appetizing characteristic in common — they are recent victims of what many health experts are calling the biggest food recall in history, courtesy of salmonella typhimurium.The most recent salmonella outbreak began with the detection of small salmonella cluster patterns in peanut butter and reported illnesses as early as September 2008, according to the Center for Disease Control.The culprit and origin of the surge, Peanut Corporation of America, closed its plants in Texas and Georgia, where the outbreak was traced, and has since gone bankrupt.”To date, more than 2,100 products in 17 categories have been voluntarily recalled by more than 200 companies, and the list continues to grow,” said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a statement.Since the outbreak first appeared more than six months ago, a reported 683 people have ingested and become ill from the bacteria. Of those affected, 23 percent — or 157 people — have needed hospitalization, according to the CDC.While only nine deaths have resulted from the surge, the FDA indicates the number of people affected is still rising.”The effects of salmonella can be severe,” said Elizabeth Reames, professor and extension specialist at the LSU School of Human Ecology. “But it is worst for the elderly or very young or immune-compromised people.”The age of people affected ranges from 1 to 98, with the average age being 16, indicating half of the victims are young adults and children, according to CDC.The salmonella outbreak has managed to reach 46 states, and Louisiana isn’t one of them.Although there are no solid reasons why Louisiana has managed to escape this surge, Reames said one explanation could be the haste with which Louisiana grocers removed recalled items from their shelves, or perhaps that the King Nut products did not reach the state until after knowledge of the outbreak.While knowledge about Louisiana’s outbreak avoidance is obscure, national health officials are working diligently to find answers concerning the national problem.The shortage of food inspectors is one answer, according to The Associated Press.The AP reported state budget issues have led to a deficit of inspectors in larger facilities. With just as many facilities and less people to verify their sanitation, it’s no wonder such a huge outbreak has evolved.”There is a shortage because they’re very overworked,” Reames said. “[King Nut’s] Georgia factory … had been inspected and minor citations were issued, but this problem could have developed between the inspections — it’s just impossible to catch everything.”This shortage of inspectors is occurring in Louisiana as well, because of the immense workload and little resources, Reames said. However, the problem is beyond merely assigning workers to fill the positions because of the country’s “tricky and difficult” economic situation.But regardless of where food problems start, the key in avoiding food-born illnesses lies with the food’s destination, Reames said.”Salmonella usually develops from consumers not taking care of food properly,” Reames said.  “Safety at home is the most important thing. Refrigerate food properly, cook food properly and make sure you don’t cross-contaminate.”As for peanut butter, University students shouldn’t consider adding it to their list of Lenten sacrifices just yet.”Students don’t have to avoid peanut butter,” Reames said. “If [students] have old peanut butter products like crackers and cookies on [their] shelves … they should check the recall listings and make sure they get rid of those. But the jarred peanut butter is safe … [and] the grocers have pulled all of the contaminated recalled products from their shelves. I don’t think there’s any major concern anymore.”–Contact Natalie Roy at [email protected]