Christopher Meunier and his mom, Gabrielle, will never forget the fear that gripped their family when Christopher contracted a Salmonella infection from contaminated peanut butter crackers. He spent days in agonizing pain and was hospitalized for a week. Fortunately, the treatment he received worked. Others were not as lucky: nine reported deaths were linked to tainted peanuts produced by a Georgia company.
With this experience always in the back of their minds, the Meuniers have become advocates for the stronger food safety system promised in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This law, approved in 2011, will help to prevent foodborne illnesses, which strike an estimated 48 million Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.