Are Girl Scout Cookies Safe?

Over the past few days, the nation has been gripped by a single question: will Girl Scout Cookies be affected by the latest salmonella outbreak, which has companies pulling peanut-butter-based products from shelves across the country?

Rejoice, for Do-Si-Dos, and, most importantly, Tagalongs, are safe. Girl Scouts of the USA has issued a statement indicating that neither of the companies that produce Girl Scout Cookies—Interbake Foods and Little Brownie Bakers—is supplied by the company at the center of the outbreak, Peanut Corporation of America.

Meanwhile, the outbreak is continuing apace, as these things usually do, with the news getting a little worse each day. The number of people who have been sickened by eating tainted peanut butter is now up to 485 in 43 states and Canada. Six deaths may be traceable to the salmonella that somehow made its way into a Blakely, Ga., plant owned by PCA.

This weekend, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers that they should avoid products containing peanut butter or peanut butter paste as the investigation continues. Peanut butter itself—the stuff that comes in jars—appears to be safe so far.

Even pet food has not been spared—PetSmart has recalled seven varieties Choice Dog Biscuit products that are made from PCA's peanut paste.

The Washington Post has a long and growing list of products that are subject to "precautionary" recalls. In the meantime, if you're looking for information on tainted peanut butter, you can find it on the FDA's Web site, but only if you are industrious and patient. The horribly designed site doesn't even mention peanut butter on its home page.