In this podcast, we explore the 2008-2009 salmonella outbreak, which killed nine people and sickened over 700. We explore corporate negligence, weak government oversight, and scientific limitations that contributed to the tragedy, ultimately leading to legislative and federal reforms…yet who is the true culprit of them all?
The 2008-2009 salmonella outbreak linked to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) killed nine people, including veteran Clifford Tousignant, and infected over 700 others. PCA executives knowingly shipped contaminated peanut products, prioritizing profits over safety. The case revealed systemic failures: inadequate facility inspections, corrupted private auditing, delayed outbreak detection, and weak scientific standards. PCA's president Stewart Parnell received an unprecedented 28-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, though not for the deaths themselves. This tragedy prompted the Obama administration to enact the Food Safety Modernization Act, shifting from reactive to preventive food safety approaches, though implementation challenges remain. The outbreak's legacy includes both legal precedent and reformed safety standards.

Produced by Cassidy Chiong, Selene Lam and Sophia Soriano

These podcast episodes were created by members of the 2025 Winter Capstone course in the Human Biology and Society major at UCLA's Institute for Society and Genetics (https://socgen.ucla.edu/). The faculty sponsor is Christopher Kelty. For questions or concerns email [email protected].