Peanuts lead the list among food recalls due to undeclared allergens over the last several weeks.  Check out the latest from the FDA at my Allergy Alerts page.  Allow me to take this opportunity to give a shout out to George Washington Carver, one of my all time heroes.  I read his biography at an early age (big print and lots of pictures).  I was amazed by his many talents including crocheting–which I also took to as a child.  He was famous for many things among but most of all for hundreds of inventions using the peanut including alternative fuels and paint.  He did much to transform farming practices and enhance the success of many black Americans in the 30’s and 40’s.  He was a true renaissance man.  I am glad that haters didn’t put a stop to his work because of what was unknown about peanut production at the time.  Who could have guessed that so many people would succumb to the peanut allergy in the 20th and 21st Centuries–and hence be the focus of some many food recalls this past week.  Thank goodness for a public health system that functions to monitor these mishaps and provide notice to individuals who are at risk.  This way all the world can enjoy the awesomeness of the peanut while those who shouldn’t can be protected. Take a look at George Washington Carver’s story at Biography.com!