Victims put a face on recent food scares

Victims of e coli outbreaks in recent months helped put a human side on the recent months food scares when they testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this week.

Those testifying were either the parents of victims or the victims themselves of the peanut butter and spinach scares that occurred late lat and early this year.

They called for tighter inspections on the farms, plants and transportation facilities that handle the foods that end up on America's grocery shelves. Some of the victims fell ill after eating lettuce at restaurants, most notably, Taco Bell.

A recent federal investigation found numerous problems in several food-handling facilities, including unsanitary conditions, failure to carry out health and safety inspections and employees failing to meet hygiene standards (makes you want to starve, doesn't it?)

Pets weren't immune to this problem either. In March, animals all over the country began to fall ill with a mysterious kidney disease and many died. The cause was tainted wheat gluten used in literally hundreds of food varieties. The source was traced back to a factory in China, and it has been suggested the tainting was intentional. Results on this most recent scare are not complete.