When it comes to food safety, the news just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it? The latest food scare stems from a possible salmonella contamination of products produced at Plainview Milk Products Cooperative in Minnesota. Though no one has gotten sick -- yet -- it's prompted recalls of Malt-o-Meal instant oatmeal, which is sold under various brand names, Dairyshake, and NOW Foods whey protein concentrate.

The scariest thing about this news is that it's not clear exactly where these possibly contaminated products (non-fat dry milk, thickening agents and other ingredients) have been used, because they're incorporated into a wide variety of foods. So we could be seeing a potentially large number of products being recalled across the country in the upcoming days. For example, this afternoon I accidentally discovered that Kroeger is also recalling three flavors of its popcorn seasonings today; I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that those flavors contain some of the products that came from the Minnesota co-op. And doing a Google search just now, I've also found that Dunkin' Donuts has recalled its Dunkaccino and hot chocolate beverages for fear of contamination.

Scary stuff! Keep an eye on this one, and check for updates to see what other products you should avoid as this story grows.  

--Maggie

photo: j. rizzo/getty images