Balanghoy poisoning

a favorite snack has killed a score of grade school children in the Philippines...link .... link
Cassava root is a widely used food product, but is poisonous if it's not prepared properly...

We eat cassava snacks here all the time (FYI: Cassava is used to make Tapioca, so you probably have eaten it too...) and don't even think about being poisoned...and I ate Cassava (mainly foufou) when I worked in West Africa, and never saw a case of poisoning when I worked there... most cooks know it is poisonous and are careful to prepare it properly. In this case, the plant probably had a high percentage of poison, and wasn't fully cooked...and since the cook also died, it was probably an accident.

Prayers for the children and their families....