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On June 9, an explosion ripped through a ConAgra (CAG) plant in North Carolina. Federal agencies say the blast was caused by a faulty water heater. The facility -- which is the only one in the country that makes Slim Jims -- halted production immediately, and it won’t resume again until August. ConAgra said the company won’t be back up to its usual Slim Jim production levels until autumn.

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Slim Jim loyalty is very high,” food industry consultant Jim Degan told the New York Post. “If you eat Slim Jims, you aren’t going to find brand B or C to be an acceptable substitute.” Truer words were never spoken. I, for one, would never deem a Rolets Beef Chevy an “acceptable substitute” for my beloved Slim Jim. Nor some off-brand “Beef-n-Cheez” combo pack often found at filling stations. No, for me it’s Slim Jim or no Jim at all -- unlike some, for whom it’s no Slim Jim, period.

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