Personal Injury Law

Preview of FDA Form 483 Inspectional Observations of Peanut Corporation of America

By Bill Marler, Esq.

There were 12 instances when a private laboratory hired by PCA tested products for PCA and found Salmonella positives. These products were retested and when a negative test result was allegedly received, PCA shipped the products. In one of these cases, the Salmonella strain was Typhimurium. In two cases, the strain was Anatum.  Hmmm, this is more than "presumptive positive" - given that the Salmonella was serotyped.  There was no strain identified for the other nine instances.

Like at ConAgra's peanut butter plan in Sylvester, the Blakely plant had ceiling issues ("Raindrops keep falling on my head").  Further, the roaster might not have been adequate to eliminate microbiological contamination (Not hot enough to cook the feces out of it).

Roaches were also found in the plant. Finally, when trailers containing totes of peanuts were backed into the plant, there were openings that were large enough for pests to enter.

This just hot off the Press Release Wire:

The American Peanut Council (APC) today expressed its shock and dismay at findings that report the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) knowingly released a product with potential salmonella contamination into the food supply, as released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The findings of the FDA report can only be seen as a clear and unconscionable action of one irresponsible manufacturer, which stands alone in an industry that strives to follow the most stringent food safety standards," said Patrick Archer, President of the American Peanut Council. "The American peanut industry's top priority is the health and safety of consumers. While we will of course wait for the full report tomorrow, this apparent failure to follow food safety regulations must be condemned in the strongest possible terms."

Talk about getting thrown under the bus?  Where was APC over the last few years?

Full post as published by Marler Blog on January 27, 2009 (boomark / email).