Private inspections of food companies seen as weak

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Posted on 20th March 2009 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 3/20/2009

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The mortgage meltdown exposed the weakness of self-regulation in financial markets. Now the salmonella outbreak is doing the same for the food industry.

A House subcommittee Thursday released new documents that showed how private inspectors contracted by Peanut Corp. of America failed to find long-standing sanitary problems at company facilities. Peanut Corp. is at the center of a nationwide outbreak that has sickened nearly 700 people and is blamed for at least nine deaths.

Lawmakers said the food industry’s private inspection system failed to catch filthy conditions because the company itself hired the inspectors.

“There is an obvious and inherent conflict of interest when an auditor works for the same supplier it is evaluating,” said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee. He termed it a “cozy relationship.”

Last summer, Peanut Corp.’s private inspector, a company called AIB, awarded the peanut processor a certificate in 2008 for “superior” quality at its Plainview, Texas, plant. This year, salmonella was discovered there.

The outbreak was initially traced to a Peanut Corp. facility in Blakely, Ga. Later, contamination was found at the Texas plant. Peanut Corp. is under criminal investigation for allegedly shipping products it knew to be tainted.

Owner Stewart Parnell has refused to answer questions from lawmakers, citing constitutional protections against self-incrimination. On Thursday, Parnell told The Associated Press he couldn’t comment on the allegations and referred questions to his attorney, who was not immediately available.

Federal law does not require food companies to pay for their own inspections of suppliers. Nor are industry labs and inspectors required to tell the government about any problems they find.

At least one food company that used its own inspectors, Nestle USA, ultimately decided not to do business with Peanut Corp. Nestle USA had no recalls. But a Nestle affiliate in Puerto Rico recalled some ice cream products, and Nestle HealthCare Nutrition — another affiliate — recalled a nutritional bar.

The committee released a 2002 Nestle USA inspection report of Peanut Corp.’s Blakely plant. “They found that the place was filthy,” said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.

A second audit by Nestle USA of Peanut Corp.’s Texas facility in 2006 also found major pest control and other problems. The audit said that would disqualify the plant from supplying chopped peanut pieces to sprinkle atop Drumstick ice-cream cones.

Auditors found at least 50 mouse carcasses in and around the plant and also a dead pigeon “lying on the ground near the peanut-receiving door.”

The audit also said the plant had no pathogen-monitoring plan and noted that one needed to be developed for the plant to be in compliance with audit standards.

Companies that bought ingredients from Peanut Corp. said they had no way of defending themselves against a supplier they accuse of deliberately breaking the rules and covering up.

“I think we did everything we could do,” Kellogg Co. chief executive David Mackay told the committee.

“The issue was that (Peanut Corp.) acted in a dishonest and unethical way,” he added.

Lawmakers and the Obama administration say the problem goes beyond a rogue company, and major reforms are needed. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to take food safety oversight away from the Food and Drug Administration and give it to a new agency with stronger legal powers and more funding.

Peanut Corp. produced not only peanut butter, but peanut paste, an ingredient found in foods from granola bars and dog biscuits to ice cream and cake. More than 3,490 products have been recalled, including some millions of Kellogg’s Austin and Keebler peanut butter sandwich crackers.

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On the Net:

FDA salmonella page: http://tinyurl.com/8srctw

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Jar peanut butter sales fall amid salmonella fears

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Posted on 10th February 2009 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 2/10/2009

By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Shoppers are leaving jarred peanut butter off their grocery lists, according to sales figures, even though familiar brands have not been affected by the salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds and led to one of the largest product recalls in U.S. history.

To fight the sales slump, the makers of Jif and Peter Pan have countered with a costly advertising campaign aimed at reassuring nervous eaters.

Jarred peanut butter sales during the four weeks ending Jan. 24 dropped 22 percent from the same period the previous year, according to figures compiled by The Nielsen Company, which tracks consumer purchasing decisions. The 33.8 million pounds of peanut butter includes jars sold at food, drug and mass merchandisers, but not Wal-Mart stores.

Although more recent data weren’t available Monday, hundreds more products have been recalled since the period measured by Nielsen, making the peanut industry’s woes even more visible to consumers. As a result, some consumers say they’re avoiding peanut butter entirely.

“I just stopped because I didn’t want to risk anything happening,” said Kate Labrecque, 24, as she ate lunch in a downtown Atlanta park. She said she’s waiting until “they put something out that says it’s safe to eat stuff with peanuts.”

Federal investigators have linked peanut products made at Peanut Corp. of America’s southwest Georgia peanut processing plant to the salmonella outbreak that has sickened 575 people and may have caused as many as eight deaths.

On Monday, the FBI raided the plant in Blakely, Ga., hauling off boxes and other material. Agents executed search warrants at both the plant and at Peanut Corp.’s headquarters in Lynchburg, Va., according to a senior congressional aide with knowledge of the raids. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The Lynchburg, Va.-based company sold its peanut butter to institutional clients, such as nursing homes, and its peanut paste to many other companies that used it as an ingredient in products ranging from cookies and ice cream to energy bars and pet treats. While the company initially said its products weren’t sold directly to consumers, it said Sunday that some of its products — including dry and honey-roasted nuts — were also sold directly to consumers at the retailers 99 Cent Stuff, 99 Cents Only Stores, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree Stores.

Leading brands of jarred peanut butter, however, aren’t part of the scandal, and their makers have found themselves scrambling to spread that message to shoppers.

J.M. Smucker Co., which makes Jif peanut butter, has received about 40,000 phone calls from concerned customers since reports surfaced that the bacteria outbreak was linked to peanut butter, said spokeswoman Maribeth Badertscher.

“We’re doing what we can to make sure consumers know our products are safe,” she said.

Smuckers and ConAgra Foods Inc., the maker of Peter Pan, have both taken out half-page newspaper ads in papers around the country telling consumers their products are completely safe and featuring coupons for savings on a jar of their peanut butter.

“Consumers have been confused by the media and are uncertain about what products are safe,” said Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for ConAgra. “We’ve been very clear to consumers about the safety of our products and the reasons that we can be sure our products are safe.”

Those reasons — echoed by Smuckers and Skippy manufacturer Unilever — include stringent product safety and quality control measures and the fact that they do not buy any products from Peanut Corp.

But for some shoppers, those companies’ efforts haven’t sunk in yet.

“I have stopped totally eating or purchasing peanut products until I get more information this problem is solved,” said Atlanta resident Michael Jackson, a 59-year-old printer who adds that he loves peanut butter.

In Pittsburgh, Cindy Connelly mistakenly bought peanut butter-filled pretzels, and her husband promptly tossed them in the trash.

“Hopefully there’ll be more control over this kind of thing and it’s not worth getting sick over it,” said the 55-year-old hospital admissions official in Pittsburgh.

But industry officials say consumers can easily check which products are and aren’t safe. In addition to the list of recalled products on the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, the American Peanut Council, an umbrella trade association that represents all segments of the U.S. peanut industry, has put a list on its own Web site of products that are safe to eat.

“The vast majority of peanut products, or products containing peanuts, are safe,” said council president Patrick Archer. “If consumers have any doubt, they should check with the manufacturer.”

And some consumers are doing just that.

Retirees Ray Pfeifer, 60, and his wife Kathleen, 61, had peanut butter on their grocery list when they stopped at a Giant Eagle grocery store in Pittsburgh Monday. Ray Pfeifer had checked the online listings before leaving the house and knew his preferred brand, Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter, was OK.

“I’m off peanuts but I’m not off peanut butter,” he said. “I’m just looking to see where it’s from.”

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Associated Press Writers Johnny Clark in Atlanta, Jim Drinkard in Washington and Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

FDA, http://www.fda.gov

American Peanut Council, http://www.peanutsusa.com

Peter Pan peanut butter, http://www.peterpanpb.com

Jif peanut butter, http://www.jif.com/home.asp

Skippy peanut butter, http://www.peanutbutter.com

Peanut Corp. of America, http://www.peanutcorp.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Peanut company in salmonella probe shuts 2nd plant

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Posted on 10th February 2009 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 2/10/2009

By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — The peanut company at the center of an investigation into a deadly national salmonella outbreak suspended operations at a second processing plant Tuesday.

Peanut Corporation of America said in a statement it was voluntarily suspending operations at its Plainview, Texas, plant while state and federal health officials investigate procedures and food safety records there. The facility is operated by a subsidiary, Plainview Peanut Co.

An Associated Press investigation last week revealed that the Plainview plant, which opened in March 2005, operated uninspected and unlicensed by state health officials until after the company came under investigation last month by the Food and Drug Administration. Once inspectors learned about the Texas site, they found no sign of salmonella there.

Doug McBride, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said Peanut Corp. agreed to shut the plant voluntarily as it works with the state agency.

Peanut Corp. closed its plant in Blakely, Ga., last month after federal investigators identified that facility as the source of the salmonella outbreak. The company also operates a small plant under the name Tidewater Blanching in Suffolk, Va.

The Texas closing comes a day after the FBI raided the plant in Georgia, hauling off boxes and other material. Agents executed search warrants at both the plant and at Peanut Corp.’s headquarters in Lynchburg, Va., according to a senior congressional aide with knowledge of the raids. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that the number of cases linked to the current outbreak has reached 600, with one case in Florida bringing the number of affected states to 44. It may also have contributed to eight deaths.

“I’m just very sorry to hear that,” Plainview Mayor John Anderson said Tuesday when a reporter called with news of the suspension. “Hopefully it’s just a temporary suspension. That’d be the best of all worlds.”

He said the plant employed about 30 people. It was not immediately clear how the suspension would affect them.

Plainview, a city of about 22,000, is about 48 miles north of Lubbock and relies heavily on agriculture for its livelihood.

“They’ve been very good citizens of ours,” said David Evans, executive director of the Hale County Industrial Foundation, the county’s economic development body. “I can’t say a bad word about them.”

Food safety attorney Bill Marler, one of several plaintiff’s attorneys who has filed civil lawsuits against the company since the outbreak started, said it was the latest disturbing turn for Peanut Corp.

“It is clear that PCA is not a producer that companies could — or can — rely on for a safe product,” he said.

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Associated Press Writers Brett Blackledge in Washington, Greg Bluestein in Atlanta and Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Summary

Possibly tainted peanut butter sent to schools

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Posted on 6th February 2009 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 2/6/2009

By MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department shipped possibly contaminated peanut butter and other foods to schools in at least three states under a contract with the Georgia company blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

The government abruptly suspended all business with the company Thursday, as officials defended their efforts to halt the outbreak that has sickened at least 575 people in 43 states. At least eight have died. It’s become one of the largest food recalls ever, including more than 1,300 products.

The potentially contaminated products went to school free lunch programs in California, Minnesota and Idaho in 2007, the Department of Agriculture said Friday. Peanut butter and roasted peanuts processed by the Peanut Corp. of America were sent to the schools.

None of the states reported illnesses as a result of students eating the recalled peanut products.

Jim Brownlee, a spokesman for the Agriculture Department, said there have been no potentially contaminated shipments from the company in the last year. It was unclear how much of the suspect food might still remain uneaten at the schools.

Despite ongoing reports of illnesses linked to the company, the Agriculture department only Thursday suspended Peanut Corp. from participating in government contract programs, for at least a year. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also removed Stewart Parnell, president of the company, from USDA’s Peanut Standards Board.

The company’s actions indicate that it “lacks business integrity and business honesty, which seriously and directly hinders its ability to do business with the federal government,” said David Shipman, acting administrator of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, said in a statement.

The recalled foods used ingredients from the Peanut Corp. processing plant in Blakely, Ga. While the outbreak appears to be slowing down, new illnesses are still being reported.

School officials across the country have been checking cafeterias and vending machines for the recalled products, and some have stopped serving any peanut-related products at all, out of an abundance of caution.

The Food and Drug Administration learned only weeks ago that the Peanut Corp. of America had received a series of private tests dating back to 2007 showing salmonella in their products from the Georgia plant, but later shipped the items after obtaining negative test results.

The Agriculture Department initially said that school meal programs were not affected by the large-scale recall. But that changed when Peanut Corp. expanded its recall to all peanut products made at the plant since Jan. 1, 2007.

At a Senate hearing Thursday on the salmonella outbreak, lawmakers reacted angrily when told that food companies and state safety inspectors don’t have to report to the FDA when test results find pathogens in a processing plant, leaving the federal government in the dark.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Inspection reports from peanut plant varied widely

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Posted on 2nd February 2009 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 2/2/2009

By KATE BRUMBACK and GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press Writers

BLAKELY, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia health inspector who toured the peanut butter plant now at the center of a national salmonella outbreak noted only two minor violations in October. Less than three months later, federal inspectors found roaches, mold, a leaking roof and other sanitation problems.

Food safety experts say the lapse is a major concern and shows state inspectors are spread thin and might need more training on how to spot unsanitary conditions.

“It’s surprising to me that that many major deficiencies were observed at one time, and none of these were picked up previously,” said Michael Doyle, head of the food safety center at the University of Georgia.

In October, state inspector Donna Adams noted only two violations in her report on the Peanut Corp. of America plant: tote containers with butter residue and “black buildup” and “mildew and possibly some static dust on ceiling of butter storage room.”

No samples of the finished product were taken for salmonella testing during the October inspection, despite a push by the state to check for the bacteria after a salmonella outbreak was traced to another Georgia peanut butter plant in 2007.

The October report showing only minor violations seems to conflict with conditions observed by at least one former employee, though others said they saw no problems.

Jonathan Prather, who said he worked in the plant’s peanut butter room until he and most of the plant’s other employees were recently laid off, said he sometimes saw old and soggy peanuts being used and other unsanitary conditions. When he raised concerns about the plant’s cleanliness, Prather said he was ignored by managers.

“The only thing they said is, ‘We’ll handle this, we’ll handle the problem,’” he said. “But I don’t see that they did because if they had, none of this would have happened.”

Another former employee, Jimmy Boozer, said he worked at the plant for six years and never noticed any unsanitary conditions. Co-worker Lewis Smith, who had been working at the plant for about two years, said the plant appeared generally clean. One problem Smith noticed was a roof that leaked for months and continued to leak even after plant managers said it had been repaired.

A leaky roof would likely cause some concern for inspectors: After the 2007 salmonella outbreak was linked to a Georgia peanut butter plant operated by ConAgra Foods Inc., company officials said jars were contaminated when moisture from a roof leak and a malfunctioning sprinkler system mixed with dormant salmonella bacteria in the plant.

Adams, who inspected the plant twice last year, did not come to the door to speak to a reporter who visited her home in southwestern Georgia. A man who identified himself as her husband referred all questions to the state.

Georgia agricultural officials did not return repeated phone calls and messages seeking comment. Earlier in the week, Agricultural Commissioner Tommy Irvin defended his inspectors, saying they did the best they could with limited manpower and funding.

Irvin said the department has about 60 inspectors responsible for examining 15,000 sites — or 250 food sources per inspector — ranging from ice machines to sprawling factories. Some territories are left uncovered, forcing the state to shift employees from one area to another.

Peanut Corp. did not respond to several requests asking for details of plant operations. The company issued a general statement late Friday that emphasized its top concern continues to be ensuring public safety.

“For Peanut Corporation to engage in any discussion of the facts at this point is premature,” the statement said.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it had asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into Peanut Corp., which authorities say shipped products that initially tested positive for salmonella after retesting and getting a negative result.

At least 529 people have been sickened as a result of the outbreak, and at least eight may have died because of it. More than 430 products have been recalled.

The 29-year-old Prather painted a grim picture of the facility, describing managers more concerned with the company’s bottom line than with properly cleaning the plant and equipment.

He said both soggy peanuts and peanuts in packages marked with dates showing they were five or six years old were dumped into the production line. The American Peanut Council, an industry trade association, says peanuts need to be kept dry to prevent mold and other risks.

Prather also said a dry roaster at the plant was halted only one day a month for cleaning. Doyle, the food safety expert, said peanut roasters should be cleaned and sanitized at least once a week.

“What they needed to do and what they didn’t do is clean up right,” said Prather, who noted the plant was sometimes shut down for cleaning on the weekends but said that wasn’t enough.

Doyle, who has been asked by the American Peanut Council to help review the industry’s practices, said the state would likely have to provide inspectors with “more in-depth training in terms of the really critical areas.”

And he said it’s a problem that likely spans far beyond Georgia.

“It’s something the federal government is going to have to take a lead role on, to develop criteria for different producers,” Doyle said. “I think this peanut plant is just an example of the weakness in our system.”

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Greg Bluestein reported from Atlanta.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Lab confirmed salmonella for Georgia peanut plant

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Posted on 29th January 2009 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 1/29/2009

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lab company president called to testify before Congress in the salmonella outbreak investigation said Thursday that manufacturers “can’t retest away a positive result.”

Charles Deibel, whose labs conducted tests for Peanut Corp. of America, said that if 100 containers were tested and only one or two turned up salmonella, the company should “throw the whole lot out.”

Federal health officials say Peanut Corp. shipped tainted peanut products from its Blakely, Ga., facility after retesting them and getting a negative result for salmonella.

Peanut butter, peanut paste and other goods from the plant are being blamed for an outbreak that has sickened more than 500 people, triggered a massive international recall and raised doubts about the food industry’s safety practices.

Deibel said his company — Deibel Labs Inc. — did not conduct day-to-day testing for the Blakely plant, but was asked on occasion to carry out certain tests. He said the company has turned over bacterial cultures to federal investigators.

Deibel and the president of another lab, J. Leek Associates Inc., have been called to testify Feb. 11 before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Deibel firm has been in existence since the 1960s and has its main lab in Chicago.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the panel conducting a hearing into the outbreak, said the investigation shows “major gaps” in the nation’s food safety system.

“I am extremely troubled by reports that the plant tested positive for salmonella numerous times but nothing was done to ensure that the product did not go on the market,” Waxman said.

Peanut Corp., based in Lynchburg, Va., said in a statement it “categorically denies any allegations that the company sought favorable results from any lab in order to ship its products.”

Deibel said his firm is still poring over records to determine what kind of testing was done, and at what times, for Peanut Corp.’s plant.

He said his lab tested some salmonella cultures that came from the J. Leek lab and identified the specific variety of the bacteria that was present. Those cultures have been turned over to investigators from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control.

Darlene Cowart, president of the J. Leek lab, was not available Thursday.

Deibel his lab also tested samples of peanut products sent directly from the Blakely facility, but that he did not have the results of those tests available.

Salmonella can exist in a dormant state in products like peanut butter, isolated in pockets of a big batch. So experts say it’s possible to get positive and negative results from the same batch.

“The benefit of using multiple labs is you increase your chances of finding it,” said Deibel.

“Our recommendation to clients is that you can’t retest away a positive result,” he added. “We call it ‘testing into compliance,’ and that is frowned upon.”

Meanwhile, the Army joined the peanut recall Thursday. It’s removing some peanut butter items from warehouses in Europe.

In the civilian world, more than 430 kinds of cakes, cookies and other goods have been pulled off store shelves in what the FDA is calling one of the largest product recalls in memory. The Army’s recall does not affect Meals-Ready-to-Eat, but another kind of military grub called Unitized Group Rations-A, which provide a complete 50-person meal.

Nationwide, at least eight people may have died of illnesses linked to the outbreak.

The recall covers peanut butter, peanut paste, peanut meal and granulated products, as well as all peanuts — dry and oil roasted — shipped from the factory. FDA officials could not quantify the amount of products being recalled.

Officials recommend that consumers check the FDA web site, which lists all the products being recalled. Consumers who find any such products in their cupboards should toss them away. If they’re uncertain about eating a particular product, they should check it out first.

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On the Net:

FDA’s recall page: http://tinyurl.com/8srctw

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.