ConAgra Subsidiary Agrees to Enter Guilty Plea in Connection with 2006 through 2007 Outbreak of Salmonella Poisoning Related to Peanut Butter

Plea Agreement is available after the link.

QuoteConAgra Grocery Products LLC, a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods Inc., today agreed to plead guilty and pay $11.2 million in connection with the shipment of contaminated peanut butter linked to a 2006 through 2007 nationwide outbreak of salmonellosis, or salmonella poisoning, the Department of Justice announced today.  ConAgra Grocery Products LLC is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with a manufacturing facility in Sylvester, Georgia.

Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart F. Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer of the Justice Department's Civil Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore of the Middle District of Georgia announced the filing of a criminal information against ConAgra Grocery Products alleging a misdemeanor violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.  The company signed a plea agreement admitting that it introduced Peter Pan and private label peanut butter contaminated with salmonella into interstate commerce during the 2006 through 2007 outbreak.  The plea agreement provides that ConAgra Grocery Products will pay a criminal fine of $8 million and forfeit assets of $3.2 million.  The criminal fine is the largest ever paid in a food safety case.

"As parents, we can make sure that our kids look both ways before they cross the street and wear a helmet when they ride their bikes," said Acting Associate Attorney General Delery.  "But we have to rely on the companies that make their food to make sure it is safe.  That's why the Department of Justice is dedicated to using all the tools we have to ensure the processors and handlers of our food live up to their legal obligations to keep the public's safety in mind."

"The safety of the nation's food supply is a top concern, and every company, large and small, must take appropriate measures to ensure that their products don't make customers sick," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mizer.  "No company can let down its guard when it comes to these kinds of microbiological contaminants.  Salmonellosis is a serious condition, and a food like peanut butter can deliver it straight to children and other vulnerable populations."

In February 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that an ongoing outbreak of salmonellosis cases in the United States could be traced to Peter Pan and private label peanut butter produced and shipped from the company's Sylvester peanut butter plant.  The company voluntarily terminated production at the plant on Feb. 14, 2007, and recalled all peanut butter manufactured there since January 2004.  The CDC eventually identified more than 700 cases of salmonellosis linked to the outbreak with illness onset dates beginning in August 2006.  The CDC estimated that thousands of additional related cases went unreported.  The CDC did not identify any deaths related to the outbreak.

The criminal information, filed in the Middle District of Georgia, specifically alleges that on or about Dec. 7, 2006, the company shipped from Georgia to Texas peanut butter that was adulterated, in that it contained salmonella and had been prepared under conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with salmonella.  The company admitted in the plea agreement that samples obtained after the recall showed that peanut butter made at the Sylvester plant on nine different dates between Aug. 4, 2006, and Jan. 29, 2007, was contaminated with salmonella.  Environmental testing conducted after the recall identified the same strain of salmonella in at least nine locations throughout the Sylvester plant.

"We, as consumers, take for granted that the food we feed our families is safe," said U.S. Attorney Moore.  "We count on the companies who prepare and package the things we eat to be just as concerned with the product we put in our mouths as they are with the profit they put in their pockets.  The proposed criminal fine and sentence in this case should sound the alarm to food companies across the country – we are watching, and we are expecting you to hold yourselves to a standard reflective of the trust that your consumers have placed in you.  No more excuses.  A lot of people got very sick because of the conduct in this case and we are committed to doing all we can to make sure that does not happen again."

As part of the plea agreement, the company admitted that it had previously been aware of some risk of salmonella contamination in peanut butter.  On two dates in October 2004, routine testing at the Sylvester plant revealed what later was confirmed to be salmonella in samples of finished peanut butter.  Company employees attempting to locate the cause of the contamination identified several potential contributing factors, including an old peanut roaster that was not uniformly heating raw peanuts, a storm-damaged sugar silo, and a leaky roof that allowed moisture into the plant and airflow that could allow potential contaminants to move around the plant.  As stated in the plea agreement, while efforts to address some of these issues had occurred or were underway, the company did not fully correct these conditions until after the 2006 through 2007 outbreak.  In public statements after the 2007 recall, company officials hypothesized that moisture entered the production process and enabled the growth of salmonella present in the raw peanuts or peanut dust.

The company also admitted in the plea agreement that between October 2004 and February 2007, employees charged with analyzing finished product tests at the Sylvester plant failed to detect salmonella in the peanut butter, and that the company was unaware some of the employees did not know how to properly interpret the results of the tests.

"U.S. consumers expect and deserve the highest standards of food safety and integrity," said Acting Commissioner Dr. Stephen Ostroff of the FDA.  "Today's plea agreement reflects the FDA's commitment to ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply and demonstrates that those who risk the health of Americans will be held accountable."

Following the outbreak and shutdown, the company made significant upgrades to the Sylvester plant to address conditions the company identified after the 2004 incident as potential factors that could contribute to salmonella contamination.  The company also instituted new and enhanced safety protocols and procedures regarding manufacturing, testing and sanitation, which it affirmed in the plea agreement it would continue to follow.

Information about the case and any upcoming court hearings can be found on the Justice Department's website in the "Food and Dietary Supplements" section.  The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Georgia and the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch.  This matter was investigated by the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations.

The proposed plea agreement and recommended sentence is not final until accepted by the U.S. District Court.

Ah, well, they can start by not putting public perception issues at our doorstep.

QuoteFour former officials of the Peanut Corporation of America were named in a 75-count indictment Thursday on charges related to salmonella-tainted peanuts and peanut products.

Peanut allergy: What the public thinks widely misses the mark

by Hembree Brandon Feb 16, 2015   



"We want our children to be protected, but we also want schools to have the tools and resources they need to safely and comfortably serve nutritious, healthful peanut butter," says Ryan Lepicier, vice president of marketing and communications for the National Peanut Board."



http://m.deltafarmpress.com/blog/peanut-allergy-what-public-thinks-widely-misses-mark#comment-157411

Starting here with this link, but gonna cross-post into other places here as well:

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/us-says-non-allergic-peanut-closer-to-commercial-reality

Linking to this new thread here in Main:

National Peanut Board creates allergy awareness website

And these:

2012 Peanut Information
http://www.peanuts.ncsu.edu/PDFFiles/004975/2012_Peanut_Information_(NC).pdf



Peanut Seed Production
http://www.peanut.ncsu.edu/PDFFiles/004968/Peanut_Seed_Production_Guide.pdf

Not sure if this link has ever been included in this thread, so just getting it in here:

Texas Peanut Production Guide

http://itc.tamu.edu/documents/extensionpubs/B-1514.pdf

An old thread to link into here:


Use of Peanut in Dairy Farm Industry: Interesting Reading

http://allergy.hyperboards.com/action/view_topic/topic_id/301/start/1

National Peanut Board 2010 Annual Report Video

Really.  You must watch.

Wait until you see the "peanut butter" bar for college dining halls.

"Keeping peanuts in schools remains a top priority" at about 5:25.

Quote
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed five members and five alternates to serve on the National Peanut Board.  Members and alternates will serve a three-year term of office beginning Jan. 1, 2012, and ending Dec. 31, 2014.

Newly appointed members representing peanut producers are: Edward E. White, Headland, Ala.; William A. Gwaltney, Jr., Windsor, Va.; and alternate members Tom Corcoran, Eufaula, Ala.; Bob Barnett, O'Brien, Fla.; Mike Steede, Lucedale, Miss.; and Paul Rogers, Wakefield, Va.

Reappointed members include Michael H. Davis, Graceville, Fla.; Don Self, Hamilton, Miss.; Cindy D. Belch, Conway, N.C.; and alternate member Dan Ward, Clarktown, N.C.

"These appointees represent a cross section of the industry, and bring a wealth of diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the board," said Vilsack.  "I am confident that peanut producers will be well served by them."

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the National Peanut Board in accordance with the Commodity Promotion Research, and Information Act of 1996 and the Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order.  Under the order, domestic producers pay an assessment at the rate of one percent of the total value of all farmers' stock peanuts sold.

Research and promotion programs are self-help programs, funded through industry member assessments and administered by board members selected by the Secretary of Agriculture.  They allow commodity groups to conduct promotion, market and production research, and new product development for the benefit of their industries. AMS monitors board operations.

from:

USDA Appoints Members, Alternates to National Peanut Board

http://www.naturalproductsmarketplace.com/blogs/npm-moves/2011/09/usda-appoints-members-alternates-to-national-pean.aspx

~ ~ ~

Just reading there for new/updated info . . .

always interesting.


http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/nutrition-foodallergy_research.php

Quote
Education

The National Peanut Board also worked with the Food Allergy& Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) to fund a National Food Allergy Registry, A Food Allergy Management Training Program for Emergency Room Staff, and brochure on "Talking to Your Teen about Food Allergy."  NPB teamed up with FAAN and Time for Kids to create a poster and teacher's guide entitled, "Every Body's Different" which was distributed to classrooms across the country. The fun and informative poster integrates nutrition information as well as food allergy education. 

In 2008, as an industry service, the National Peanut Board worked with the Culinary Institute of America to develop a free online training course, Food Allergies: Challenges & Opportunities for Food Service. Through informative text, video demonstrations, interviews and recipe ideas, the program offers effective training tools to help foodservice operators meet consumer needs without unnecessarily eliminating foods from their menus. Visit www.ciaprochef.com/foodallergies. 

Just adding this in here.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/284705234883063/#!/Nationalpeanutboard

http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/growers-featured.php

Quote
GROWER'S CORNER: FOR GROWERS, BY GROWERS 
A third generation farmer, Dan West and his family have been operating the same farm in Northeast Mississippi since the 1900s. "All I've ever known is farming!" Dan chuckles, when he responds to what he likes about farming. Although he worked on the farm with his father since he was a child and learned all he could from the best, he still wanted to study agriculture economics while he attended college at Mississippi State.

"I had to look at farming with a business mind," Dan says about why he picked his major. During his college years, he made many friends and contacts, who he still calls on to this day. "If I don't have the answer to a question or need help with the farm, I can call any of these people, and someone will help me out."

While Dan has been a farmer all his life, he just started growing peanuts after the 2008 Farm Bill. In 2009 he was up to growing 600 peanut acres—much more than the 200 acres he grew initially. To most peanut farmers in Mississippi, he's known as the man who brought peanuts to North Mississippi, but he's too modest to talk about that. "Peanuts are a profitable crop and as long as I make profits I will continue to grow them," Dan says. He also grows cotton, corn and wheat, but believes peanuts to be "the best soil-building crop."

Dan is a busy man aside from running West Farms. He's also on the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association Board and the First South Farm Credit Board. Serving on various boards himself, he thinks institutions such as the National Peanut Board are imperative to keeping farmers in business. "I know our Mississippi representative Don Self and NPB do a tremendous job promoting peanuts around the country."

According to Dan the future of farming looks good. As a risk taker himself, Dan says, "With the arrival of newer technology every day the future is definitely bright. At a time where potential profits are high, so too will be the risks. If we as farmers can manage the high financial risks, our potential for a brighter future will be high, too!"

MY bold added.

Ever wonder about cross-contamination at the source?