Another ConAgra Salmonella article out of the AP in Omaha today:
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it will increase the frequency of investigations at plants that make peanut butter and similar products, saying this year’s salmonella outbreak showed peanut butter is riskier than health officials had thought.
The FDA last inspected the ConAgra
I was alerted a few weeks ago that the roof at the Sylvester, Georgia ConAgra peanut butter plant had been leaking and that the sprinkler system had failed on a few occasions. We then sought a court order requiring that ConAgra allow us in to view the roof before they tried to repair or replace it. The court ordered the site visit tol be next Monday morning. Interestingly, days before our visit, ConAgra spokespersons came clean with the leaky roof and Salmonella connection. What more is out there?
See below.
ConAgra says moisture in peanut butter plant spread salmonella
Josh Funk of the Omaha Associated Press reported yesterday that ConAgra Foods said that moisture from a leaky roof and faulty sprinkler in its Georgia peanut butter plant last August allowed salmonella bacteria to infect its finished product and later sicken more than 400 people nationwide.
According to ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs, the company traced the salmonella outbreak to three incidents in its Sylvester, Ga., plant last August. The plant’s roof leaked during a rainstorm and the sprinkler system went off twice because of a faulty sprinkler, which was repaired. The moisture from those three incidents mixed with dormant salmonella bacteria in the plant that Childs said likely came from raw peanuts and peanut dust. She said the plant was cleaned thoroughly after the roof leak and sprinkler incidents, but somehow the salmonella remained and came in contact with peanut butter before it was packaged. The company isn’t sure exactly how the salmonella got into the peanut butter, but Childs said it was linked to the moisture. "At some point, the salmonella that was activated came in contact with finished peanut butter," Childs said.
ConAgra recalled all its peanut butter in February after federal health officials linked it to cases of salmonella infection. At least 425 people in 44 states were sickened, and numerous lawsuits have been filed against the company.
Leaky roof at ConAgra plant blamed in outbreak
Joe Ruff of the Omaha World-Herald also reported that moisture from a leaky roof and a faulty sprinkler at ConAgra Foods’ peanut butter manufacturing plant in Georgia led to a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 400 people nationwide. Last August, the roof of the Georgia plant leaked once and the sprinkler system went off twice because of a faulty sprinkler, allowing moisture into the plant, Childs said.
Despite extensive cleanup, Childs said, the moisture apparently came into contact with dormant salmonella from raw peanuts or peanut dust, and the bacteria became entrenched in some areas of the plant. Changes at the plant will include more separation between raw product and processed product to lessen the chances of contamination, Childs said. Food and Drug Administration officials have said salmonella was found on a roaster and some cleaning equipment.
ConAgra Foods Announces the Renovation of Its Peanut Butter Plant and Enhanced Food Safety MeasuresContinue Reading What did ConAgra know and when?
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