Inspection after inspection showed a filthy factory and yet no enforcement stopped them from spreading illness and death.
From AP News:
WASHINGTON - Roaches, mold, and signs of a leaking roof were among numerous problems federal inspectors uncovered at a Georgia peanut plant implicated in the national salmonella outbreak, the government said Wednesday.
Food and Drug Administration inspectors noted 10 separate problem areas in the report, which the agency posted on the Internet.
The report also documented that the plant’s owner, Peanut Corp. of America, found salmonella in a dozen internal tests of its products during the past two years. But managers at the plant shipped the peanut butter and peanut paste anyway after getting new tests. The FDA said the company did not initially disclose the first tests to investigators trying to solve the current salmonella outbreak
Peanut products initially found to be contaminated with salmonella were shipped as recently as last September. Health officials started picking up signals of the outbreak a month later.
Separately, senior congressional and state officials called Wednesday for a federal probe of possible criminal violations at the Blakely, Ga. peanut processing plant.
The company’s actions "can only be described as reprehensible and criminal," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who oversees FDA funding. "Not only did this company knowingly sell tainted products, it shopped for a laboratory that would provide the acceptable results they were seeking. This behavior represents the worst of our current food safety regulatory system."
In Georgia, the state’s top agriculture official joined DeLauro in asking the Justice Department to determine if the case warrants criminal prosecution.
"They tried to hide it so they could sell it," said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin. "Now they’ve caused a mammoth problem that could destroy their company — and it could destroy the peanut industry."
‘Clear, unconscionable action’
There was no immediate response from Peanut Corp., which owns the Blakely processing plant at the center of the investigation. The company has previously said it fully cooperated with the salmonella investigation.
More than 500 people have gotten sick in the outbreak, which is continuing, and has been linked to at least eight deaths. More than 390 products containing peanut butter or peanut paste have been recalled. They range from Asian-style cooking sauces, to ice cream, to dog treats. However, major national brands of peanut butter are not affected.
I can hear the Bush's spokeperson saying, if Bush was still in office "no one could have anticipated this outbreak of illness." Clearly, it could have been anticipated all too well, considering the results of prior inspections and tests. I think besides holding the the peanut company accountable, the officials at FDA during the time of these inspections who failed to enforce minimal food safety should also be charged.