Peanut Butter Investigation Sparks Obama Comment

The nationwide salmonella scare and recall of hundreds of peanut butter products has now drawn comments from the White House. President Obama says he promises a full review of the Food and Drug Administration amid the outbreak linked to the Blakely, Georgia peanut processing plant.

Obama says the FDA has not been able to catch problems as quickly as he would like. On Friday, the FDA requested a federal investigation into Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America. The Blakely-plant has been closed with its workers laid-off. The salmonella-outbreak has sickened more than 500 people nationwide, possibly leading to eight deaths. More than 400 products have been recalled.

FDA: Blakely Plant Did Not Follow Safe Practices

A day after Georgia agriculture officials made public its inspection reports of a Blakely peanut butter plant, officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration weighed-in with its findings. The FDA says 12 times in the last two years the plant found evidence of salmonella contamination, but still sold its product after an outside lab determined it was safe. Federal health officials also say more than one salmonella strain has been identified from the southwest Georgia plant, owned by Peanut Corporation of America. The company in a statement says it has fully cooperated with the investigation. More than 300 products containing peanut butter have been recalled nationwide. More than 500 people have been sickened, with possibly eight deaths linked to the outbreak. Today at the State Capitol, the Georgia House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs committee will meet to discuss the Blakely-plant outbreak.

Reports Show Problems at Blakely Plant

State Agriculture reports show the Blakely peanut butter plant at the center of a salmonella investigation has a history of sanitation problems. Records indicate the southwest Georgia processing plant had been cited for cleanliness issues in 2006 and ’07. Inspection reports from last year showed similar and other problems. And the now-closed plant during two routine inspections last year showed no indications of samples having been taken for salmonella testing. The salmonella outbreak has sickened 500 people and been linked to seven deaths. More than 125 products have been recalled nationwide.

To see a copy of the reports, click here.

State jalapenos tested--update

State agriculture officials hope to declare Georgia-grown jalapenos safe to eat when the results of testing come back soon, possibly by Friday afternoon. Jalapeno-samples have been collected from farms across Georgia over the past week.

Federal investigators recently discovered a strain of salmonella on a single pepper from a Texas distributor. That prompted a nationwide warning to avoid buying or eating raw jalapeno or Serrano peppers.

State Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin is not happy with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and its approach to the warning and recall:

"That killed the market...that was overkill. One sample for the whole two nations--Mexico and the U.S--that’s ridiculous. ...we’ve got to get them to understand that when they(FDA)speak they need to have some validity about what they’re saying, but don’t overkill. (It's not good)for the consumer, and makes no market for the farmer".

Irvin says he doesn’t want Georgia’s jalapeno market to suffer like the tomato-market did, when the salmonella outbreak hit several weeks ago and sickened over 1,200 people in 43 states.

Irvin says test results on Georgia jalapenos could come-in as early as tomorrow afternoon, latest by Monday.

Sausage product recall affects Georgia

Texas-based Double B Foods has recalled about 98-thousand pounds of frozen sausage roll products, because of concerns of possible listeria contamination. Some of the product was distrtibuted in Georgia. The frozen sausage rolls were produced on various dates between October 25th and November 6th. There have been no reports of illness. Listeria can kill newborns and those people with weakened immune systems.

Grond beef recall affects some restaurants

A Forest Park meat company is recalling 1,900 pounds of ground beef that were sent to restaurants in Georgia and three other states--the reason is possible E. coli contamination. Only a small amount of beef was distributed in Georgia--two restaurants in DeKalb County, one in Cherokee County, and one in Carroll County.

Cheese recall for Georgia

A cheese importer has recalled about 55,000 pounds of Mexican cheese that could be tainted with salmonella. The cheese was sold under the name "Queso Cincho de Guerrero" in multiple stores in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Texas. It is a dry, hard cheese sold in 35 and 40 pound wheels and labeled with the name of its Mexican producer, Quesos Sabrosos Mexicanos. No illnesses have been reported.