GA A Step Closer to Food Safety Rules

Gov. Sonny Perdue is expected to sign a bill that would make Georgia the first to require food makers to swiftly alert state inspectors if their internal tests show their products are tainted. The proposed food safety regulations would require the food processors to report the results within 24 hours. The proposal moved rapidly through the Georgia Legislature in the wake of the salmonella outbreak that originated in a south Georgia peanut processing plant. It sickened hundreds and was linked to the deaths of at least nine people. Federal officials, food scientists, legal experts and industrygroups cannot point to another state with similar requirements. And Georgia lawmakers say the new provision would make it the first state to have such a rule.
(Associated Press)

Blakely Peanut Plant Gets Tour By Victim's Lawyer

A lawyer representing victims in the recent nationwide salmonella outbreak will today tour the south Georgia peanut plant linked to that outbreak. The attorney will be joined by a team of experts inside the Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely. Today’s tour follows one at a PCA plant in Texas. The outbreak sickened hundreds across the country, and linked to the deaths of nine people. Several lawsuits are pending against the company.

CDC Says Little Progress In U.S. Food Safety

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta says Americans did not suffer more food poisoning in 2008, despite high-profile cases like the peanut butter salmonella outbreak linked to a south Georgia plant. But a new CDC study also warns that Georgia and a handful of other states have made little—if any-progress in food safety over the past four years.

The study’s key statement is this: The U.S. has "reached a plateau in the prevention of food-borne disease." It calls for new efforts to make food safer from the farm to the table.

The CDC’s study looked at 10 states, including Georgia. It showed the number of food-borne infections declining over the past decade. But, by 2004 they leveled-off. And Georgia in particular has the second-highest rate of salmonella among the 10 states.

That’s due in part to the latest salmonella outbreak at a peanut plant in Blakely, which sickened nearly 700 people nationwide.

State lawmakers answered that alarm in the just-completed legislative session by overwhelmingly passing a bill to toughen food safety rules and regulations. State Republican Senator John Bulloch says the bill he co-sponsored is a good start:

"The tools that we put in place for the Dept of Agriculture is a great improvement over what they had before. Do the things need to be changed?...we don’t know. It may be that next year we need to come back as we see how these new changes have been implemented and what results they have, and maybe there are some other things that need to be changed."

Bulloch says changes already made within the state’s Agriculture Department include an additional five food inspectors in the field, with three of those positions newly-created by the Legislature.

But Bulloch also points out that Georgia should not be taking all the blame for failures in the inspection pipeline:

"At what point does the Food and Drug Administration…where’s their responsibilities? Have they done and have been doing a good job? And I’d say no, they need to change their rules and regulations."

Federal food safety officials say they’re using new tools in an aggressive approach toward reducing food-contamination.

Here in Georgia, Bulloch believes things will get better:

"I would say that going forward, the consuming public should have a higher level of confidence that the products that go to the grocery shelf would be from a Georgia-facility would be by far safer than it could have been in the past."

Senate Bill-80 toughening Georgia’s food safety rules and regulations, awaits Governor Sonny Perdue’s signature.

Blakely Touts Peanut Pride

The city of Blakely over the weekend put itself in the spotlight trying to boost its image. The first Peanut Proud Expo held Saturday was a celebration at a time when Georgia’s peanut industry has been rocked by a salmonella outbreak.

Blakely is home to the Peanut Corporation of America plant that was linked to the outbreak, sickening nearly 700 people and possibly responsible for nine deaths.

Blakely Chamber of Commerce officials say an estimated 2,000 people attended the Saturday event.

Peanut Expo Counters Bad Publicity

Representatives from the peanut industry plan to gather in Blakely in southwest Georgia to boost the image of the legume that has suffered a bout of bad publicity lately. Industry representatives will gather Saturday in the town's court square for the Peanut Proud Expo. The event will feature live music, free peanut snacks, educational exhibits and a peanut recipe contest. Blakely is home to the Peanut Corp. of America plant that was linked to the national salmonella outbreak that prompted one of the largest retail recalls ever, sickened nearly 700 people and may have been responsible for nine deaths. The peanut industry supports some 50,000 jobs in Georgia.

(Associated Press)

Tougher Food Safety Rules To Get House Review

Tougher food safety rules for Georgia could be another step closer after today’s activity ahead at the State Capitol. House lawmakers are set to look at the measure to revamp requirements. Since it’s already passed through the Senate, House approval would move the bill to Governor Sonny Perdue’s desk.

The bill includes the provision to require food makers to alert state inspectors within 24 hours if a plant’s own tests show products are tainted. Georgia would be the first state in the nation to adopt strict new food safety rules. The movement for tougher rules comes in the wake of the salmonella outbreak, linked to a south Georgia peanut plant.

Peanut Industry Predicts Billion-Dollar Loss

Today the head of the Georgia Peanut Commission told members of Congress the recent salmonella outbreak linked to a Georgia peanut plant could cost the industry 1 Billion dollars. A salmonella outbreak at plants operated by the now bankrupt Peanut Corp. of America prompted one of the largest recalls in history. The company shipped its peanut butter and paste to industrial producers who used it in products ranging from ice cream to dog food. More than 680 people were sickened and as many as nine may have died. The peanut commission's Don Koehler says peanut farmers are having to cut their acreage by a-third, but he says the true cost won't be know until the scare is over.

(Associated Press)

Local Officials to Inspect Food Plants

In response to the recent salmonella outbreak in peanut products, the Georgia House passed a bill allowing the State Agriculture Commission to deputize county and city health workers to inspect food processing plants.


One of the big complaints from the state Agriculture commission is that they may have missed the signs because they don't have enough food safety inspectors. HB 381 would allow the state to commission local health inspectors to poke around the approximately five hundred fifty food manufacturers. Republican Representative Terry England of Auburn says these local health workers would only visit facilities.

"They’re not allowed at any point to shut an operation down, but if they find something suspicious they are to notify the department of agriculture."

The bill does not lay out how these local workers will be trained to spot defects at manufacturing plants. These local inspectors would also need to know if a food processor is violating federal rules and report those concerns to federal authorities. The salmonella outbreak is blamed for nine deaths.

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PCA Head Hit With Suit

Peanut Corporation of America President Stewart Parnell is being sued as an individual by alleged victims of the salmonella outbreak. Food and Drug Administration officials say the contamination occurred at PCA's Blakely plant.

Emails and other documents suggest Parnell knew batches of peanut products were contaminated when they were shipped. Several emails suggest Parnell was more concerned about the costs of holding the product instead of public health.

The suit was filed by Seattle based attorney Bill Marler in Georgia's Middle District Federal court. The plaintiffs are Derek and Cindy Trone.

Salmonella Outbreak Highlights Inspector Shortage

Tight state budgets have led some of the biggest farm states to leave dozens of food inspection jobs vacant at a time when hundreds have been sickened by a nationwide salmonella outbreak tied to a filthy peanut processing plant.

Georgia, the site of the plant, has about 60 inspectors for some 16,000 sites, while budget cuts have forced the state agriculture department to keep 15 inspector positions vacant.

California, Texas and Florida are among other states facing the same problems while food experts say the federal government relies increasingly on states to monitor the nation's food supply.

"You can only shift the pawns on the table so many times before the game catches up with you," Georgia deputy Agriculture Commissioner Oscar Garrison told legislators earlier this month while asking for more money to hire inspectors.

The salmonella outbreak linked to Peanut Corp. of America has sickened hundreds, may have caused nine deaths and prompted one of the largest food recalls in the nation's history. Federal investigators have launched a criminal investigation, and Virginia-based Peanut Corp. faces mounting lawsuits and a bankruptcy filing.

Food safety experts warn each loss of an inspector increases the possibility that food problems could elude detection.

In the Georgia salmonella case, a state inspector found only minor problems when she probed the Blakely plant in October for less than two hours; less than three months later federal agents found roaches, mold, a leaking roof and other problems.

Almost every state legislature in the country is staring down budget deficits and scraping funds for schools, roads and other public safety areas, like prisons and police. Food safety is a tough sell.

"It's getting pretty dire out there," said Doug Farquhar, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. "With the salmonella scare, you'd think that now would be the time they'd say we need to invest in food safety. But the opposite is going on."

The belt-tightening comes at an inconvenient time.

The federal government increasingly relies on food safety inspections performed by states, where budgets for inspections have remained stagnant and overburdened officials have less training than their federal counterparts.

For officials in Georgia, the deadly outbreak has led to some soul searching.

Legislators have floated proposals to deputize county health officials so they can quickly pursue food safety tips.

And Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said his department will focus more on food safety inspections and less on other duties, such as monitoring out-of-date foods. Leading lawmakers say they hope to boost inspections, despite budget cuts.

Inspectors are "referees of the food game," said Joseph Hotchkiss, a food science professor at Cornell University who once worked for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"There's no way for us as individuals to know much about our food — how it's manufactured and prepared — without these people we hire. And with fewer of those people, that could in general result in an increased risk."

(AP)

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Isakson: Homeowner Tax Credit 'Still on Life Support'

Governor Sonny Perdue, Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson and Diane Isakson at the podium at the Gold Dome in Atlanta, Ga., as the senator announced his re-election run, on Feb. 17, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender).

Republican Senator Johnny Isakson Tuesday formally announced his candidacy for re-election at the state Capitol.

Isakson says although his $15,000-dollar homeowners tax credit was slashed in President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, which he opposed, the tax credit was, "still on life support."

"We're going to be back, and we're going to get it done because we need to stabilize housing.”

Isakson took a swing at plummeting peanut sales in the wake of the salmonella outbreak, and called for boosting Georgia commerce:

"We need to eat more peanuts, we need to make sure that Georgia products are sold around the world. And I can promise you this: every day of my life, as long as I have a breath, I'll be working hard to work for you."

Isakson, flanked at the podium by his wife Diane, Governor Sonny Perdue, fellow Senator Saxby Chambliss and other officials, said Georgians need to sacrifice and work together to get through the recession.

Senior Ga. Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss congratulates Republican Senator Johnny Isakson, as Isakson's wife, Diane, applauds. Isakson announced his re-election run at the state Capitol in Atlanta on Feb. 17, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender).

The election for the senate seat will be in November of 2010.

No Democratic challenger has come forward, yet.

The 64-year-old Isakson’s political career has also included serving in the U.S. House, as well as in Georgia’s legislature. Isakson plans to tour the state beginning tomorrow with stops in Augusta, Albany and Columbus. On Thursday, he's scheduled to stop at Macon and Savannah.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of Sen. Isakson.

Video: Peanut Co. Files for Bankruptcy

The peanut processing company at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak has filed for bankruptcy.

The Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America filed Friday for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in bankruptcy court in Lynchburg, Va. The company's attorney, Andrew Goldstein, says the filing was "regrettable" but inevitable.

The company said in the filing that its debt and assets both ranged between $1 million and $10 million.

The salmonella outbreak was traced to one of the company's plants in Blakely, Ga., where inspectors found roaches, mold and a leaking roof. A second plant in Texas was shuttered this week. The outbreak has resulted in more than 500 illnesses, led to one of the nation's biggest recalls and may have caused as many as nine deaths.

(AP)

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Recalled Peanut Butter Products

A Harvard survey found that while 93 percent of Americans know about the salmonella outbreak, a quarter of them are wrong about the products involved. And on people’s trust of corporations and the government… The poll found one in 3 Americans have confidence in food manufacturers and government inspectors to keep food safe. Harvard researchers surveyed about 1300 Americans. Here's the FDA list of recalled products.

(Associated Press)

Tougher Food Safety Measure Passes Senate

A key first victory for legislation aimed at food safety in Georgia crossed a hurdle Wednesday. The state Senate Agriculture Committee voted unanimously for the plan to require food makers to alert state inspectors within 24 hours if initial testing from a plant shows its products are contaminated. The bill also calls for testing by companies at least once-a-year—that would supplement surprise state and federal inspections. All of this is in response to the salmonella outbreak linked to the Blakely peanut plant. The full state Senate will now look at the measure.

PCA Owner Refuses to Testify at Congressional Hearing

The owner of a peanut company blamed for a salmonella outbreak has appeared before a House subcommittee, but is refusing to testify. Lawmakers ordered Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell to appear at the hearing Wednesday.

He showed up, but refused to answer questions, invoking his constitutional right not to incriminate himself.

Earlier, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released the company's internal correspondence showing that Parnell was ordering tainted products to be sold even after confirmation of salmonella. Parnell complains in e-mails about losing money and says he's frustrated by the delay in shipping products.

The salmonella outbreak has resulted in 600 illnesses and is now linked to nine deaths across the country. A federal criminal investigation is under way.

(Associated Press)

Video: Peanut Co. Owner Urged Shipping Tainted Products

Internal e-mails indicate the owner of a peanut company urged his workers to ship tainted products after receiving test results identifying salmonella.

The company e-mails obtained by a House committee show Peanut Corp. of America owner Stewart Parnell ordered the shipments tainted with the bacteria because he was worried about lost sales.

Parnell was ordered to appear before Congress today to discuss the outbreak that has led to 600 illnesses and eight deaths blamed on his Georgia plant. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, revealed the internal correspondence from the company during a House Energy and Commerce hearing.

(AP)

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Salmonella Scare at Texas Peanut Plant

Health officials in Texas say lab tests show there may have been salmonella at a shuttered Texas plant operated by the peanut company linked to a national outbreak. Texas health officials say the Peanut Corp. of America temporarily closed its plant in Plainview, Texas. Peanut Corp.'s Blakely, Ga. plant is blamed for a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 600 people and may have caused at least eight deaths.

(Associated Press)

Proposal Would Make it Mandatory to Share Test Results Showing Contaminants

A key Senate committee is scheduled to vote on a proposal that would require food manufacturers to alert state investigators within a day of their internal test results that show a contaminant. This comes in response to the salmonella outbreak stemming from the Peanut Corporation of America's plant in Blakely, Georgia.

This proposal would also force the companies to conduct the tests at least once a year.

Food safety experts, government groups and industry lobbies say they don't know of any states that have such a requirement.

(AP)

FBI Now Involved in FDA Investigation of Georgia Peanut Plant

Special Agent Gregory Jones says the FBI is now "fully involved" in helping the Food and Drug Administration's inquiry into the Peanut Corporation of America's plant based in Blakely, Georgia.

Federal officials are saying that the company was aware it was shipping salmonella-tainted products. Tests have confirmed the contamination.

Politicians are calling for criminal charges.

The salmonella outbreak has sickened hundreds and may be the cause of eight deaths. It has led to one of the country’s biggest food recalls and a wave of lawsuits.

(AP)

Video: FDA: Plant Knowingly Sold Salmonella-laced Food

From school lunches to nutrition bars and ice cream, the nationwide salmonella outbreak has reached deep into the American food supply — even though many people had never heard of the small company at the center of the investigation until a few weeks ago.

The food manufacturer, Peanut Corp. of America, has just a few plants scattered across the South, but it may be responsible for one of the nation's largest food recalls in history.

Federal investigators on Friday said the Lynchburg, Va.-based company knowingly shipped salmonella-laced products from its Blakely, Ga., plant after tests showed the products were contaminated. Federal law forbids producing or shipping foods under conditions that could make it harmful to consumers' health.

So far, the salmonella outbreak has sickened about 575 people in 43 states and may have contributed to at least eight deaths. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation and more than 1,550 products have been recalled.

The company has denied any wrongdoing, but said it is investigating.

Before the scandal, Peanut Corp. was a little-known but ambitious company that began in the 1970s as a family catering operation.

"We started this business working out of our house in Virginia with my mom doing all the accounting," company president Stewart Parnell had been quoted on the company's Web site.

The peanut processing business grew over the years. The company bought a plant in Georgia in 2001, opened another in Texas four years later, and was also running a plant in Virginia.

Friends and business associates said Parnell was dedicated.

"He certainly has gone out and done some things on his own — he didn't just lay around. He's been aggressive," said Eddie Marks, who runs a Virginia storage company and has known Parnell for 15 years.

But even as the company expanded and began to process millions of pounds of peanuts per month, its headquarters was still a two-story building behind Parnell's house. He even had his own brand of peanut products: "Parnell's Pride."

Belying the ambition, there were problems.

About nine months after Parnell bought the Georgia plant in 2001, potential insecticide contamination and dead insects were found near peanuts inspected by the Food and Drug Administration.

More recently, state inspections in 2006 and 2007 found some sanitary problems. After another inspection in October, state officials discovered only relatively minor violations.

But less than three months later, a federal investigation found roaches, mold and other unsanitary conditions.

The potential repercussions began to emerge. The Agriculture Department said it may have shipped possibly contaminated peanut butter and other foods to free school lunch programs in California, Minnesota and Idaho in 2007. The Federal Emergency Management Agency acknowledged that it distributed meals to disaster victims that may have included the potentially tainted peanut butter.

And it was discovered that the company's Plainview, Texas, plant didn't register with state health officials there after opening in March 2005 and only recently was discovered and inspected.

However, the most serious issue surfaced in inspection records released Friday by the Food and Drug Administration. The reports showed that in 2007 the company shipped chopped peanuts on July 18 and 24 after salmonella was confirmed by private lab tests.

FDA officials earlier had said Peanut Corp. waited for a second test to clear peanut butter and peanuts that initially tested positive for salmonella. But the agency amended its report, noting that the Georgia plant actually shipped some products before receiving the second test and sold others even after confirming salmonella.

A Peanut Corp. lawyer said the company is investigating and had no comment on the latest FDA findings. The company previously said it "categorically denies any allegations" that it sought lab results that would put its products in a favorable light.

Details of the privately held company have been slow to turn up, and what has come out hasn't been from Parnell. He has repeatedly declined to speak to reporters.

Parnell's friends and business partners described him as a hardworking, soft-spoken man who had a good rapport with the dozens of contacts he made over the years.

"He had a good reputation," said Jeffrey Pope, a peanut farmer who has done business with Parnell's Virginia plant. "People respected him. He's been in the industry for more than 30 years and he's been a mainstay."

Southwest Georgia peanut industry officials say Parnell didn't spend much time in the state, instead leaving the day-to-day dealings to others.

His reputation earned him a vaunted spot on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Peanut Standards Board, which is charged with helping the government establish quality and handling standards for the nation's peanuts.

But several board members said they were unaware Parnell was on the panel, and some said the board rarely met. When they did, it was often by teleconference.

Parnell was removed from the board Thursday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Peanut Corp. was suspended from participating in government contract programs for at least a year.

The company has said in statements that it is deeply concerned.

"The product recalls issued by our company continue to expeditiously remove all potentially harmful products from the marketplace, in the best interest of the public's health and safety," a statement midweek said.

(AP)

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