Inadequate cleaning at Peanut Corporation of America plant

Thursday, January 29, 2009

BLAKELY, GA — A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection of the Peanut Corporation of America plant, the source of the nationwide salmonella scare, has revealed a lack of cleaning and maintenance efforts at the plant, according to WXIA-TV.

The report listed things like live and dead roaches in and around washrooms, mold growing near stored peanut products, salmonella found feet away from products and other generally unsanitary conditions throughout the plant, the story stated.

State Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said: "I would want to see [those responsible] prosecuted, maybe really get the industry's attention. If you have something that might be harmful to the public, don't try to hide it — deal with it!"

Mold was seen growing on the ceilings and walls in the firm's cooler and water stains were observed running down from the cooling unit fans in the cooler; finished peanut products were stored underneath, the story noted.

The list of recalled items produced by the plant increased following the inspections and now dates back to January 2007, the story added.

According to reports, the Peanut Corporation of America's Baxley Plant found salmonella in its own tests 12 times over the past year-and-a-half, but went lab shopping for better results and sold the tainted products anyway.