Peanut factory linked to deadly outbreak faked salmonella results

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/feds-peanut-plant-linked-to-deadly-outbreak-faked-salmonella-results/

Aug. 1, 2014

ALBANY, Ga. -- A Georgia peanut plant linked to a deadly salmonella outbreak cut corners and sent fake lab results to customers, endangering consumers nationwide, federal prosecutors said Friday as they opened a rare case seeking criminal punishment for corporate workers over food poisoning.

Peanut Corp. of America "had a huge problem with salmonella in its plant and in the products it produced," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Dasher told the jury in his opening statement - a two-hour preview of a case that could take months to present. Yet he said the company shipped products that were untested and products that it knew were tainted to customers including food giant Kellogg's.

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The Georgia plant saw a steady stream of positive salmonella tests for its products at least since 2003, Dasher said. From 2007 to 2009, he said, the plant struggled to keep up with orders to supply Kellogg's with 40,000 pounds of peanut paste twice per week - a product that went into peanut butter crackers sold under the Keebler and Austin labels.

Rather than wait two days or longer for lab tests on salmonella and other microbes, the plant shipped peanut paste the day it was produced and attached lab results from prior batches, Dasher said. In some cases, when results for food already shipped came back positive for salmonella, the company never notified recipients, Dasher said.

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