A federal magistrate judge has recommended approval of a $12m settlement for those who became ill or died after eating salmonella-tainted peanut products from the Peanut Corporation of America last year.
A bill providing tougher punishments for those who knowingly distribute or fail to report tainted food ingredients has been approved by the Georgia state House.
Last year’s deadly salmonella outbreak linked to peanut products will have no long term impact on peanut demand and production, according to a report from the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
USDA figures show that consumers bought near-record quantities of peanuts over the past year, despite a salmonella outbreak blamed for nine deaths and more than 700 illnesses.
The US peanut harvest is now underway and, eight months after salmonella-tainted peanut products led to one of the biggest recalls in US history, the National Peanut Board says the recession has boosted demand.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised consumers to avoid eating alfalfa sprouts, saying they are the source of a salmonella outbreak.
FDA authorities finally served an inspection warrant on a New Jersey snack manufacturer on Wednesday 18 days after it refused to recall products containing peanuts supplied by the Peanut Corporation of America.
US food giant ConAgra has cut costs and increased prices, helping it to a better than expected rise in its third quarter earnings, the company reported on Thursday.
The American Peanut Council said it is working hard to encourage manufacturers to continue to use peanuts and protect the industry’s reputation which suffered at the hands of one rogue company after a salmonella outbreak.
Food companies have come out in support of stricter government regulation proposed by a bipartisan Senate bill intended to strengthen the FDA’s powers to ensure food safety.
The National Peanut Board (NPB) has announced a plan to regain public trust in peanuts as the ongoing recall due to possible salmonella contamination has severely damaged peanuts’ wholesome image.
A glut of peanuts on the back of a bumper crop could come as a blessing for food manufacturers, providing a supply of peanuts for those who eventually wish to replace products that have been discarded.
The majority of Americans are aware of the peanut product recall but many are mistaken about which products are involved and few trust food safety controls, according to a Harvard survey.
The Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy, a month after peanut products from its Blakely, Georgia facility were first recalled due to salmonella contamination.
The president of the Peanut Corporation of America refused to testify at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, at which he was accused of caring more about profits than food safety.
The US Food and Drug Administration joined the Justice Department on Friday in a criminal investigation of the PCA, the manufacturer at the center of a salmonella outbreak which has sickened 529 people and may have caused eight deaths.
Legislation unveiled in the House of Representatives this week would increase Food and Drug Administration powers and the frequency of safety inspections – but would require industry to cover the cost.
The Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) knew that its peanut products were potentially contaminated with salmonella before distributing them, US health officials said yesterday.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has criticized US officials’ response to the peanut butter salmonella outbreak, calling it ‘woefully inadequate’.
The American Peanut Council is being cautious over the potential long-term impact of salmonella contamination on the industry, as the recall of salmonella-contaminated peanut products goes global.
Conflicting advice from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on peanut butter-containing foods has led to manufacturers rushing to issue their own advice on a product by product basis.
